Bemenet Olana

Bemenet Olana lives with her mom and her siblings. Her father is not in the home as he is disabled. He lives in a government camp in Addis Ababa as he was a soldier. Bemenet sees her dad monthly or every 15 days. The mom was not at home the time of the visit as she was at work. Bemenet is 12 years old and attends a government school where she is in 6th grade. Her favorite subject is math and her least favorite is English. She wants to be an engineer in the future.

When she is not in school, she helps her family and she studies. In the summer, she will play with her friends and she studies for her next year of classes. She is very smart. She stays in Debre Zeyit when school is not in session. If she were to travel she would go to London. If she were to live there, she would miss Ethiopian holidays. When asked her favorite holiday, she replied Christmas, Easter and the New Year. Easter is her most favorite.

When asked to describe herself, she said she loves school, she loves her family and friends, and her social life is good. The social worker said she likes to help other people. For example, if an older person needs a seat in the taxi, she will move so they can sit down. When asked what she is good at she said she's good at dancing. She has no fear in travel to the moon or other places in outer space.

Bemenet has been in the program for a year and a half but still has not been chosen for sponsorship. There are 5-6 people in the family living in the home with about 30 people living in the compound. They do not own the home they are living in. Extended family are letting them live there for free. Currently, her immediate needs include a backpack, but the family also needs a place in which to live and income to be able to pay their rent. Money for travel to see her dad more frequently would come as a surprise I think. Her favorite things to do with her family are just being together, joking and talking with each other.

If you are interested in helping this family raise Bemenet, please contact me for more information.