I will never forget the day I sat in front of Tizzy, a 17-year-old girl I was tutoring for the SAT, and asked what seemed to me a harmless question.
“Tizzy, do you know all 80+ Selamta kids well?”
“What kind of question is that?” she responded. “Of course I know them well; they are each my brother and sister. They are my family.”
Selamta is a “family project” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over 80 orphans have found family through Selamta. This project played a big part in Ethiopia stealing my heart.
Selamta is comprised of 11 homes, each made up of 8-10 kids and one mother. Any blood-related children are intentionally placed in the same home. These homes aren’t simply places orphans live, these homes create “forever families.”
Many mothers are women who were once marginalized within society, directed to Selamta for a new purpose. After applying to be a Selamta mother they are trainedand given the proper resources to care for a household. Each mother has the support of an Auntie, or a hired woman who does not live at the house but is able to assist in anyway needed.
Our time with Selamta was truly something orchestrated by the Lord. We came into Ethiopia without any knowledge of the project.
While talking with a hostel staff member our first week in Ethiopia, she mentioned Selamta. As she told us more and more about it we knew we had to reach out. We had no idea if there was anything we could be of assistance in, but it hit a cord in each of our hearts and we needed to get connected.
Turns out the Lord had more in store than we could ever expect.
During our time there my alumni squad leader Jackie and I got to tutor two students, Tizzy and Taffy, for the SAT. It is a dream for both Taffy and Tizzy to go to school in the United States, therefore Selamta has been investing in finding the proper tools to equip them for the SAT.
That is one thing that makes Selamta so unique. The staff is extremely intentional in providing kids with tools to follow their dreams. For instance, Tizzy has always dreamed of a career in cinema. Through Selamta she got involved in an acting program, and through that program she starred in the 2014 movie Difret.
My teammate Rachel is a dental hygienist back home. One of the Selamta mothers, Mama Menbere, is currently needing dentures. Rach got to do a consultation for Mama Menbere, as well as write up a comprehensive report for funding.
Another one of my teammates, Cary, is a special needs teacher back home. Turns out there is a 12-year-old boy, Yegermal, who is a part of the Selamta family and was just diagnosed with ADHD. In Ethiopia, special needs education is very limited. He was recently kicked out of school. Cary got to meet with both Yegermal and his personal tutor, answering different questions as well as offering insight on how to best love and educate him.
My other teammates, Jess and Rosa, got to spend a lot of time building relationships with and ministering to the staff. Particularly with the finance manage, Melat, and the nurse Tigest.
The Lord allowed us to serve Selamta in numerous ways. However, I think my whole team and I would agree that we walked away with so much more. Selamta taught me about family. The kind of family that goes beyond blood, like Tizzy talked about.
Stay tuned for Selamta Part II 🙂
I’m still $3,149 from my deadline of being fully funded by the end of this month. The Lord has been so gracious in showing off His provision thus far! All prayers and willingness to financially joining this journey would be SO appreciated!
