Update on Natnael Melaku and his brothers Yosef and Eyoatam (Booti) Getachew

I met this family on my first trip to Debre Zeyit. Nati, Yosef, and Booti seem to be doing well. The boys are fully sponsored except Nati who is in need of a full sponsorship as of late. Current immediate needs include food and a new mattress with sheets and a blanket as what they have now is worn out. The boys are sleeping on the floor because the bunk beds they had broke. The mom is also in need of better medical treatment for her spine in Addis Ababa. She has a slipped disc that doctors here have tried working on but she remains in quite a bit of pain and is usually in bed a lot because of it. Estimates on the cost for their needs is in review. Here's an update on the boys based on responses from an interview when we went on a home visit.


Natnael (Nati) Melaku
 

Natnael or Nati for short, is a growing teenage boy whose future endeavors include being a professional or Olympic swimmer or soccer player. His favorite subjects in school are physics and math while chemistry is his least favorite. His favorite holiday is Easter with the reason being it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ who gives him new life. If he were to ever move to another country with America and Canada excluded he says he would go to England. He would miss his family if this ever happened but if his family were to go with him, he says he would miss Kevin (another missionary and sponsor) as well as Easter. A normal week for him looks like school and studies with a little playing. On the weekends, he will do chores to help his family and sometimes he goes to church. He lives close to the family's live in restaurant (injera business) with his brother and his uncle. His uncle stays busy doing construction work but it's not enough to take care of him. When asked to describe himself, he said he likes to swim. When we talked more about his plans for his future, he understands that finishing school is important. He says opportunities for becoming a soccer player are more open living in Ethiopia than opportunities for becoming a pro swimmer, but he is also ready to face the challenge after we encouraged him to chase his dreams even if it is hard to achieve. On school breaks, he likes to go swimming in a lake near the airforce base but this is more for recreational purposes than for training as it is not made for that. When he goes to university, he would like to study physics. When asked something he doesn't like about himself, he said he doesn't like his response after or when someone else insults him. Nati is a sweet boy with a bright future so long as he works hard to reach what he strives for.


Yosef (Yose) Getachew

Yosef also known as Yose is a 16 year old orphan living with his grandma who works very hard to provide for his needs. When he grows up he wants to be a professional soccer player. He attends Joshua Academy in Debre Zeyit. His favorite subject in school is chemistry and he's not a fan of geography. If he were to move to another country with America and Canada excluded he would go to Spain so he can meet the famous soccer players there. If this were to happen he would miss his favorite holiday, Gena or Christmas. When he is not in school he is studying or playing, and doing chores on the weekends. When asked to describe himself, he said he would tell the person his name, that he is 16, and he likes to play socccer. If he could tell his sponsors anything he would say hello and thanks for what they are doing for him.


Eyoatam (Booti) Gedion
 

Eyoatam nicknamed Booti is about to turn 8 years old next week and is a grade 2 student. He says when he grows up he wants to be a doctor, and when we asked what kind of doctor he said internal medicine. His favorite subject right now is math while Amharic is his least favorite. He currently lives with his grandma who struggles trying to take care of him. When Bootie was young, his father passed away and his mom left him after a break down, but has now returned to the family. When he is not in school, he is studying or playing with his neighbor friends. He likes to play Hide and Seek with them, or they make their own games rolling a tire down the street. He enjoys reading science books which is what he said makes him unique. If he were to describe himself to someone else, he would say he is shy. His favorite holiday is Meskel otherwise known as Cross Day. His favorite food is pasta. If he were to ever move to another country with America and Canada excluded, he said he would go to Japan. When we asked him what he would miss about Ethiopia if he moved to Japan, he said he had no interest in leaving Ethiopia but said Japan to answer our question. If he were to speak with his sponsor he would say hi and would ask for a soccer ball.