Monday, January 26, 2015

A mom's dreams: to better her childrens' lives and to return to school.

Selam (center), Abenet (right) and their mom (left)
 

Selam is a very active 4 year old girl who lives with her older brother and their mom. She wasn't always this active though. Until missionaries became involved in her young life, she was very fearful of anyone coming near her and she did not smile. You wouldn't believe this was ever true if you were to meet her now. The family's conditions while poor are on the up swing as they just received new bunk beds to sleep on from missionaries visiting from Canada and the house is in better condition than what they had before. The house they live in is a rented single room home at 450 birr per month. They like living where they are because their neighbors are friendly and treat them as family.

Selam's mom makes a living doing odd jobs such as washing clothes and selling injera. She did not finish school as she stopped at grade 6 and if she were to ever have the chance to go back, she would. BCI is currently hosting night classes for adults in DZ who did not finish their education. If she received assistance with school fees, transportation, and childcare, she would be able to further her education and get a chance at a better life. When asking these questions, it seemed like a dream too far to reach, or a joke to be a real question.

Selam's father is uninvolved in her life as he denies she belongs to him. Because of their situation, this made Selam eligible for the BCI sponsorship program. She is partially sponsored at this time. Since she is only 4, she stays at home with mom. Upon full sponsorship, perhaps she will begin nursery at BCI Academy where she will learn her ABC's in a Christian environment. Her older brother, Amenet Mulugeta, is 8 years old and going to another school. He is a grade 1 student.

Upon asking for their current immediate needs, the family was shy in answering but we were told they need teff for making injera (food) and she also needs cookware and/or a stove to cook on. As for medical needs, Amenet (the older brother, not currently a sponsor child) is in need of a doctor's visit for a concern on his head. Spiritually speaking, the family practices Christianity as they attend Meserete Kristos Church (the downtown branch) regularly.

If they could speak to Selam's sponsors, they would tell them thank you for making changes in their lives by supporting them as they strive to better themselves. Future goals include empowerment in being a business woman working for the needs of her family. She is very grateful unto God for the donors investing in their future. She dreams that her kids would live a life better than she, that they would grow up to make good decisions, to be educated and to help others. If things were different and she had finished school she would study to become a nurse.

When we asked the kids what their dreams for their future were, Amenet said he wants to be a doctor, and Selam, at age 4, answered in her own language (not English, not Amharic). We translated for her that she wants to be an astronomer some day. If you would like to offer financial assistance meeting current needs or investing long term in this family's future, please contact me for more information.


No comments:

Post a Comment