On November 27, 2024, the JST evaluation team visited Jinka to observe the actual activities and achievements on the ground.
After arriving at Jinka airport with Dr. Kusse, President of Jinka University (JKU), the JST team and the Project members headed for JKU and visited the President’s office. Based on the discussion and the results of the International Symposium in Addis Ababa, the JST team confirmed the destinations to be visited in Jinka.
Then, they visited an actual-size driving test site on the JKU campus and a shed next to the site to see how the grinding machine crushes sugarcane bagasse.
On Nov. 28th, the Project members showed to the JST team a road in front of a primary school in the village B, where a demonstration of road maintenance was carried out in 2019; and a repair demonstration was also performed in 2022, and they saw how the road has continued to be used by residents without any collapse to the current day.
Then, they visited the second demonstration site (the road from village B to a health center) and checked the areas where the celldoron was mixed. With their counterparts from JKU acting as interpreters, the JST evaluation team interacted with village officials and residents who actually took part in the work. They also visited a pipe culvert bridge constructed with the cooperation of the South District Office of Regional Road Administration.
In the afternoon of 28th, they travelled in the opposite direction to the route visited in the morning (from the Health Centre to Village B) and experienced the difficulties of waling on the black cotton soil. They then visited the South Omo Research Center (SORC) to view a special exhibition about the MNGD project. In the centre’s exhibition space, Mr Mohammed, the director of SORC and the MNGD short-term trainee in 2023, explained not only the MNGD special exhibition, but also the culture and living of ethnic groups in South Omo Zone.
