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KOICA World Friends Volunteer Nurse Changhyeon Jang COVID-19 Prevention and Public Health Efforts in Peru More
Celebrating 2020 The proud history of KOICA More
Ignite a flame of hope in the hearts of people who lost their place of living ‘IGTING’, a social enterprise in the Philippines More
Ethiopia’s Imperial Family of 6,037 members, Standing at the most intense front line of the 6.25 Korean War More

Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project in the Philippines

Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project in the Philippines

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about KOICAGuaranteed Sustainable Health for Local ResidentsRegional Healthcare Capacity BuildingProject in the PhilippinesLocated away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Bulacan, Philippines is a place where people have settled away from the urban area. The illnesses that plague the residents of Bulacan have driven the people into further economic destitution and deprived them of access to healthcare services. This is the reason KOICA has partnered with Seoul National University Hospital to help build capacity of the healthcare workforce in Bulacan.Consistency is Key It s all about the people. This is the first statement made by Professor Gyeongmin Lee from the Department of Neurology at Seoul National University Hospital when talking about his experience organizing the Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project in Bulacan, Philippines from 2016 to 2018 alongside KOICA.Needless to say, providing consistency is a difficult feat with overseas development projects, especially professionals are dispatched to provide services abroad. That is why the aim of this project was to build and strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers in Bulacan.Located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Bulacan, Philippines is a place where people have settled away from the urban area. The residents of Bulacan and especially those who have been forcefully relocated suffer from a wide range of illnesses and diseases owing to the lack of government healthcare services. To make matters worse, their access to information and treatment is extremely limited. It goes without saying that overseas development projects have their drawbacks, one of which would be that the series provided by foreign workers hampers local capacity building efforts. This is why regional capacity building is so important. Professor Lee identified three criteria for the Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project after numerous visits to Bulacan before initiating the project.First, whether the region in question needs this project. Second, the feasibility of the project. Third, whether there is an educational organization that can carry on the baton of education efforts and whether the organization is committed to the effort.Bulacan fulfilled all these criteria and the Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project commenced in 2016.Educating the local population makes a significant differenceThe goal of project was clear cut. A long-term goal and short-term three-year goal was set. The long-term goal was to identify healthcare issues in the regional community and build a system that help strengthen people s capacity to deal with these issues. In an effort to achieve this long-term goal, a three-year master plan was carved out by KOICA and Seoul National University Hospital to create an education curriculum. Local residents participated in building this well-thought out curriculum.Out of the 100,000 residents of Bulacan, a couple of thousands of people participated in healthcare education or activities, out of which the dozens of leaders received training. After joining in capacity building activities, these leaders go back to their respective neighborhoods and provide healthcare services to the residents, in essence transmitting the impact of the project to the entire population in Bulacan.This begs the question about the level of education that was provided. Diagnosis is about providing information. Studies have shown that laymen are capable of diagnosing 80 percent of illnesses if provided with adequate information. We didn t teach them how to do brain surgery. We helped build their capacity to deal with the biggest social issues in the region, since people weren t equipped to solve these challenges despite the fact that 80 percent of healthcare issues can be taken care of by everyday residents. Why? Because they didn t know how. They didn t have the knowledge nor technical capabilities. Measuring the blood pressure of hypertensive patients may seem like a no brainer for us, but people who have never seen this being done think they have to go to a hospital and have a physician do it for them. It was vital that we break down these barriers. Professor Lee s comments ring true with the healthcare problems experienced by people in Bulacan.The reason KOICA s project focused on chronic (non-communicable) diseases this time around is because non-communicable diseases or NCDs are the number one cause of social and economic strife, and declining quality of life. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are among the most challenging non-communicable diseases that affect middle-income countries like the Philippines, because they lead to cardiac disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer, causing the mortality rate to climb and decline in productivity, which puts downward pressure on society as a whole. That is why building the capacity of healthcare workers was vital. The impact of confidence and self-esteemThe impact of the Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project was remarkable. The residents who participated in the education program at the National University of Bulacan were proud to become trainers and this was a strong driver for elevating the self-esteem of the trainees. In addition, this was one of the key success factors of the project that helped the residents become committed and gain confidence.Professor Lee s statement that overseas development projects tend to create a clear distinction between the people providing support and the beneficiaries, but it s extremely important to build a partnership so that the residents can gain the confidence required for problem-solving speaks volumes.The International Development and Cooperation NGO Camp s contribution was crucial as they acted as the bridge between the organizers of the project and Bulacan. Previously, capacity building projects were focused on the professional realm of training doctors. Attempts to encourage direct participation of the residents were almost unheard of. We ran into some difficulties in the beginning, because people in low-income countries tend to focus solely on the 'fruits of the project, without a thought for what comes next. They are mostly in it for what they can get out of the project. That is why the residents were dubious whether the project would work. They were doubtful, because it had never been done before. This is a quote from Cheolyong Lee, the CEO of Camp Asia. This project was made possible because of the strong support and trust Camp Asia has built over the past decade with the people in Bulacan. Towards the end of the interview, Professor Lee emphasized the following once more. It s important that overseas development activities are carried out under a sense of global citizenship, viewing partner countries and recipient countries as equals. Projects that cater towards economic development or furthering the partner country s gain are bound to be short-lived. Cooperation on development must be based on partnerships. Health tends to be considered as a luxury exclusive to people living in clean environments in developed countries. However, health issues should take precedence in underdeveloped countries, because they are impediment to economic development. Although this breakthrough project organized by KOICA,Seoul National University Hospital, and Camp Asia was concluded in 2018, the effects of the Regional Healthcare Capacity Building Project lives on to this day, impacting the lives of people in Bulacan and helping create healthier communities.Written by Lee kyounghee, Photo by Jang Byeongguk

“A Partnership with KOICA? A Perfect 10!” Healthcare NGO Medipeace

“A Partnership with KOICA? A Perfect 10!” Healthcare NGO Medipeace

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KOICA FRIENDS A Partnership with KOICA? A Perfect 10! Healthcare NGO MedipeaceMedipeace (hereinafter Medipeace ) is a healthcare NGO. Founded in 2009, Medipeace has helped improve healthcare in developing countries through various global healthcare projects with KOICA for the past 11 years. Let s take a look at the most recent project underway with KOICA, titled the Volunteer Project for Digital Healthcare Communication Enhancement.Staying focused on healthcare and only healthcareThere are countless NGOs in Korea working across the globe. Medipeace is the first NGO in Korea to specialize in global health. This is what distinguishes Medipeace from all the other NGOs facilitating economic development, regional development, and independence. We are a non-religious and non-political organization that bases our work on the philosophy of humanitarianism, which means that we choose the beneficiaries of our projects with a fair hand irrespective or religion or politics. Our focus on healthcare also stems from the humanitarian value that everyone should have equal access to the basic right to health , explains Taebum Lee, the Head of the International Healthcare Cooperation Department at Medipeace.Medipeace partnered with KOICA for the first time in 2010. Our partnership with KOICA has continued to strengthen throughout the years because the roles of the two organizations were based on their respective strong suits and advantages. Our partnership with KOICA is indispensable, because we excel in different areas. KOICA has the advantage that comes from being a government organization easy access to policy strategies of the recipient country and decades of experience sending volunteers. Medipeace has the advantage of being an agent that bridges field work and policy. In that sense, Medipeace can act as an enabler for facilitating communication between volunteers and their counterparts in the recipient country and encouraging local resident participation. Sehyeon Kim, the officer in charge walks us through the division of labor between KOICA and Medipeace.Creating synergiesThe Volunteer Project for Digital Healthcare Communication Enhancement currently underway with KOICA in Fiji is based on the years of experience accumulated between KOICA and Medipeace. This is a three-year project that has been carried out by Medipeace starting from December 2018, to be concluded in December 2021. The project design effort was led by KOICA Fiji Office and Fiji s Ministry of Health Medical Services. For the purpose of this project, volunteer groups are formed to reach the goals of the project. Unlike other programs, volunteers are not sent individually. The healthcare and medical project in Fiji is of course, directly linked to the unique healthcare issues that the residents in Fiji struggle with.Chronic disease is the number one health issue in Fiji. Prevention and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses are sorely lacking due to inadequate diagnoses and basic knowledge. In general, diabetes patients require special diets and regular check-ups to manage their illness. However, the residents of Fiji fail to realize that they are diabetic until they reach the point of losing their feet. On an average, three people get foot amputations every day, which speaks volumes about the severity of chronic illnesses in Fiji. Fiji s Ministry of Health Medical Services have made various attempts to change people s lifestyle. One example is communication. Our definition of communication for the purposes of this project, includes not just the simple form of exchange information, but also circulating and sharing information through all available channels. Our volunteers spread information on ways to prevent chronic illnesses by using various platforms, such as television, radio, social media, and games. Using a digital platform is crucial given the sparsely nature of the 890,000 populous island , states Department Head Taebum Lee and Assistant Administrator Sehyeon Kim.Memorable Experiences with KOICAThe project is only halfway done, but the changes are clearly visible. Most capacity building projects focus on the local beneficiaries of the project. What set this project apart, is the fact that this project builds the capacity of not only local beneficiaries, but also the volunteers. The volunteer group platform contributes greatly to capacity building for each individual volunteer. Unlike other volunteer groups, our volunteer groups were provided with on-the-job training, included in the specialized training curriculum tailored to the public healthcare and project activities, provided by Medipeace. We believe the contents of the curriculum will help strengthen project activities. Korea lacks expertise in the overseas development field of C4D and we hope that our volunteers will develop the skills to become unrivaled professionals in the field of communication through the project activities. Dynamic activities in various fields that are assigned to volunteers deployed to five healthcare organizations and the Ministry of Health Medical Services are starting to show results. Volunteers are involved in assisting operations at chronic disease clinics, local outreach initiatives, managing data at school nurse s offices, helping develop education materials, developing health and education mobile apps, and Instagramming to spread healthcare information. These activities will hopefully create a synergy and have profound health impacts on the lives of Fiji residents.Medipeace applauds the level of cooperation with KOICA involved in this project. A decade ago when Medipeace first partnered with KOICA, Medipeace was involved heavily in the execution stage. However, now it s a true partnership. KOICA has become more open in their perception of partner organizations. The partner organization works closely with KOICA Fiji Office to form a single team for the Fiji project. The results have been eye-opening. The quality of our work has improved because we work towards common goals instead of fixating on each other s interests. This encourages us to make more suggestions as well. We value the increase in efficiency and effectiveness of our work and the enjoyable experience enabled by our partnership. At any point in time, Medipeace has numerous ongoing projects in different stages. Amidst the mountain of work, consistency is key building on completed projects to make adoptions to other projects and building local capacity helps create a self-sustainable environment. Medipeace has grown and developed throughout the years. Initially, our projects were mostly primary healthcare and medical projects. Now, our projects entail research as well. Although our sole focus is on healthcare and medicine, the number and diversity of sub-categories have increased. This will help enhance the quality and diversity of our projects. Our dream is to guarantee a healthy life to everyone. Full of health and positivity, Medipeace opens up new horizons for healthcare and medicine. Our unwavering passion and unique specialties deliver happiness to people all across the world.Written by Lee kyounghee, Photo by Jang Byeongguk

Qualitative empowerment of higher education through establishment of Kyrgyzstan FabLab Bishkek

Qualitative empowerment of higher education through establishment of Kyrgyzstan FabLab Bishkek

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KOICA Photo-essayKyrgyzstan s infinite possibilities blossomQualitative empowerment of higher education through establishment of Kyrgyzstan FabLab BishkekKyrgyzstan is a landlocked nation in the northern part of Central Asia and is classified as a low-and-middle income country by OECD standards. Economic growth is slow here because natural resources are scarcer than in neighboring states, so the Kyrgyzstani government has made human resources development a top priority, while focusing on securing and developing new talent.However, a job shortage here has prompted about one million people (10% of the population) to look for employment elsewhere. This human resource outflow is not easily preventable, as the country s education system and facilities are poor and inadequate for addressing the problem fundamentally.KOICA, along with Seoul International Friendship Organization (SIFO) and TIDE institute, is conducting a public-private partnership project (2019-2021) aimed at improving higher education through establishment of Kyrgyzstan FabLab Bishkek.(Above, left to right) 3D printer, CNC router, laser cutter, (Below, left to right) vinyl cutter, Arduino, table CNC machineThe Fab Lab (a small-scale makerspace and fabrication workshop) in Bishkek is Kyrgyzstan s first. This is a space where anyone can come, like a public library, and create whatever objects and prototypes they want using digital manufacturing equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, CNC routers, table CNC machines, and Arduino, turning innovative ideas into commercially viable products.The Bishkek Fab Lab aims at raising opportunities for employment and starting businesses by offering training in digital manufacturing and spreading a technology-based maker culture. This project is expected to expand creative digital manufacturing, elevate expertise, as well as identify new demand after the training is completed. Ms. Begyaym, currently a third-year student at the Department of Architectural Design in Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transportation and Architecture, has been participating in the Seminar on Electronic Prostheses at Fab Lab Bishkek since early this year. She is an Architecture major with many classes and much homework that requires hand drawing or using computers. However, her studies were hampered by a congenital disability. And then, she was selected as a participant in the Seminar on Electronic Prostheses and given the opportunity to make and practice wearing a prosthetic arm for use in manufacturing processes. I really wanted to participate in the workshop when I heard that I could build my own prosthetic arm. Thank you very much KOICA and Fab Lab, for providing such a great space and opportunity. Now I can grow my hair long, as it was very hard for me to tie it with one hand, and I'm looking forward to wearing short sleeves, which I used to hate because I couldn t hide my arm. Ms. Begyaym, the first beneficiary of the electronic prosthesis workshop, says that she wants to help people who are in a similar situation with the training she had at the Fab Lab.Bishkek will be a digital fabrication space to manufacture prototypes that meet Kyrgyzstan's domestic need. The goal is to create a standard operating manual to build a system that can operate locally on its own without the input of external personnel. To this end, support plans are provided for collaboration with experts and experienced people in makerspace operations and management, and also for prototype training and mentoring that could lead to actual start-ups.Fab Lab Bishkek is a space where anyone can realize their dreams, regardless of gender, age, religion, or disability. It brings a great opportunity for anyone who dreams in Kyrgyzstan to realize their visions through Fab Lab digital fabrication technology.We hope that the startups and great talents discovered at Fab Lab Bishkek will bring amazing events, and become a great driving force for the Kyrgyzstani economy. Written by Nam Jiyeon Photo by KOICAWatch BegieM's Story on videohttps://youtu.be/EFVYxyHnBvU

Former Deputy Minister of Mine and Energy Leads the South American Association of KOICA Fellows!

Former Deputy Minister of Mine and Energy Leads the South American Association of KOICA Fellows!

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Beautiful KOICAFormer Deputy Minister of Mine and EnergyLeads the South American Association of KOICA Fellows! Guilermo Shinno HuamaniPresident, South American Association of KOICA Fellows and APEBECOThe country known for Inca civilization, the Nazca Lines, and Machu Picchu, Peru is the 20th largest country in the world1) and the third largest country in South America with total land area six times as large as the Korean Peninsula. Peru has a wealth of mineral resources. According to the Peruvian Customs Office, minerals are the number one export item Peru, accounting for more than half of total exports.2) We interviewed Guilermo Shinno Huamani, who previously served as the Deputy Minister for Energy and Mines and is currently the President of the Peruvian Association of KOICA Fellows, to talk about his experience with Korea and future plans.Q. It s good to meet you. Please introduce yourself.My name is Guillermo Shinno Huamani and I am the President of APEBECO. I have worked in the energy and mining sector my entire life and was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines (MINEM) for a fiveyear term. Since stepping down from my position as Deputy Minister, I ve switched gears to corporate life and am currently the CEO of two private companies a mining company and an electric power company. I was also elected as the President of the Peruvian Association of KOICA Fellows (APEBECO) in June last year and am keeping myself happily busy every day. (on the day this interview was conducted, he was also elected as the President of the South American Association of KOICA Fellows. It seems that he is destined to lead)Q. It takes a full day to travel from South Korea to Lima, Peru, which means that KOICA is half way across the globe from you. When and how did your relationship with KOICA begin?My first visit to Korea was in June 2010. My trip was for a safety workshop in mining that was hosted at Taebaek, Gangwon-do Province. The workshop was full of useful information. The information was vital for someone like myself who has worked 23 years overseeing private companies compliance of mining and safety regulations and legislating public policy.Afterwards in October 2018, I visited Gwangju to participate in BIXPO, where the latest updates about energy transformation was provided. I think my trips to Korea was a strong driver that led up to this point of serving as the President of APEBECO.Q. What was most striking about the Korean people?Korea was the third Asian country I ever visited. Because I had been to other Asian countries, I honestly didn t expect anything special from Korea. But I couldn t have been more wrong. I was astonished at the dynamic atmosphere and began to see Korea from a completely different view. My most recent trip to Korea was during winter and I was amazed at the energetic and vibrant society and economy with streets crowded with people despite the cold. Things are completely different in Peru and I was impressed.Q. Could you tell us about APEBECO activities in Peru?In June last year, APEBECO organized a Plant Trees campaign with 20 members. And in August to September, we worked on purifying our rivers. About 65 people participated. We also plan on expanding our work to include educating children from impoverished families, protecting women from domestic violence and sexual abuse, and much more.I am proud of our hardworking members, but we still have a long way to go. There are 1,070 members in total who have participated in KOICA workshops in Korea, which means the participation rate is extremely low.Q. What are your plans moving forward?In the past, APEBECO had a large number of inactive members. There was little to no activity and we weren t going anywhere. The Head of the KOICA Peru Office and I are aligned in our goal to encourage membership participation. There are two measures we have in store. First, is to encourage existing members to participate. This requires a full and accurate membership register. We are currently in the process of identifying each and every person who has participated in KOICA workshops by enlisting the help of government departments.Second, is to attract new members. We need new members who recently took part in workshops in Korea and are motivated. Together, we plan on collecting waste from oceans and streams and providing support to those most in need.Q. I heard you were elected as the President of the South American Association of KOICA Fellows just one hour before we sat down here for this interview. Congratulations! What do you have planned as your role as President?I am elated, but also feel a heavy weight on my shoulders. I would like to organize at least two joint projects a year in South America. In fact, this meeting was extremely informative and reaffirmed the disparity among different countries. We had a wide range of representation from countries that receive the full support of KOICA, countries where KOICA does not have an overseas office, and countries with active participation and minimal participation. Each country also has different goals, which means that mediation will be crucial for our projects. If the five South American countries come together and pool our resources, I believe we can achieve great things through volunteer partnerships aimed at providing support to those in the margins of society and most in need in South America.Q. In closing, is there a New Year s message you would like to give to our KOICA webzine subscribers?On behalf of APEBECO, Happy New Year to our brothers and friends in Korea! I hope Korea as a country reaches new cultural and economic heights this year and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.1) Korea is ranked 111th2) Share of mining in exports: 56%, Peruvian Customs Office

New Year’s customs and traditional foods, country by country

New Year’s customs and traditional foods, country by country

Year 2020 is upon us! The first thing that comes to mind is tteokguk. Korea has a fun tradition by which this hot, white soup with coin-like rice cakes is eaten on New Year s Day, thereby making one a year older. Likewise, various customs exist in other countries to wish for happiness and wellness for the coming year.So how do people around the world celebrate New Year?Let's take a look at the New Year's customs and traditional foods around the world!

Ethiopian Coffee ceremony The holy and fascinating ritual

Ethiopian Coffee ceremony The holy and fascinating ritual

There is a warm, dark-colored liquid that makes people instantly feel better after taking a sip, and fills the body with energy with wide open eyes! That magical drink is coffee. Nowadays, it is not so difficult to come across a place where one can experience fresh, flavorful coffee with world-famous coffee shops, cafes that only deal in specialty coffee, and roasteries offering freshly roasted beans. However, none can compare to the flavor and fragrance of bunna (meaning coffee in Amharic) from Ethiopia, the original birthplace of coffee. One cup of coffee made with sincerity, with beans roasted and ground by hand, is infused with care, love, wishes, respect, and all sorts of other positive energy.Bunna, not coffeeAfter being in Ethiopia, there are now only two types of coffee for me. Ethiopian coffee, and the rest. Of course, coffee is a product of personal preference, so individuals will have different tastes and preferences. Even so, it would be illogical for a person to claim to know about coffee without having tasted Ethiopian coffee, whether they are a famous barista, roaster, or cafe owner. By Ethiopian coffee , I do not mean high-quality Arabica like Gesah or Yirgacheffe. I am referring to Bunna. I mean the coffee with a thick consistency that is made with the traditional Ethiopian roasting and grinding methods.Bunna presents a new sensation that cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled in other coffee. The coffee is brewed to a thick, reddish color. It does not require focusing the senses of the nose to smell the coffee, as it gives off a strong aroma on its own. As soon as the coffee touches the tip of the tongue, all sorts of flavors that are hard to define clearly including a natural sweetness, a gentle sourness that does not sting the taste buds, a slight saltiness, and nutty flavors storm the inside of the mouth like an orchestra. The clean aftertaste that does not linger bitterly in the mouth after emptying the whole cup is quite fascinating. Truly, absolutely, delicious.At least three cups a day, the kingdom of coffee Have you had coffee? , Do you want to get coffee? , Can I offer you coffee? These are the words that I heard in Ethiopia most frequently. It is equivalent to the Korean expression, Have you eaten? To Ethiopian people, coffee is more than a simple drink. It means care for the other person, and the way that people greet one another. It is a symbol of friendliness and an offering.The Ethiopian myth regarding the creation of coffee is well known. Around the 6th and 7th centuries, a shepherd named Kaldi observed that his goats would not sleep at night, and would run around energetically after eating a kind of red beans that he had not seen before. So Kaldi took some of the beans home for himself, boiled them in water, and drank it. His mind became clear and fresh. Excited at his discovery of the mysterious plant, Kaldi told the Islamic monks about the beans. They called them devil s fruits , and tossed them into the fire. But soon even more fragrant and delicious smells started to come from the fruits that were tossed into the fire. That is said to be how coffee came about. There is no way of knowing whether Kaldi in this believable myth really existed. One thing we can be sure of, however, is that Ethiopia has the most perfect natural environment for coffee to grow. That is, Ethiopia, located in an alpine region more than 2,000 m above sea level, has a stable climate that is not too cold and not too warm throughout the year. So Kaldi s goats probably found and ate the coffee cherries without much difficulty. One thing that is more important than the myth is that the unique culture in Ethiopia shows how the people love and cherish coffee. Ethiopia is the only country among countries that export coffee beans that has its own unique coffee drinking culture. This is called bunna maflat, which can be translated to coffee ceremony . This is a ceremony that is treated as holy like a religious ritual. It is designed to appreciate the entire process of drinking coffee, starting from washing and roasting the green coffee beans. The ritual can be carried out at any time of the day, but most people do it while having breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is customary to drink at least 3 cups of coffee during the ceremony, so if one person has two or three meetings in a day, the person would end up having at least 6 cups in one day.People do bunna maflat with their family members at home, but one can easily notice people doing bunna maflat on the streets and in shops. As this special way of drinking coffee shows, Bunna Maflat is more than an event, but is more like finding peace of mind in daily life.The most elegant coffee ceremony in the worldIn order to do the coffee ceremony, the surrounding environment must first be set. First of all, clean the place where the ceremony is to take place. Then, place ketema leaves, which signify welcome and good luck, and prepare a small dinner table called rekebot on top of the leaves. On the table, place small coffee cups called sini for the number of guests. Only women can host the coffee ceremony.Coffee ceremony procedures1. RoastingBefore roasting coffee beans, light a strong incense. This is to get rid miscellaneous smells from the surroundings so that the coffee scent is highlighted more strongly. Place clean, washed green beans into a pan with a long handle called a menkeshkesh. Put the pan on a small brazier to slowly start the hand roasting procedure. Move the pan slightly to roast the coffee beans. Using a fan is essential to adjust the intensity of the fire. Once the green beans start to turn brown, extra attention must be paid to prevent the beans from burning. It is up to the roaster, the hostess of the ceremony, to decide how much the beans are to be roasted, so the flavor of the coffee can vary infinitely. Usually, when the crack in the middle of the bean is visible and the natural oil from the beans begins to come out making the surface of the beans shiny, remove the pan from the brazier to cool.2. BrewingThe roasted coffee beans are then placed in a wooden mortar called a mukecha, then ground by hand. In this process, the strong nutty fragrance of the coffee now fills the air. Once the coffee beans are ground nicely, put the powder into a dark teakettle with a long, narrow spout called a jebena. Put boiled water in the jebena, pour the coffee water into a cup, then pour it back into the jebena so that the coffee powder and water mix well. Repeat the same process several times. Place the jebena on the brazier again and boil the mixture for several minutes. When steam starts to come out from the spout, it means the coffee is ready.3. CuppingSince all of the coffee powder must sink to the bottom of the jebena, tilt the jebena a bit to one side. Before pouring the coffee, the hostess asks the guests if they would like sugar in their coffee. Most Ethiopians mix two spoons of sugar with their coffee. Sometimes leaves called tena'adam are mixed with coffee to give it a lighter taste. The coffee is then poured into the sini cups prepared in advance. When pouring the coffee, the jebena is raised as high as possible to create foam to give the coffee even better flavor.During a coffee ceremony, it is a basic courtesy to drink at least three cups of coffee. The first cup is called abol, the second cup tawna, and the third cup baraka. You may be concerned about excessive consumption of caffeine, but the second and third cups are more diluted with water, and thus have weaker flavor and strength.One ceremony usually takes about one and a half to two hours maximum. If the conversation gets interesting in the middle, it easily extends by an extra hour. When an Ethiopian friend asks, Nu Bunna Tetu? (Shall we get some coffee?), do not expect a quick sip.Ethiopians are the people who know coffee the best, and have been drinking coffee for the longest time. To them, coffee is their national pride and identity, and is a way of life. An Ethiopian proverb summarizes this well: Buna dabo aw. Translated literally, it means, Coffee is our bread. To Ethiopians, the golden coffee beans are as precious as a staple food. Ethiopia, the birthplace of the human race and of coffee. In the dullness of everyday life, people here are leading a full life energized by the fragrance of coffee, like receiving aroma therapy.Written by Suh Hyewon Photos by Han Sang-mooh