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Exodus Presentation 12th February 2014

The scene: a cold January evening in Edinburgh. The Exodus slideshow is underway, with trekking gurus Andrew Appleyard and Chloe Knott holding the floor on their favourite treks.

Andrew is talking about Exodus’ Simien Mountains trek. He changes the slide. The image is more remarkable than it first looks – a cursory glance reveals just a group of Ethiopian children.

But these children are wearing a spectacular array of brightly coloured jumpers, donated by an Exodus client and her knitting club.

Andrew is telling the story of how Exodus leader Suzie Grant delivered the jumpers by hand a few months ago when a voice pipes up from the front row: “That was me!” Completely unknown to us, the very woman who had organised the knitting was attending the slideshow that night.

We had no idea she would be there. The room erupted in applause. “Those moments are what it’s all about,” said Andrew afterwards, beaming.

Julie Cook and the ladies of the Kirkcaldy Knit Club knitted the jumpers over a period of time after her husband had gone on Exodus’ Simien Mountains trek, which visited the rural school the children attend, which was taken on as an Exodus Responsible Travel project in 2013.

Find out more about our trips to Ethiopia below.