Ministry of Health

Today (1st August) we were invited to the Federal Ministry of Health Of Ethiopia and had a great talk from Dr Mengistu one of the maternal and paeds health guys there.

It was really really good to find out the background from his point of view. He had been an obs/gynae in Ethiopia but then had traveled and worked around the world  and was now involved with public health as well.
Here is a picture of me getting excited about the guidelines they have here!!

This is the food we are eating every day! It is really great and I love it! The arrow points to injera which is nice - loads of people said that it was not good but I am enjoying it so far!!

Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil. 

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over.

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.