St. Ambrose Legends Retire - St. Ambrose University

Jeremy Koch ’02 is the project director for the USAID-funded Teach
English for Life Learning (TELL) Program in Ethiopia. He and his wife,
Kimberly, have lived in Africa for more than four years. Koch agreed
to share his observations about the ongoing drought and famine on the
Horn of Africa with fellow Ambrosians.
Jason ’00 MPT and Andrea (Moss)
Elgin ’00 MPT welcomed a baby
boy, Eli, to their family on Dec. 29,
2011. Eli is little brother to Kaitlyn,
Jadyn, and Alexis.
Elizabeth (Boardman)
Hulsbrink ’00 and her husband
Jeff celebrated the birth of their
daughter, Elouise, on Oct. 5, 2011.
Elouise was welcomed home by her
big sister Clare.
Eric ’01 and Amy (Bialon) Jensen
’01 are happy to announce the birth
of their son, Luke Thomas, born on
July 6, 2011.
Adam ’02, ’04 MOL and Mimi
(Krupke) Clark ’04, are happy to
announce a new addition to their
family, Caden Kwan, on Mar. 10,
2011.
Joe ’03 and his wife Trina (Gillen)
Murray ’04 celebrated the birth of
twin daughters, Rowan Kimberly
and Brynn Taylor on July 3, 2011.
Allison (Hemphill) Stanley ’03,
’04 MOT and her husband Scott
are proud to announce the birth
of their daughter, Alyssa, on July
18, 2011.
Kristy (Hand) Volesky ’03, ’06
MOL and her husband Matt,
brought home a baby girl, Katelyn,
born on June 29, 2011, who will be a
little sister to sibling Brooklyn.
Nicole (Blazina) ’04 and David
“D.J.)”Brown ’05 celebrated the
birth of a baby girl, Addison Marie,
on Nov. 3, 2011.
Lindsay (Crane) Vargas ’04 and
her husband, Kevin, are the proud
parents of a girl, Maggie, born Aug.
27, 2011.
Hope in the Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is no stranger to drought
and famine. There have been 42 droughts in
the Horn since 1980. The 2011 famine was
caused by the worst drought the region has
seen in 60 years. It is a chronic challenge for
the people and governments of the region, and
many wonder if the Horn will ever be able to
rid itself of famine.
The World Food Program estimates that
more than 13 million people have been affected
by the ongoing famine and that number continues
to rise.
Amid the current emergency response, however,
a story of hope has emerged, one starkly
at odds with the too-memorable images of the
drought and famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s.
Efforts of the last 15 years to limit the devastation
have borne fruit. That famine affected
about 8 million Ethiopians; the current famine
is affecting about half that many. Instead of
creating refugees, Ethiopia is housing refugee
camps to support those fleeing the famine in
neighboring countries. Ethiopia is no longer
the face of famine; instead it is a part of the
response effort.
With the support of international
development organizations, Ethiopia has
made significant investments to expand its
water distribution infrastructure and make
fertile land more productive. Health extension
workers have been mobilized to provide much
needed medical care. Cereal banks have been
established to ensure that farmers can feed their
livestock. There is still a lot of work to do, but
the progress is undeniable.
To an expatriate living and working in
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the
drought is hardly noticeable. This, too, is a
sign of progress. The limited geography
of the drought-affected areas helps focus
the response effort.
Continuing along this path of
development means a day may come in
the not too distant future when Ethiopia
can say that it has brought an end to
famine within its borders. This would
be a tremendous achievement and could
serve as a model of development for other
countries suffering from chronic droughts
in the Horn of Africa.
— Jeremy Koch ’02
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