The Borana people are a group of semi-nomadic pastoralists in the far south of Ethiopia whose lives revolve around tending their herds of livestock – cows, camels, goats and sheep – travelling with them in search of grass and water. Their pattern of life is very similar to what it would have been hundreds of years ago.  Over the last years, I (Maggie) have visited the Borana area multiple times, including working there on short-term basis on health outreach programs with the Sisters of Charity (SCCG) congregation who serve among the Borana in the rural outpost of Dadim.  I have found my time in Dadim both beautiful and powerful, and often I think of the Borana people I have met and the experience I have had there. There is something magical about the pastoralists, their lifestyle and the rugged terrain of their lands that really draws one in.

Perhaps it is witnessing moments like this:

Once when I was working in Dadim, I went with Sr. Annie Joseph (an Indian missionary sister) on a Friday evening to the clinic to see a mother and her 9 month old daughter, who were both admitted with pneumonia. When we entered the room, the mother was sitting holding her child awkwardly on the edge of the bed. Sr. Annie asked for my help to move the mattress to the floor, where the mother might be more comfortable. After moving the mattress, the mother sat on the edge of it just as awkwardly as before. It is likely she had never seen a ’bed’ (as we know them) before. A moment later two boys strolled in with animal skins tucked under their arms. Sr. Annie looked at them and then turned her face towards me and whispered ‘no problem, let them do it their way’. We watched silently, as the mother took the animal skins, spread them out on the floor next to the bed and then laid down on them with her child. In a moment they were both peacefully asleep.

Such a different way of life!

We can all adapt to many different places and people, but how much we find comfort in our own familiar things, foods, language and habits that will always fill our hearts with peace. I had shared this story with a friend and she commented what a gift it is if we can pause and step back – then we truly get to see the world from another’s view not ours. How easily we often jump in with eagerness to talk or share something of ourselves, our thoughts, our ideas but how much we may miss in doing that.

-Maggie & Mark Banga

Comboni Lay Missionaries serving in Awassa, Ethiopia

Pictures of the Borana people in Dadim: