Now, I have to brag on my girls a little bit!
When Kevin and I returned from our last two trips to Ethiopia we talked with the girls extensively about it. We showed them pictures and answered any questions they had. They took much of what we had to say to heart. They all were very concerned for all the children that were living in poverty.
Through our experiences and through ministries they have learned about at our congregation, our daughters have felt a very real call to help those living in poverty. Each and every night "M*" prays for the children we sponsor. She is genuine and sincere with wanting God to bless them. "K" has been talking for months about wanting to help some of the children here in Ethiopia. She has come up with ideas to fundraise money to help them and ways to include her friends in this project. As Kevin and I were packing for this trip I find 4 stuffed animals laying in my suitcase. "S" had put them there. These weren't stuffed animals that she dragged out of the back on her closet. These were stuffed animals that she slept with every single night. One in particular was her favorite pink stuffed monkey. "S" told us to find children in Ethiopia that needed these toys. Wow! Sorry, but I have to brag! Aren't my girls amazing!
So, what is it we do with all of this love that our children want to direct towards others in Ethiopia?!?! Kevin and I were here in country for a few days when we came up with an idea. Back in October we were introduced to an organization called Transformation Love. They work with families that live in the Korah area of Addis Ababa. Korah is basically a shanty town that has been built up around the mountain of the city dump. Transformation Love works with families through child sponsorship. The children are provided food, medical treatment, education and Bible studies. The basis of the organization is community and generational improvement through impacting individuals. Relationships with each other and God are key to how Transformation Love supports families.
Transformation Love offices
We were told that many of the families in the area are made up of children and just their mother. The fathers have either died or left. Many of the women came from the countryside to the city for a better life. They met someone, had children, and now find themselves abandoned with no support from extended family and community. Most of the women and many many of the children have HIV/AIDS. They refer to it as "the disease" because the letters HIV or AIDS carries such a stigma. Many of the women are unable to work because either they are too sick to work or there is such a stigma around this disease that people will not hire them out of fear. In addition to HIV/AIDS many of the families suffer from leprosy and other diseases as well. Resources are limited and medical treatment is very expensive for them. Transformation Love's new project is working on creating IGAs (Income Generating Activities) for the women to participate in to earn an income. To support their families many of the women wade through the mountain that is the city dump. They look for items they can sell for recycling.
So, what is it we do with all of this love that our children want to direct towards others in Ethiopia?!? We decided that we needed to sponsor a child through Transformation Love. We called our friend at the organization to let her know we wanted to sponsor and we were very interested in meeting the child and her family while we were here in Ethiopia. Our awesome friend got us matched with a 6 year old girl and her family and today we went to go and see them!
By now we've seen a lot of Addis Ababa and some of the countryside of Ethiopia. None of that could really prepare us for walking through the paths of the Korah community. Our taxi driver took us as far as we could go into the community and then we had to walk. As soon as we got out of the van the stench of the dump hits you in full force.
On the upper right hand corner you can see a bit of the city dump rising up from the community area.
There are children that surround you wanting to shake your hand and greet you. There faces are so very sweet and there is a sparkle in their eyes. None of the children asked for money or gum like other places we've visited. These children wanted something so much more basic. They wanted to be close to us . . . even if for just a moment.
Each of us had 3 or 4 neighborhood children holding our hands as we walked to the house of the child we sponsor. We had to hop across rocks to cross a gutter, an open sewer, as we approached her house. The smell was overpowering. There was trash everywhere. We came to a clearing and we stopped for a moment. They had several dogs and they wanted to put them up for our safety. The family had so many dogs for protection. Wild hyenas come out at night around the dump area. We've seen pictures of the hyenas in this area. It makes the animated ones on Disney's "The Lion King" seem like cuddly house pets. They are very vicious animals and wouldn't hesitate to harm the children in the area. The family keeps dogs in an effort to keep the hyenas away.
As we approached the house we looked to the right and saw what looks like a small mountain . . . it's the dump. The family's home is maybe 200 yards from this enormous heap of garbage. There is a fence around their home built out of sticks and branches. The home was constructed by the mother out of mud and straw, the roof out of corrugated tin. It's maybe 15 feet by 20 feet. Two rooms house the family of three. A mother, a 13 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. One room is the bedroom with a simple bed with a couple blankets. The other room serves as their living room, kitchen and dining room. We visited with the family for a while. We learned that the little girl we will be sponsoring wants to be a doctor when she grows up! It was a sad situation, yet the mother was so grateful that her child will now be sponsored. Kevin and I were so blessed to be able to personally deliver the special toys that "S" sent to the child we sponsor. Her sweet little face lit up. She kept the pink monkey and gave it big hugs. She shared the other gifts with her friends. How special!!!
We prayed in the home with her and then we started to leave. We asked if we could take a photo to remember her. She insisted that we take the photo by her flowers. She had small white daisy like flowers growing in a pot by her front door. Beautiful. It was a moving afternoon visiting with her.
We traveled with the Transformation Love team to two other homes to visit families. We walked through the narrow streets past the market place. Women lined the street with mats of grain out for sale. We crossed more open sewers. We had more children accompany us as we traveled through the community. It was a bittersweet adventure. We were so glad that Transformation Love is working in that community helping those families. However, the work could never be finished. There will never be enough resources to completely bring that community out of poverty. The need is overpowering. So, we will pray.
If you would like more information on how you too can support the ministry of Transformation Love please visit their website . . .
www.transformationlove.com
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