Hi all,
A much awaited update from my December post.... I have decided to stay in Ethiopia until the end of August for a few good reasons. Thanks to all who prayed and helped me through this important decision! Your time and our conversations are much appreciated!
One reason is that the Change boys officially "graduate" from the two-year program in August. A few weeks ago, about 11 of the staff and volunteers participated in a two-day prayer and vision retreat. It was wonderful to share our dreams, our fears and our hopes for not only these 16 boys, but also for the future of this project. It is really exciting! We brainstormed where these young men will go after they leave the house (including foster care, small group homes, and independent living) to how we can be the eminent resource for street children organizations in Ethiopia and beyond.
I also want to see the Entoto children through the end of this school year. As you might recall, we typically host a 4-6 week summer course to engage the children during the time off from school. The summer program will take place in July and August so it makes sense for me to stay to see that through. In addition, we have received initial funding to begin a daycare center for the young babies of the women who work for us. We will begin with 20 toddlers (18 months - 3 years) at our compound to provide safe, educational care while their mothers work or seek work. Currently, the babies are typically left either with an older sibling or a neighbor. We are in the midst of planning the daily schedule including the curriculum, hiring and training the staff, and obtaining funding. We hope to launch in late spring of this year.
Lastly, for both the Change boys and for Entoto children (and really, for all Ethiopian children), we are pursuing foster care as a viable option for the children that we work with. Foster care (and domestic adoption) is still a very new concept for Ethiopia. The government does see the value and in the next several months plans on shutting down many of the orphanages here so the need for viable foster care will only increase. However, currently, there is only one organization that we know of that has had any success with placing children in foster care. We hope to change that as we lead an initiative within Beza Church. The possibilities are numerous; we have had several meetings in the past several weeks to help us gain a better perspective, network and plan for our launch. I ask for your prayers as we need the favor of the government and many others to successfully move forward. Just this past weekend, I was painfully reminded of how urgent this initiative is. We had a young teen from Entoto run away from his abusive home (he lived with his uncle as both of his parents passed away). We found him on Saturday morning, 11 days later, near the main bus station of Addis. We brought him to the Entoto compound, gave him fresh clothes, a shower and food but we have no long-term answer to his situation. He refuses to return to his uncle's home (understandably so) but we are scrambling for other options. Hopefully our work with the church and the community will prevent this from happening in the future so we have families willing and ready to take in children as the needs arise.
With my decision to stay for (at least!) an additional five months, I do need to raise additional funds to cover my living expenses and ministry contributions. I am budgeting $3,000 USD and trust me, every bit helps. If you feel led to support me in this way, you can send your US tax-deductible donation here. Much thanks in advance!
Love, Lisa
P.S. I included a basic chart comparing Ethiopia to the US. Most times, life here just feels normal but when I look at the comparison chart (from the World Vision website), especially the average income, I'm truly amazed at some of the statistics. I realize the importance of dedicating my time and efforts to this country while I can.
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A much awaited update from my December post.... I have decided to stay in Ethiopia until the end of August for a few good reasons. Thanks to all who prayed and helped me through this important decision! Your time and our conversations are much appreciated!
One reason is that the Change boys officially "graduate" from the two-year program in August. A few weeks ago, about 11 of the staff and volunteers participated in a two-day prayer and vision retreat. It was wonderful to share our dreams, our fears and our hopes for not only these 16 boys, but also for the future of this project. It is really exciting! We brainstormed where these young men will go after they leave the house (including foster care, small group homes, and independent living) to how we can be the eminent resource for street children organizations in Ethiopia and beyond.
I also want to see the Entoto children through the end of this school year. As you might recall, we typically host a 4-6 week summer course to engage the children during the time off from school. The summer program will take place in July and August so it makes sense for me to stay to see that through. In addition, we have received initial funding to begin a daycare center for the young babies of the women who work for us. We will begin with 20 toddlers (18 months - 3 years) at our compound to provide safe, educational care while their mothers work or seek work. Currently, the babies are typically left either with an older sibling or a neighbor. We are in the midst of planning the daily schedule including the curriculum, hiring and training the staff, and obtaining funding. We hope to launch in late spring of this year.
Lastly, for both the Change boys and for Entoto children (and really, for all Ethiopian children), we are pursuing foster care as a viable option for the children that we work with. Foster care (and domestic adoption) is still a very new concept for Ethiopia. The government does see the value and in the next several months plans on shutting down many of the orphanages here so the need for viable foster care will only increase. However, currently, there is only one organization that we know of that has had any success with placing children in foster care. We hope to change that as we lead an initiative within Beza Church. The possibilities are numerous; we have had several meetings in the past several weeks to help us gain a better perspective, network and plan for our launch. I ask for your prayers as we need the favor of the government and many others to successfully move forward. Just this past weekend, I was painfully reminded of how urgent this initiative is. We had a young teen from Entoto run away from his abusive home (he lived with his uncle as both of his parents passed away). We found him on Saturday morning, 11 days later, near the main bus station of Addis. We brought him to the Entoto compound, gave him fresh clothes, a shower and food but we have no long-term answer to his situation. He refuses to return to his uncle's home (understandably so) but we are scrambling for other options. Hopefully our work with the church and the community will prevent this from happening in the future so we have families willing and ready to take in children as the needs arise.
With my decision to stay for (at least!) an additional five months, I do need to raise additional funds to cover my living expenses and ministry contributions. I am budgeting $3,000 USD and trust me, every bit helps. If you feel led to support me in this way, you can send your US tax-deductible donation here. Much thanks in advance!
In other news, last month I got to travel north to three historical cities (Lalibela, Gonder and Bahir Dar) over the holiday of Timket. You can see pictures here. It's hot, sunny and incredibly dry right now. But it is good. God is good. As always, I love hearing from you! Hope this post finds you well!
P.S. I included a basic chart comparing Ethiopia to the US. Most times, life here just feels normal but when I look at the comparison chart (from the World Vision website), especially the average income, I'm truly amazed at some of the statistics. I realize the importance of dedicating my time and efforts to this country while I can.
US Comparison to Ethiopia
 Ethiopia  United States |
|---|
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Population 82,825,000 307,000,000 | Land Mass 426,372 3,794,083 sq miles | Life Expectancy 56 years 78 years | Infant Mortality 104/1000 7/1000 |
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
Literacy Rate 36% 97% | School Enrollment 45% 92% | Access to Safe Water 38% 100% | Average Annual Income $330 $41,400 |
congrats on finalizing your plans! we're very sad to have to wait for you to return states side, but ethiopia is lucky indeed to get to keep you for longer!
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