Six years ago, Janet and I had the opportunity to visit our daughter Keely in Ethiopia. She was working with Virginia Tech students on community projects in Adigrat, ET. While we were there, we adventured on a four-day trek through the beautiful countryside and local villages in the Tigrey region. Our guide was Rovel Goitom Weldmichael and we have become lifelong friends. Keely and I had the opportunity to return to meet again this past February for a trek in Bale National Park.

Since our first visit, Tigrey has experienced a tremendous amount of destruction and unrest due to regional civil conflict. The community guest houses where we stayed were damaged and left in disrepair. These were built by the area villagers to provide a welcoming space for travelers to spend the night and to share local culture. The village women would meet us on arrival each day and provide us with wonderful meals and hospitality. It is an experience I will never forget.

Rovel is leading a group to repair one of the guest houses. He has attempted to raise funds locally and while successful to a point, he has fallen short of the goal. All of the labor will be done by the local community. I want to help him and will manage any money that we are able to raise.

If you are able, please help Rovel out. I promise you it is for a good cause.

JACK