Final Day At Addis Ketema

We had a wonderful final day at the carepoint!  When we arrived, we were able to sit with kids individually and read them letters from their sponsors.  Thank you to all the sponsors who wrote - I have never had so many letters to bring!  It was a joy to share your words and pictures with them and remind them of how loved they are!

After letters, we served them the feast.  As it has been for the last couple of years, the cost of this was completely covered by NewDay’s Awana kids!  It’s amazing that they can help us in such a tangible and significant way!

Next we were able to pass out care packages to each child that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair oil, pencils and notebooks.  Thank you to everyone who donated to this effort, too!  The older girls also received their feminine hygiene kits at this point, which was a lot of fun to watch.  They were really excited, and we are so grateful to Desta Girl for partnering with us to provide these for them!

 

In the afternoon, we sat down with the pastor of our partner church and one of the elders to hear his perspective on the partnership and pray together.  We really are blessed with a phenomenal group of leaders at our carepoint and I feel confident in the love and discipleship the children are receiving.  Praise God!

Finally, we drove with Fikru to see a few of the IGAs that many of the parents in our community have been starting.  This was something we recently fundraised for, so  it was encouraging to see firsthand how it is benefiting these families!

We’re back in Addis Ababa now and will soon begin the long journey home, but we can’t wait to share more with you when we return!

Day 3 Update!

Our morning started with a Community Gathering at the church.  This was a new event that was created with the intent of giving our team and the parents of the children in our community the chance to connect.  It was a very full morning that started off with a service in the church.  The local pastor gave a short message followed by a few songs by the cutest choir I’ve ever seen.  Pastor John also shared a message about the five most important things parents can give their children.  The older girls then did a couple of amazing choreographed dances that they had created in Choreography Club.  There were gifts given and recognitions made, and it felt beautiful to bring two communities together in worship, celebration, and hope in our great God of ALL nations.

After the service, we had popcorn, bread, and of course, coffee together.  Lucas and Jeff competed in a blind-folded pot-breaking contest.  And it was closed out by some impressive dancing and lots of selfies as requested by the kids.

This afternoon we met with Fikru to hear updates on all that is happening at the carepoint.  It was exciting to hear from him and great to have a chance to ask questions and discuss together plans and hopes for the future of the carepoint. We also had a chance to walk around the neighborhood and see where some of the kids live.  Tomorrow is our last day at the carepoint and we’re looking forward to sharing letters from their sponsors with them and serving them a feast!

Tuesday, March 26

We had another great day with the kids!  There was more soccer played, crafts made, fingernails painted, and pictures taken!  They were split into groups of boys, girls, and under age 12 today as we had some delicate things to discuss with them during discussion time.  Thanks to a wonderful partnership with Desta Girl, all the girls over 12 at our carepoint are able to receive a washable, re-usable menstrual hygiene kit that will empower them to care for their bodies and continue life as normal even when they have their period. Amanda did a great job educating the girls on menstruation and how to use and care for their new kits!  The girls were engaged in the discussion and are excited to receive their kits on Thursday!

Meanwhile Pastor John led a discussion with the boys about treating women respectfully and healthy relationships, also an important discussion.

The kids also worked very hard on a craft for their sponsors and each had the opportunity to learn a chord or two on the guitar with Jeff.  They loved it!

They also loved more time with Lucas on the soccer field.

Tomorrow we look forward to spending some time with the parents and families of the children, walking around the community, and visiting some IGAs (Income Generating Activities, similar to small businesses) that parents in our community have been starting as they seek to support their families.  Thank you for your prayers during this important time of connection between our communities!

Day 1 Recap

Hello from Ethiopia!  We had a fabulous and full day with the kids at the carepoint!  Unlike other years when we’ve traveled in the summer, the children are in school right now so we got to see them in shifts as they were able to come, either before or after their school day.  We had several things planned, including soccer games, a tic-tac-toe craft, coloring, music with Jeff, and an activity/discussion led by Pastor John about resolving conflict with your peers.  We also got to hear from Fikru, our carepoint director, a little bit about the clubs and lunch program the children are able to participate in.  It was amazing to see how the children are growing and to hear about their dreams for their futures, some of which include becoming doctors, pilots, and engineers.  They are working hard in school so I believe they have huge potential to see these dreams come to fruition!  Along with their hard work and determination, your financial support is allowing them to dream big, so thank you so much for investing in their lives!!

Meet Kassech!

After Kassech’s dad passed away, life became full of challenges. The primary burden to take care of the family fell on her mother. The family of three was living in a single rented room. Shortly after Kassech lost her father, she joined the Addis Ketema Carepoint where she was able to receive support with education, health, hygiene, food, and encouragement.

After taking the Ethiopian General School Leaving Certificate Exam, she was unable to join preparatory school because she did not get a high enough grade. She then chose to join the college diploma program, which requires monthly fees for transportation, classes, and books. This was another burden for her mom because she couldn’t afford to pay the school fees. The carepoint
decided to step in and helped provide further educational support. Unfortunately, the carepoint was unable to continue paying for college after two years due to not having enough money, so we began searching for scholarship opportunities. Beza University granted Kassech a scholarship to cover 30% of her fees, and the carepoint was able to cover the remaining 70%. Kassech was challenged, as most college students are, to find the right program for her. After guidance from the CarePoint she decided to get a degree in Accounting and Finance.

She recently graduated from Africa Beza University College, and is currently working at Hawassa Industrial Park as a Quality Controller and is making 3,000 birr ($105) per month. She is also in the process of trying to get a promotion, and is planning on going back to school to get more education. By obtaining her degree and getting a good job she is able to help take care of her family as well. When we asked her to express how she feels about getting a degree and a job, she cried and said, “Let God bless you. Teach me and show me true love. I will make it my principle aim in life.”

We're so thankful for stories like these that show how sponsorship can truly change a child's story!  May God continue to work like this in the lives of all the children at Addis Ketema.

Final Day

Today was our final day at the carepoint.  It started out with games that involved blindfolds, putting faces in buckets of water, and stuffing bananas in their mouths!  Entertaining to say the least!

After this we organized some more stations for activities.  This time they rotated between jigsaw puzzles, drawing pictures, outside games, and more music with Jeff.

 

We said our goodbyes to the children and it immediately began pouring rain, so the kids waited in the church until the rain stopped.  Some of them have quite a distance to walk home!  We were given one more coffee ceremony to close things off on a wonderful time together.  What a gift it has been to be here and to build relationships with this community! 

Day 4: Lanterns and Shoes!!

Today was a huge day!  When we arrived at the carepoint the children were all waiting for us as well as their parents.  

Fikru started out by passing out special gifts to three parents to honor them for their their hard work or commitment to their families.  Then we told them about the solar lanterns that the children would be receiving and showed them how to use them.  We passed them out to the parents so they would not get lost!

After this we were able to give the kids their shoes!!  The kids were very excited to have them!  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave to the shoes and lanterns fundraisers!   It was so much fun to see the children's joy in receiving them.

Once everything was passed out, it was time to serve the feast!  This year the feast was provided almost completely by the kids at NewDay's Awana Program!  Each week at Awana the kids could bring their change for the kids at Addis Ketema, and by the end of the year they had brought enough to cover most of the cost of the feast.  Amazing job, kids!!

In the afternoon we visited four more families, two who have sponsors and two who do not.  One was a single mom with eight kids who is working very hard at several jobs: making baskets, spinning cotton, caring for sick people in the community, and raising animals.  She is determined that her children will get a good education and her work ethic was inspiring, especially in such difficult circumstances.

Another family we visited was a single mom with one teenage son.  She has health issues which make it difficult for her to find work.  She also struggles to get the medical care that she needs because she cannot afford it.

If you're interested in coming alongside either of these families as their sponsor, please let me know!  Together we can see more and more transformation in this community!

Day 3: Letters and home visits

We had another great day at the carepoint today!  When we arrived this morning, the children were lined up and waiting to play games and sing songs.  The leaders from our carepoint and the surrounding area led these games, so it was nice to just watch the kids have fun together.  There were potato-sack races, ballon-popping games, and call-and-respond songs.  Apparently they only play these kinds of games on special occasions so the kids were very excited!

After the games, we went inside the church and read letters to some of the kids from their sponsors. I love watching the kids listen intently as we read the letters and look carefully at pictures of their sponsors.  They love having that special connection to someone and are so happy to have a sponsor.

Then after breaking for lunch, we did another round of home visits.  This time we were visiting our sponsored children!  It is wonderful to be able to enter their homes, meet their families, and hear about their lives.  

We ended the day with a meeting with the leaders in the Addis Ketema community.  This included our carepoint director and several pastors and elders of the Addis Ketema church who we partner with.   I wish I could express to you the depth of their gratitude for this partnership.  I actually thought we were going to talk about upcoming plans and needs in the community, but instead they just all expressed their gratitude for the support we (and many of you!) give to the children and even gave us gifts to show their appreciation.  One thing they said that stuck with me was that, because of our financial support, they have more opportunities to spread God's word in their community because the people feel loved and cared for, so the they are more open to hearing it.  I love that!

It was encouraging to see that this community has strong and caring leaders who love their neighbors well!