One of my school cleaners enters my office
with Mr Z (ineffectual and inefficient Deputy Head) to translate. She needs to
take two weeks of on medical leave. I ask why, and she informs me she has a
trapped nerve in her lower right arm. She informs me the doctor gave her a
prescription, but it’s too expensive, so she needs to head out of Addis to some
holy waters for two weeks.
Holy Water is found all over Ethiopia, most
dedicated to individual Saints. It is a common for most Ethiopians to seek cures,
not least brother Derbo’s mother, who goes regularly as she seeks an
alternative cure to her HIV, tuberculosis and diabetes.
I ask her how much the prescription is,
thinking i’ll simply pick up the tab and she can forget leave. Unfortunately, it’s
some US$45 and this could become a very tricky and expensive precedent. I ask
her to provide a doctor’s certificate and come back to me; i need some thinking
time.
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