I-Search+by+Katie

by: Katie ** Part I--What I already know about my topic ** Ethiopia is located in the middle eastern part of Africa. Ethiopia is one of our world's poorest countries, and it is suffering greatly, this is because the population in Ethiopia is growing, yet the land isn't. Ethiopians are starting to die out because they don't have enough of our basic needs to survive. If we don't give them the helping push they need, the population will start decreasing, and eventually, they will all die out. Ethiopia's location does not help it with it's natural resources either, being that it is located very near the equator. Ethiopia's overwhelming climate makes it very hard for crops to be grown. With little crops, the Ethiopians have little food to survive on. Not only does the scarce food amount cause hunger deaths, but it also causes little amount of trade, and this also has a very large affect on their economy, and in a negative way. With little food, the people are going to start dying out and I would like to know how badly the Ethiopians lifestyles are affected by this. I want to know the actual numbers and statistics of death rates here. I am prepared to learn all about the resources and lifestyles of the Ethiopians. I have many questions that i am just waiting to be answered. Some of my questions include things like; what is the exact population of Ethiopia and out of that about how many people die each and every year. I think that the death rates are increasing more and more each and every year, is that true? Since so many people are dying, does that have anything to do with lack of natural resources? Because, living with very little food will cause hunger, leading to eventual death, and a minimal amount of water can also eventually lead to death. Since their population is all dying around them, does that affect their lifestyles? Because, I know that would have some sort of affect on my everyday life. Does it affect how their education? Does it affect their interaction between each other? Do they think that their lifestyles are normal? Because, even though they have been living them for a while they must be affected by their resources and such a horrible climate their country provides for them.
 * Title: Ethiopia (: **
 * Part II--What I Want to Find Out **

I am reading a book called "Welcome to Ethiopia" that was written by a woman named Elizabeth Berg. This book has taught me oh so much about Ethiopians and her own opinions on everything that goes on in Ethiopia. Elizabeth's book talks all about the culture, history, geography, population, and almost everything that happens in Ethiopia. I am learning how the traditions and celebrations are taking place even when something horrible is happening, just because they are keeping the faith. Some articles that I have been reading on the internet about Ethiopia say that the Ethiopians are continuing to grow in all different parts of their lives. They are building stronger governments, and educations. This is just a start to what we have an ability to do.
 * Part III--The Search **

For my first article, I read, "Ethiofact," an article that talked about the bombing of a city in Ethiopia. I chose this article because it shows just one of the horrible things that happen in Ethiopia and how it effects their lives. It is sad thinking that these people are just normal everyday human beings who have to suffer unnecessary consequences just because of their location on the Earth. This article was very interesting becuase it taught me how some things happen because of political disagreements. There was a political dispute going on at this time that caused people to act in horrible measures. In the secong article I read that was called, "Sudan Tribune," I learned about how 18 members of the Rebel Group were killed. I thought that this article was very important becasue it showed how forces in Ethiopia are trying to help out the Ethiopians and keep them safe. This is what we need to do to help out this country in great need. Finally, f or my last article, I read an article from a magazine called "Time For Kids." I know that it sounds like this article is sort of not right for this project, and how it may be childish, but by far this article may have been the article that contained the most information and gave me new outlooks on my own perspectives. In the article, there were a lot of pictures. The pictures showed different things. Some showed recreation centers that are there, others showed what a citizens do during the day, and some showed the poverty of some areas in the country. In the capitals, there were a lot of torn down buildings, large dirt piles, and citizens lying on the floor with little clothes on. Even though the images used were graphic, they did happen to teach what some of the effects of these natural disasters can be. I found this to be a very serious issue, though it may have nothing to do with the topic it helped a lot.

Somebody that I interviewed was a girl in my class's mother, Shula Nathonson, who was a girl that grew up in the heart of Israel at the time when the Palestinians were invading Israel and were literally tormenting the Israelis and acting like rebels towards them. The Israelis and the Palestinians both were fighting over the same land and this lead to major conflicts between the two countries. Shula, Emma's mom, was growing up while this was happening, and she got to see, one on one how the fighting affected things. The turnouts were not pretty, and this is still an ongoing dispute. I know that this conflict is totally irrelevant to my topic, but still in some ways it is related to my Ethiopian topic. Both the Israelis and the Ethiopians had something going on in their home countries that was effecting dramatically the way that they lived. Shula Nathanson told me how frightening it was to grow up and be so scared to even leave your own house, that's not the way the kids should have to grow up.

After doing all of my research thoroughly, I realized that it is not easy to be an Ethiopian, but it is the way that they have to live. The struggles that they face make their everyday lives challenging, nerve wreaking, and boring. They need to get help so that they can make something out of themselves. I'm sure that they want to live normal lives where they can have a good education and a healthy life. These Ethiopians need to overcome frightening challenges like jungle rebels, the people who attack these innocent Ethiopians just walking through the jungle/forest habitat. These human creatures do have a very large impact on the Ethiopians lives. This is only just one problem that Ethiopians face in their lives. Yet, even though they do have many issues that they are suffering from they make do with what they have, and I find that an amazing quality for these poor people to have. The Ethiopians have much more than issues to deal with, they also have fun and their own normal traditions and celebrations with their family just like we do. Their good times can increase though if we do give them the support they need and after completing this project I know that it is not easy to do it on your own.
 * Part IV--What I Learned **


 * Part V--Bibliography**

Berg, Elizabeth. //Welcome to Ethiopia//. 1st. 1 vol. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Gareths Stevens Pub, 2001. 1-96. Print

"Darfur crisis reflects lack of political will by UN members - Annan aide - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan." //www.sudantribune.com//. Sudan Tribune, 19 April 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. .

"Ethiopia bus bomb wounds 13, three days before poll." //www.ethiofact.com//. Ethiofact Free spirit, 18 May 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. .

Shula, Nathonson. Intervew by Katie. 19 May 2010. Print.

"Time for Kids | World Report | Troubles in Somalia." //www.timeforkids.com//. Time For Kids, 6 November 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. .