"Addis Ababa" a Ethiopia Travel Page by FollowTheRoad

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Street in Addis Ababa

Classification of beggars in Addis

During my week in Addis Ababa I have observed beggars over there and done the following classification (don't take it very serious :)

- CHILDREN
These are small girl and boys which start following you and begging for money. Sometimes the adults say to them something, and after that the kid leaves me alone.

- CHILDREN-SINGERS
These beggars are similar to the previous ones, just they sing you a song. Usually the voices of these kids are wonderful...

- CHILDREN "TISSUE 1 BR"
Again, ordinary shildren, but instead of direct begging, they asks you to buy from them a package of 10 one-time use paper tissues for 1 bir (that is 0.10 EUR).

- TIGRAY PEOPLE
The Tigray region is in the North of Ethiopia, near the border of Eritrea. When the season for farming is bad, the Tigray farmers come to Addis to begg money. They usually wear white sheat around them and have a long long stick. If the farmer does not come to Addis himself, then he sends his wife and the children to get some money from the capital.

- HANDICAPS
These people most probably have partly paralized leg, or even miss some part of it. Since they cannot be very quick, they approach only if notice you in very advance.

- CRAWLERS
Variuos handicaps with fully paralized legs or even without them. They crawl using their hands. The nales of such become became like the dog ones. Terrible to watch into what transformed the hands of these people...

- NON-HUMANS
Actualy they are humans, but the face, legs or hands usually changed their normal form and it is disgusting to see them, unfortunately.

- BLIND PEOPLE
They fish for money everywhere: in the bars, shops, places where people are getting on and off the minibuses (most popular mean of transportation in the city).

Use the phrase "egziabeer jestelin". That means something like "Let the God to help you". This phrase is brilliant, because beggars do not have arguments against it and leaves you alone.
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In some cases the strict face and more strict saying "AMBI" can be very efficient. "AMBI" means a string and strict "NO".
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The way I sometimes do is to increase the speed of walk, whenever the beggar approches. Possible that the beggar will be lazy to follow use by running along the street.
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For the Childrens with 1 br tissues, you might want to have a spare package of tissues in your pocket, and show it for the "tissue 1 bir" beggars.
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Of course, do not forget to give money for beggars time to time! Maybe one day you will need the help and will start begging...

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