Annette Allen

An Ethiopian Odyssey Annette Allen

By the age of nine, Annette Allen had been to five different schools, trailing behind her father, an itinerant aviation engineer. In Ethiopia, she sat beside princesses at school whilst witnessing heart-breaking poverty; falling in love with the complex people and magnificent scenery. After apartheid South Africa, she returned to middle class life in Britain. But Annette was not your normal type of girl. For as long as she could remember, vivid dreams predicting the future had disturbed her nights. Juggling motherhood with a successful corporate career, things began to disintegrate from 1996. Something told her that she needed to leave the stress behind, and use these dreams to discover her destiny. The answer appeared in another dream in April 2000, transporting her back to the heat and drought of Ethiopia, glimpsing she was there to help provide water for the very poor. It almost spelt out that she must go back - to be reunited with her old classmates. Compassionate people around the world helped on the 25,000 mile quest, because they also wanted her dream to come true. Half of the royalties are going to charity - the majority to WaterAid Ethiopia: www.wateraid.org "Thank you for sharing your dream with me. I read about it with great interest and wish you well with 'An Ethiopian Odyssey'." Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town"I am happy to know that you were in Nazareth School with my daughter, Hiruth. I am sure your book will be a success." President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Ethiopia "I very much admire your determination and commitment to the cause of poverty reduction. I hope that others are inspired by reading about your experiences." Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister