I know this is a little late, but I want to tell you about our month in Ethiopia. Overall, it was a great month! We partnered with an organization called Endihnew Hope located on the top of Entoto Mountain in the capital city, Addis Ababa. Endinew Hope is an organization that acts as the hands and feet of Jesus by meeting the tangible needs of the people on Entoto Mountain. Through child sponsorship and feeding programs, they are bringing hope, freedom, and restoration to Entoto Mountain.
There is a great need in the community for food, clean water, education, jobs, and health care. Endihnew Hope strives to meet all of these needs in several ways, including:
- Child sponsorships
- Feeding programs
- Healthcare programs
- Providing jobs for women
Our team spent most of our time doing home visits for unsponsored children. We interviewed families and listened to their stories. It was common for children to only have one parent. There were many single moms and a few single dads. HIV was also very common among the community. There was a shortage of jobs on the mountain and many women would do anything to find work – from washing clothes, carrying water, making and selling different things at the market, carrying wood that weighed between 150 and 200 pounds down the mountain, to begging in the city.
It was sad to see the desperation and hopelessness of these mothers and fathers. Many of them have lost hope and given up. They have no food to feed their children and struggle to survive daily.
What broke my heart the most is when they would teach their kids to beg. There were so many kids on the street begging for money. I hated seeing little kids learn to live like that at such a young age. They have no concept of work ethic – all they know is desperation and dependence.
I envision the children of the next generation becoming leaders through education and hard work. I envision the cycle of poverty being stopped by educating and empowering the next generation. The children we met have so much potential for a bright future. Many of them are very smart and do really well in school, but many of them have to start working at a very young age to help support their families.
I remember meeting one little boy imparticular who did very well in school – he was the top student in his class. He was even rewarded with a new back pack for doing so well. At just 11 years old, he would go to work after school. He would wash cars and carry water for people to make money. He did this so that he and his mom can have food to eat. As an 11 year old boy, he carried the burden of being the main provider of his home.
We heard so many heart breaking stories this past month. It was hard to witness and it was especially hard to come to terms with the fact that we can’t help everyone in need. I am learning to trust that Lord has not forgotten these people. He sees their need and he loves them. Letting go of control and trusting that the Lord is going to take care of them has been hard. I so badly wish that I could help all of them, but I just can’t. I know that God’s heart is always for the widow and the orphan.
So I am just trusting, hoping, and praying.
Throughout all the hard and sad things we saw this month, we also saw God’s work happening first hand through this organization. Over 100 children have been sponsored since the organization started and every week, there are many children who get fed at the feeding program. There is a spark of hope that has been ignited on Entoto Mountain. God is bringing HOPE to these people.
It was an honor to be a part of God’s work at Endihnew Hope.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child or donating to the feeding program, you can visit http://www.ordinaryhero.org/action/sponsorship.php or email Kelly Blevins at [email protected]
“Is not this kind of fasting I have chosen: to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” –Isaiah 58:6-7
