Omo Child. A children’s home located in Jinka, Ethiopia. Setup to provide shelter, food, education and care to children deemed “Mingi” by the tribes of the South Omo Valley region of Ethiopia. But they’re doing much more than rescuing children… they’re giving life through the power of the Gospel and the nurturing of excellent education. It’s more than a children’s home, it’s a (eternal) life center to the people of the people of the Omo Valley Region.
From the Omo Child website: “Omo Child Ethiopia’s mission is to provide a safe, nurturing home and quality education for rescued Mingi children living in the remote Omo Valley region of Southwest Ethiopia. Mingi is the ritualistic killing of infants and children believed to be cursed by their tribes. Our hope is that these children will become future leaders in their tribes and communities.”
A child is claimed to be Mingi for one of three reasons: if the child is born out of wedlock, if the child is conceived before the parents announce to the tribe elders that they plan to conceive and if the child’s top teeth come in before the bottom teeth. These babies are thrown into the Omo River, suffocated by putting dirt in their mouth, left in the hut to starve or taken to into the bush for wild animals to find. If the Mingi child is not killed, they believe it could bring a curse upon their tribe, such as sick cattle, drought, locusts destroying crops, and so on. Omo Child has been working with some of the tribes to take the Mingi children away from their land. Once the rescued child is safe in Jinka, they are provided with a healthy bed and diet, top-notch education and love from a beautiful staff.
“Everywhere there are good people and bad people. Don’t be discouraged by the bad people. Pray for them.” – Lale
Lale Labuko. Founder of Omo Child and highly-esteemed doer of the Word. Lale is “the heart behind Omo Child.” He was born into the Kara tribe in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley and was one of the first of his tribe to receive a formal education. This exposure to the bigger world led Lale to realize the devastation of Mingi and the critical importance of ending this outdated tribal practice.
“Give me the child. Let me be a river, let me be a Bush, let me be a hut.” -Lale, speaking to the tribe elders in 2008
His story is beautiful and his heart is to love the way Jesus loves. Lale learned he had two older sisters, both deemed Mingi, who were killed before he ever knew them. Outlawing – and stopping – Mingi has become Lale’s life mission. But he does so much more than just nourish neglected children back to health. Lale has a passion for excellence and heart for His people.
“Until the day I die, I want to help my people.” -Lale
My team had the honor of spending a few days with Lale and some of the Omo Child staff in the bush of Ethiopia. Edna and I accompanied them as they met with some of the tribes that Omo Child has rescued children from and is currently working with to provide for their needs. Lale believes that if life were a boat, we need two paddles to move forward: the Gospel and education.
“Education is a powerful tool. You can use education to change impossible things to be possible.” -Lale
This passion drives him and his team to seek out the Kara, Hammer and other tribes to build relationships with the elders, women and chiefs in order to learn about their needs and how Omo Child can support them. Each meeting consisted of Lale and his staff sharing some testimonies about the work of Omo Child, visiting the school in the village and asking the tribe what additional support is needed.
“Usually the women aren’t invited to the meetings. But I invite them. And I make sure I get them to share their opinion.” -Lale
My time with Lale was so beautiful. I learned so much about the heart behind the Omo Child mission and saw firsthand the power behind the relationship Lale has within each village. Along the way, he taught Edna and I all about tribal practices and cultural gems. He filled our head with the knowledge of the truth living in the mountains and deserts we’d spent hours crossing through; each road with such rich character. Telling us about the Omo Child vision and efforts, he reminded us of truth we, as big-dreaming visionaries, needed to hear:
“You can’t do everything. Even if you just start one school or just help one child, it makes a difference.” -Lale
The night we camped in Dus village, we attended the church that Lale once built (literally- like with his hands and mud). This church was simple: now with concrete floor and concrete walls, a few benches and a cross made from reeds at the front. Kids and teenagers were the first to fill the church, but within ten minutes of beautiful hymns being sung, the church was packed. So packed that the kids had to move to the floor, to make room for the adults, as is their custom. For the next 2 hours, I watched the rich culture come alive with song, dance and loud prayer. The classic missionary thought crossed my brain once again: “these people have nothing and are so full of joy.” As I later discussed this with Edna and Lale, we realized that these people have the greatest treasure in this world and the next and that’s ALL they truly need. Thus, loud song and dance for hours and hours is absolutely appropriate.
“For me, it is rich to live in Ethiopia.” -Lale
Our time with Lale and his team was more than a beautiful experience, it was life-changing. I will forever remember the time we shared, the lessons taught and lessons learned, the tribal meetings and loud celebrations of all the the Lord is doing in the Dus village and in all of Ethiopia. Lale showed me a piece of what it looks like to live and walk as Jesus live and walked: people first, meeting needs, loving people and counting all life as precious no matter the age. His parting words to me and my team have left a beautiful mark on my heart that ensures I will probably be returning to this beautiful land, continuing to work with my brother Lale to further the Kingdom:
“Be strong. God is with you. I love you.” -Lale
“Good team. We’re a very strong team.” -Lale
To listen to his full testimony, click here.
To learn more about Omo Child and how you can support their mission, click here.
