Transitions and Farewells
By Peter L. Omondi, SJ
Greetings from Bonga, a land of verdant surroundings, coffee plantations and diverse flora and fauna; and indeed, we have been blessed with all these niceties in Obera Wacha, the place where the Proposed Pedro Paez Community and Ariyo Catholic Learning Institute is located.
“What’s So Good About Goodbye?”, Miracles lead singer, Smokey Robinson writes in an attempt to explore a relationship on the verge of breakup. Ours hasn’t been a breakup, but tears were inevitable among those who had built great familiarity and had to bid farewell to those they had been close to in the past two and a half years. These past months have been filled with transitions, farewells and visits from friends. It began with a simple farewell to Sch. Linus Tigiti, on June 15, 2025, with the Aliya Construction and Fasil Giorghis Consultant team, came together to the Jesuit community house to share a few words of appreciation and farewell to Sch. Linus, as he takes up a new mission in Rome, where he has since moved to embrace Theological studies. The next day, we were also honoured with a visit from the Local Bishop, Abune Markos and Abba Petros, a Vicariate priest, who spent a night at the community as part of that farewell.
We were later to bid farewell to Abba Gigi, who left the community on August 07, 2025, in preparation for a new mission set for him. Before that, we had a moment with all the Site workers, Fasil and Aliya Construction Team on August 2, with the Little Sisters of Jesus in Wushwush on August 03, and with the Vicariate Administration Team on August 07. Abba Gigi is currently in Debre Zeit facilitating a retreat, after which he is to spend some time in Addis Ababa processing his Exit Visa. He should be out of Ethiopia on September 01.
Progress in the Project
In the last few months, we have also seen several activities within the site. Ground preparation for the sports field has begun. The target is a standard sports field for soccer and track games. Within the same field, there will be opportunities for other field games. The location for the school is relatively sloping, demanding lots of excavation and refilling. The administration block and the classroom have already been painted with the first coat of paint, and the second and third coats are awaiting; the ceramic work within the same blocks has also begun. As evidenced in the images, the windows have so far been fixed, and burglar-proof reinforcement is awaiting where necessary. The ceilings and lighting have been fixed, and we are awaiting a connection to the power source. The fencing work has also begun, and columns for the gates have been erected. The levelling work continues, and grass is being planted in already completed areas in regions that need grass cover. Progress is, however, slightly stalled due to weather challenges.
A Blessing that Challenges
Nothing comes easy, and we remain grateful for our share of challenges. Bonga is a land blessed with lots of rain. Eight out of the twelve months it rains in Bonga, and this year hasn’t been any different. This makes Bonga a land blessed with many opportunities, especially in agriculture, an area we see ourselves venturing deeply into. At the community level, we have already capitalized on some banana planting and are soon venturing into coffee; however, this is initially at the local consumption level.
The rain we are currently experiencing had its onset in May. Its effect has come to be felt much in the last few months, in which the roads have been made impassable, consequently making it almost impossible to transport materials to the site. Visits to the government offices seeking assistance have been of little help. On the side of the contractor, the anticipated completion time has remained a dream due to the reduced effective working hours, but as Linus will put it, that is part of any construction work, and as such, we aren’t worried. On several occasions, the contractor has been forced to rely on human labour for transportation to deliver materials such as the window glasses, timber, and metal bars to the site over a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometres. However, the construction work has remained consistently in progress, an item we attribute to the strife and workmanship of the Contractor.
