back Down Under and Pics!

The kids (minus winesnet who was still at school)

Bereket (age 7-8) with Turet in their bedroom

Abraham (13)

Temesgen (12-12) with Hillary

Hillary (2)

Turet (15) with Aesrasa and Gashaw

Gabbayaew (7-8) with Ytinet (18months)

Aesrasa (age 10-11)

Winesnet (11-12) after her very first appointment at the hairdresser

Gashaw (13) with Ytinet (18months)

I'm back home again, or in one of my two homes anyway.. I am missing the kids and S terribly, but have alot to do in the way of fundraising etc so I will be nice and busy until I am able to go back to Ethiopia. Plus, I know everything that I am doing here is for the kids and this somehow makes it easier. All 10 kids need new shoes and I would dearly love to see them all in proper sandals and sneakers, but that wont happen unless I can raise some money and buy them here in Aus. At the moment they all own a pair of thongs (flip flops) or rubber shoes (similar in construction to crocs) except for Abraham who is wearing Winesnet's old pink rubber shoes! Even if I had the money in Lalibela, the selection of sneakers was very poor and those that were available were pretty cheap and nasty and likely to fall apart in 5 seconds flat. I made sure to trace each of the kids feet on paper before I left though, so once I have the cash, I will buy them all shoes in Aus and take them back with me next time I go. I'm soooo looking forward to doing some shopping for the kids, i have to stop myself from going into department stores because there are just soo many things that the kids need or would love, that I could spend hours in there!


I spoke to S the other night and will call him again in a minute and he said the kids are all missing me, Ytinet keeps wandering in and out of my room wondering where I am and Hillary asks S where I am all the time. All the kids are getting along much better now, we had a bit of a discussion with the two older girls before I left and I made it clear that I was not happy with their behaviour towards the boys (just some teasing etc) and they were very quiet the rest of that afternoon and since then have been on their best behaviour and S tells me that good behaviour has continued, so I'm very pleased about that! not that they were terrible before, just being 12 year old girls, stirring the boys up.. but it was enough to create some disharmony for a bit there, so i'm pleased we seem to have nipped it in the bud for now!

Valerie the goat still hasn't had the baby/babies (our cook Habtum thinks it will be twins, fingers crossed!) and they think it could be a few weeks yet.