THE TRIP TO BENSA

Team Ardent went on an excursion 419.2 km away from Addis Ababa to the beautiful city of Bensa. The place is so majestic that we forgot where we came from. The beauty of nature had a profound effect on our senses. The enchanting woodland of Bensa, the incredibly green and perfectly positioned mountains, the fresh air, the cultural food and the people who were so welcoming captivated our heart. The trip was a great experience for all of us as we were left in awe. Here is the takeaway from our trip. Enjoy the read.

We met the mayor and other higher officials of the city of Bensa to discuss the Ardent Children Center(ACC) and on the things we can work on together in the future.

The Mayor appreciated the work ACC is doing in children and promised to work hand in hand on multiple projects as well. The meeting ended with the Ardent team gifting the mayor and women and children officer with the picture of the 32 children ACC is raising.

Next the team headed to Ardent Children Center, to spend time with the children we vowed to take under our wings. The children greeted us by singing songs. The moment was very emotional as it resonated with us. We hugged, cried and laughed as we witnessed the tears wiped from their eyes. The center is the harbor they depend on for their life and we are glad to be part of it. We had fun, played different kinds of games and did photoshoots with the children.

Ardent Children Center is giving orphans and children of the farmers a home where they are well taken care of. We believe ACC will inspire more exporters, philanthropists and individuals to come together to raise future leaders.

The other big part of the day was, we planted 1000 coffee seedlings at Ardent farm with our ground team. As Ethiopians, our lives are intertwined with trees and forests. We continued the Green legacy initiative in Bensa to adorn Ethiopia. We are planning to plant more than 5000 seedlings in the coming weeks.

Excursions are one way to strengthen a team. We built our network and created more meaningful and deeper relationships within our team during our trip. Last but not least, we visited Bonora waterfall, one of the beautiful things Bensa offers. We were in love with the stunning landmark we encountered there.