Over the last 35 years, our work has made a massive difference to the lives of children and women we supported. Many children have finished their education and secured jobs, women have set up businesses, become financially independent, and can now support their families.
MULU
Mulu was born in 1983 and was welcomed into one of our first children’s homes. She contracted smallpox and lost her sight. She says:
‘Children with disabilities like mine usually end up begging on the streets. But the head of the home spent a lot of time with me. She told me that if I had confidence in myself I could do anything. I believed her’.
Mulu did well at school, then graduated from Addis Ababa university with first class honours. She is now a lawyer.
‘Being blind is still considered by many to be a curse. But I want to show how someone who has nothing can take charge of her fate and be successful against the odds’.
BAEDIGALIGN
Baedigalign was also taken to our first children’s home. He was found during the famine and war holding on to his dead mother, trying to suck her dried breasts. A vulture was hovering over him pecking his cheeks. He was taken to hospital, recovered and did well in school.
Baedigalign now works as a printer in Addis Ababa, he still has the marks on his cheek from the vulture but his life has changed.
SAEDA MUHAMMAD
Saeda Muhammad has six children; 4 biological and 2 she is raising as her own. One of these is Samira who is 15 years old. Her mother died and her fathers’ second wife threw Samira out of the house. She was on the street and had nowhere to go so Saeda took her in.
Saeda’s husband works as a gardener but his wages of £22 is not enough to live on so Saeda supplements their income by sweeping up at the local grain mill. She sorts through the floor when she sweeps and collects leftover bits of grain which she sells.
Saeda took part in our women’s project and received training and a loan to start a business. She used money from the loan to buy grain from the mill at wholesale prices and sells the grain in the local community. With her growing income, Saeda is able to support her family and has adopted another orphaned child!
EFTU
Eftu is 18 years old. She has two children aged 3 and 4. She received training and a loan through our business programme and bought two goats to start a goat farm to sell meat and milk.
She also works for the local kebele (community) collecting rubbish for which she earns £22 a month. Eftu had a creative idea to increase her income and decided to save green plastic drink bottles from the rubbish she collects and transform them into ornamental Christmas trees. She then sells them for £2.50.