Well the new year has begun in Ethiopia and I feel really positive that this year is going to see some real progress for the orphanage. I am already planning a trip back in March/April next year and am really keen to kickstart a few new projects while I'm there. There are also a few things that need to be sorted out, I need to look at the accommodation and whether or not we can keep renting the property for another year and if not, alternatives etc. I want to assess the kids bedding, I think it must be really getting to the stage where we need new/more beds and definitely more sheets/blankets. New gardens need to be planted, I want to build a proper chicken coop so we can start raising chickens (we had half a dozen chickens who were living on S's grandmothers property as it is fenced and bordered by other houses as opposed to our property which backs onto a hill..regardless, the chickens are now deceased..)
the kids love the eggs though and they're such a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals!
It's also high time the first steps were taken towards self-sufficiency. I have plenty of ideas for this and am SO keen to do some serious fundraising between now and next year so that I will have the funds to take those first steps. My plan is to open 2 small businesses that work together to achieve two aims. The first is obviously generate funds to sustain the orphanage. The second aim, however, is to help the wider community. It is all well and good to help the 11 kids fortunate enough to be given this wonderful chance in life, but it's also important to spread that help a little wider to the community as a whole and one of the ways I want to do this, is by empowering community members to help themselves. Oh I am ITCHING to just spill the beans about these plans! I am hesitant though, because there are plenty of people out there looking to cash in on the boom that's happening in Lalibela at the moment and even though I'm talking about charitably business, business IS still business and I would hate for my ideas to be poached before I have the chance to implement them!
For now, there is a lot of work to be done fundraising and organising before next March/April. I will really need every cent I can raise through fundraising if these ideas are to become reality, so if anyone has frequent flyer miles they would like to donate to help me get to Lalibela next year, let me know! Sometimes I kick myself for opening an orphanage in the furthest possible place from Australia.. while studying full-time and earning a very meagre income.. but then I remember how malnourished Bereket was or I wonder how long Wineshet would have lasted living on the streets and I'm glad I chose this path. They couldn't have just waited around for me to finish my degree and establish a career for myself. They would have become another UN statistic of child mortality in Ethiopia.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
long time, no post!
Well it's been far too long since I've updated the blog, so here's the latest news:
An Incorporated Association has been formed in Australia which will oversee orphanage business, manage funds, fundraise etc. The corporation is called "The Ashley Haven Project" and I am in the process of opening a new bank account in it's name so that any donations or sponsorship monies can be paid directly into this account. I will have those details tomorrow and will let people know the new account number then. Next goal is a new website! I am also looking at options for a fundraiser to be held later in the year, so stay tuned for that..
As for news from the orphanage itself, the kids have a month left of their 'end of year' school holidays and they were getting more than a little restless (I don't like the term 'bored'..)and requested a school tutor be hired to teach them for the rest of the holidays. Of course I was more than happy to oblige them, so a tutor was found and hired for the month on the proviso they focus particularly on studying english (as well as Amharic and maths)because they really are quite lazy when it comes to learning english despite the many fun english learning aids I've bought over for them!
I think I updated last time that our main full-time caregiver Sabilah left us, sadly! Sabi was only 16, despite looking a LOT older and she didn't want to be tied down to such a demanding full-time job, which I can understand. Sabi has been a huge help to us over the past 8-9 months particularly when the orphanage first opened and we couldn't afford a second caregiver. So it is sad to see her go, but fortunately when I was in Lalibela in February/ March I was able to hire a second caregiver Zidal who has turned out to be the most delightful, trustworthy, genuinely kind hearted girl and after Sabi left, Zidal stepped up into her role as main caregiver and has been wonderful! We have now found another caregiver though, an older lady named Tesfa who so far has been working out just fine. I haven't met Tesfa yet and am quite keen to, however, our manager's grandmother recommended her to us and this lady has not yet steered us wrong!
So we have our quota of staff once again and I have since asked the orphanage manager to ensure that each staff member is assigned one rostered day and night off per week on top of the time off here and there they all take when needed. Hopefully this will improve staff working conditions and morale etc and we will be able to keep staff longer. Of course it's all a matter of trial and error and we will work things out as we go!
The other thing I wanted to include in this update is some financial information about the working of the orphanage for those interested. I know when I was researching the prospect of opening an orphanage in Ethiopia, I found it very difficult to find this kind of info.
A basic breakdown of our costs per month:
Food
bread- 780 Birr
shiro- 100 Birr (ground spicy chickpea powder made into a stew)
lentils- 200 Birr
teff- 750 Birr (to make injera, the national bread)
sugar- 320 Birr
tomato paste- 100 Birr
Pasta- 400 Birr
Vegetables- 300 Birr
meat- 1000 Birr
Food total of approx. 4000 Birr ($295 USD/ $330 AUD)
Rent 4500 Birr ($335 USD/ $372 AUD)
Wages 2900 Birr ($212 USD/ $235 AUD)
---------
All up per month the orphanage costs $842 USD per month/ $937 AUD per month to run.
This bare figure does not factor in the kids clothing/ shoes and school equipment 9pens, books etc into consideration as I don't send this money over on a monthly basis, I take as much clothing and school equipment as I can carry whenever I go to Lalibela (aiming for twice a year where possible!!) as the stuff you buy there is very poor quality and wears out far too quickly! If I can't make it over though, or someone else I know isn't heading there, I send a couple hundred dollars over and get the manager to buy them what they need. Oh the other thing I haven't listed is soap- the kids go through A LOT of soap. soap for washing themselves and their clothes.
I send around $550-$600 a month to cover the expenses of food and wages plus incidentals (hospital, clinic, medicine, pens etc) and I send over the rent every 3 months as I can scrounge it up!! So far we have 5 kids fully sponsored and 1 half sponsorship per month which provides $440 of the monthly cost of running the orphanage, but there is still a $500 deficit per month. A lovely American family have been helping us cover some of this shortfall by paying the last 3 months rent, which has helped a lot!! However, what we really need is to get every child fully sponsored to ensure that we can continue to provide for them adequately each month. If anyone reading this would like more info on sponsorship, please email me at sheridan.ohara@gmail.com or if you know of anyone who is interested in joining with you to collectively sponsor a child, that is an option too! Just send me an email and I will happily talk to you about different options.
Well that is all for now, will update again soon with new banking details and hopefully a new web address!
Sheridan
xx
An Incorporated Association has been formed in Australia which will oversee orphanage business, manage funds, fundraise etc. The corporation is called "The Ashley Haven Project" and I am in the process of opening a new bank account in it's name so that any donations or sponsorship monies can be paid directly into this account. I will have those details tomorrow and will let people know the new account number then. Next goal is a new website! I am also looking at options for a fundraiser to be held later in the year, so stay tuned for that..
As for news from the orphanage itself, the kids have a month left of their 'end of year' school holidays and they were getting more than a little restless (I don't like the term 'bored'..)and requested a school tutor be hired to teach them for the rest of the holidays. Of course I was more than happy to oblige them, so a tutor was found and hired for the month on the proviso they focus particularly on studying english (as well as Amharic and maths)because they really are quite lazy when it comes to learning english despite the many fun english learning aids I've bought over for them!
I think I updated last time that our main full-time caregiver Sabilah left us, sadly! Sabi was only 16, despite looking a LOT older and she didn't want to be tied down to such a demanding full-time job, which I can understand. Sabi has been a huge help to us over the past 8-9 months particularly when the orphanage first opened and we couldn't afford a second caregiver. So it is sad to see her go, but fortunately when I was in Lalibela in February/ March I was able to hire a second caregiver Zidal who has turned out to be the most delightful, trustworthy, genuinely kind hearted girl and after Sabi left, Zidal stepped up into her role as main caregiver and has been wonderful! We have now found another caregiver though, an older lady named Tesfa who so far has been working out just fine. I haven't met Tesfa yet and am quite keen to, however, our manager's grandmother recommended her to us and this lady has not yet steered us wrong!
So we have our quota of staff once again and I have since asked the orphanage manager to ensure that each staff member is assigned one rostered day and night off per week on top of the time off here and there they all take when needed. Hopefully this will improve staff working conditions and morale etc and we will be able to keep staff longer. Of course it's all a matter of trial and error and we will work things out as we go!
The other thing I wanted to include in this update is some financial information about the working of the orphanage for those interested. I know when I was researching the prospect of opening an orphanage in Ethiopia, I found it very difficult to find this kind of info.
A basic breakdown of our costs per month:
Food
bread- 780 Birr
shiro- 100 Birr (ground spicy chickpea powder made into a stew)
lentils- 200 Birr
teff- 750 Birr (to make injera, the national bread)
sugar- 320 Birr
tomato paste- 100 Birr
Pasta- 400 Birr
Vegetables- 300 Birr
meat- 1000 Birr
Food total of approx. 4000 Birr ($295 USD/ $330 AUD)
Rent 4500 Birr ($335 USD/ $372 AUD)
Wages 2900 Birr ($212 USD/ $235 AUD)
---------
All up per month the orphanage costs $842 USD per month/ $937 AUD per month to run.
This bare figure does not factor in the kids clothing/ shoes and school equipment 9pens, books etc into consideration as I don't send this money over on a monthly basis, I take as much clothing and school equipment as I can carry whenever I go to Lalibela (aiming for twice a year where possible!!) as the stuff you buy there is very poor quality and wears out far too quickly! If I can't make it over though, or someone else I know isn't heading there, I send a couple hundred dollars over and get the manager to buy them what they need. Oh the other thing I haven't listed is soap- the kids go through A LOT of soap. soap for washing themselves and their clothes.
I send around $550-$600 a month to cover the expenses of food and wages plus incidentals (hospital, clinic, medicine, pens etc) and I send over the rent every 3 months as I can scrounge it up!! So far we have 5 kids fully sponsored and 1 half sponsorship per month which provides $440 of the monthly cost of running the orphanage, but there is still a $500 deficit per month. A lovely American family have been helping us cover some of this shortfall by paying the last 3 months rent, which has helped a lot!! However, what we really need is to get every child fully sponsored to ensure that we can continue to provide for them adequately each month. If anyone reading this would like more info on sponsorship, please email me at sheridan.ohara@gmail.com or if you know of anyone who is interested in joining with you to collectively sponsor a child, that is an option too! Just send me an email and I will happily talk to you about different options.
Well that is all for now, will update again soon with new banking details and hopefully a new web address!
Sheridan
xx
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Photos from February
Hi guys,
Once again, I do apologise for not updating more regularly but as I've mentioned probably a billion times before, I'm a little swamped with work at the moment! Uni finishes in June, so once that is over, I should have alot more time to work on getting the new website up and running (www.ashleyhaven.com) at present there is only a temporary page up there, but expect a lovely new website post-June!
As for orphanage news, it is the rainy season in Ethiopia now and the kids are going a little stir crazy being indoors alot, but I took a lap-top over with me in February for orphanage admin and also for the kids to learn to use and it just so happens it plays DVDs as well, so I believe it's getting a workout at the moment.. after schoolwork is done, of course!
The new staff members have settled in well and Sabi is enjoying being able to spend more time just looking after the babies. Zaidal is still tutoring the kids every afternoon and the kids grades are already improving because of it.
The kids all celebrated Easter with a lovely big feast, the compound was thoroughly decorated and our 3rd goat was brought in from the countryside to be the main course. I was a little upset initially as I was always from the 'you don't eat pets' school of thought, but it wasn't really a pet and as the kids pointed out, it was nice and fat from it's holiday in the countryside..
Now, a couple of pics!
The newest member- 5 year old Mekedes!
Kids and Staff all together
The babies eating a spaghetti breakfast!
Once again, I do apologise for not updating more regularly but as I've mentioned probably a billion times before, I'm a little swamped with work at the moment! Uni finishes in June, so once that is over, I should have alot more time to work on getting the new website up and running (www.ashleyhaven.com) at present there is only a temporary page up there, but expect a lovely new website post-June!
As for orphanage news, it is the rainy season in Ethiopia now and the kids are going a little stir crazy being indoors alot, but I took a lap-top over with me in February for orphanage admin and also for the kids to learn to use and it just so happens it plays DVDs as well, so I believe it's getting a workout at the moment.. after schoolwork is done, of course!
The new staff members have settled in well and Sabi is enjoying being able to spend more time just looking after the babies. Zaidal is still tutoring the kids every afternoon and the kids grades are already improving because of it.
The kids all celebrated Easter with a lovely big feast, the compound was thoroughly decorated and our 3rd goat was brought in from the countryside to be the main course. I was a little upset initially as I was always from the 'you don't eat pets' school of thought, but it wasn't really a pet and as the kids pointed out, it was nice and fat from it's holiday in the countryside..
Now, a couple of pics!
The newest member- 5 year old Mekedes!
Kids and Staff all together
The babies eating a spaghetti breakfast!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Plenty of news!
I do apologise for not updating the blog more regularly, but things as always, have been hectic! I guess that's just life when you work, study and open an orphanage on the other side of the world :)
I have lots of news though! Last month I held my first fundraiser for the orphanage- a charity screening of the film 'Up in the Air'. I was very fortunate to have had so many people turn up to support the orphanage and came close to selling out! Even better was that quite a few people who came, were motivated to make donations to me afterwards and as a result, I was able to make a last minute trip back to Lalibela (before university started). Boy was I glad I did! Everything was running nicely in my absence, but the hardworking staff were really starting to reach the end of their tether, so they were very grateful when I was able to hire 2 new staff members to assist them. Poor Habtum the cook was ready to tear her hair out as she was spending all day every second day in a hot little hut slaving over a wood fire, cooking 30 or so giant pieces of injera (the local sour pancake that is the main staple) for 11 very hungry kids as well staff. This was in addition to making and seving breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. Once I saw just how much work she was doing, I was able to order an electric injera machine for the orphanage so that she can make the injera at the orphanage itself, without slaving over a wood fire. This also means that the huge injera basket doesnt need to be carried from Habtum's house up to the orphanage every day, saving alot of work. I was also able to hire a second caregiver who can assist Habtum with some of the meal duties.
Sabi the caregiver was also well and truly overworked, so hiring a second caregiver who primarily looks after the older kids, allows Sabi to concentrate on the two toddlers and all their washing and cooking etc.
Fortunately, the new caregiver, Zidal is also a grade 12 student who speaks excellent english, so she can help the older kids with their school work.
the second employee is Marag- a lovely young man who for the past 3 months has been carrying the heavy injera basket twice a day for Habtum, unpaid! He has joined staff as a part-time guard to assist the guard, Ayalsew(I've been spelling it Ayatil, but thatis incorrect). He is also tutoring the older children of an afternoon with Zidal.
While I was there, I also took in a 5 year old girl who was previously raised by her grandmother who passed away recently. S's elderly grandmother found her way to the town this girl was living in, picked her up and brought her back to live with her (I think in the hopes that I would take pity on her and take the girl in). Her plan worked, so 5 year old Mekedes has joined the gang! Mekedes is quite malnourished like Bereket was, so hopefully I will see her healthy and happy like the others, next time I return! It was too late to enrol mekedes in grade 1, so we enrolled her in Kindergarten, and although she is older than the other kids, she loves it & very seriously sits down to practice her letters with the other kids in the afternoon.
I also sorted out licensing issues once and for all, I went to Addis to apply for the license and was told by the gov. department responsible that Ethiopia is no longer granting orphanage icenses and is in fact in the process of shutting down some of the larger ones as a recent inquiry brought to light some unsavoury practices at some of the larger orphanages. We were told that in the future, licenses will only be issues for centres that offer temporary accommodation for kids in crisis, until a local foster family can be found for them. As for our orphanage, we were told that the fact that it is small and a family-like setting, means that we don't have to have any kind of license and can continue to operate as we are, however if we grow any bigger, it would be a different story. So as it is, Ashley Haven will continue for the forseeable future as it is, 11 kids living together as a family, going to school together etc and they will continue to do so until they graduate from High School and if they wish to study further, then I will make sure they have that opportunity by creating some kind of education fund for them.
But Ashley Haven will not stop there, it is very possible that in the future I will create a separate crisis centre that offers short term care and finds/trains local foster carers... but one thing at a time! Right now, I am primarily concerned with securing the future of the 11 kids Ashley Haven cares for. I have more to say about this, but will make a separate post on that.
Hope everyone reading this is well!
I have lots of news though! Last month I held my first fundraiser for the orphanage- a charity screening of the film 'Up in the Air'. I was very fortunate to have had so many people turn up to support the orphanage and came close to selling out! Even better was that quite a few people who came, were motivated to make donations to me afterwards and as a result, I was able to make a last minute trip back to Lalibela (before university started). Boy was I glad I did! Everything was running nicely in my absence, but the hardworking staff were really starting to reach the end of their tether, so they were very grateful when I was able to hire 2 new staff members to assist them. Poor Habtum the cook was ready to tear her hair out as she was spending all day every second day in a hot little hut slaving over a wood fire, cooking 30 or so giant pieces of injera (the local sour pancake that is the main staple) for 11 very hungry kids as well staff. This was in addition to making and seving breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. Once I saw just how much work she was doing, I was able to order an electric injera machine for the orphanage so that she can make the injera at the orphanage itself, without slaving over a wood fire. This also means that the huge injera basket doesnt need to be carried from Habtum's house up to the orphanage every day, saving alot of work. I was also able to hire a second caregiver who can assist Habtum with some of the meal duties.
Sabi the caregiver was also well and truly overworked, so hiring a second caregiver who primarily looks after the older kids, allows Sabi to concentrate on the two toddlers and all their washing and cooking etc.
Fortunately, the new caregiver, Zidal is also a grade 12 student who speaks excellent english, so she can help the older kids with their school work.
the second employee is Marag- a lovely young man who for the past 3 months has been carrying the heavy injera basket twice a day for Habtum, unpaid! He has joined staff as a part-time guard to assist the guard, Ayalsew(I've been spelling it Ayatil, but thatis incorrect). He is also tutoring the older children of an afternoon with Zidal.
While I was there, I also took in a 5 year old girl who was previously raised by her grandmother who passed away recently. S's elderly grandmother found her way to the town this girl was living in, picked her up and brought her back to live with her (I think in the hopes that I would take pity on her and take the girl in). Her plan worked, so 5 year old Mekedes has joined the gang! Mekedes is quite malnourished like Bereket was, so hopefully I will see her healthy and happy like the others, next time I return! It was too late to enrol mekedes in grade 1, so we enrolled her in Kindergarten, and although she is older than the other kids, she loves it & very seriously sits down to practice her letters with the other kids in the afternoon.
I also sorted out licensing issues once and for all, I went to Addis to apply for the license and was told by the gov. department responsible that Ethiopia is no longer granting orphanage icenses and is in fact in the process of shutting down some of the larger ones as a recent inquiry brought to light some unsavoury practices at some of the larger orphanages. We were told that in the future, licenses will only be issues for centres that offer temporary accommodation for kids in crisis, until a local foster family can be found for them. As for our orphanage, we were told that the fact that it is small and a family-like setting, means that we don't have to have any kind of license and can continue to operate as we are, however if we grow any bigger, it would be a different story. So as it is, Ashley Haven will continue for the forseeable future as it is, 11 kids living together as a family, going to school together etc and they will continue to do so until they graduate from High School and if they wish to study further, then I will make sure they have that opportunity by creating some kind of education fund for them.
But Ashley Haven will not stop there, it is very possible that in the future I will create a separate crisis centre that offers short term care and finds/trains local foster carers... but one thing at a time! Right now, I am primarily concerned with securing the future of the 11 kids Ashley Haven cares for. I have more to say about this, but will make a separate post on that.
Hope everyone reading this is well!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
lately
I do apologise for being a little slack of late in the blogging department, it may be a little cliche of me to say that I've been busy, but it's true! there is so much involved in the logistics of setting up an NGO and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done. I will get there eventually though!
S tells me that the kids are all well, they had last week off from school as they just finished exams.
Other than that, not much else new to report. There are a million things to be done over there though, but they all seem
to be on hold until i get back- the mayor will not grant our license until he sees me back in ethiopia as they recently had a westerner open an orphanage then went back overseas never to be heard from again! I need to sit down and have another chat with him and prove I am very seriously committed to this project and it's longevity.
But i shall do this next week as I am making a very last minute trip back to sort out this issue with he mayor, as well as to hire more staff and keep things moving forward. I will be looking for land to build the permanent orphanage, as well as looking at ways to make the project sustainable. AT the moment I am considering opening some kind of training cafe/ restaurant similar to projects i visited in Asia. I need to investigate the viability of this option.
Most importantly, I will be taking needed clothes, books, shoes & learning materials & giving them all a massive big hug!!
We now have 6 full sponsors for the kids and only need 4 more to keep the orphanage running! Very exciting stuff.
Will update again soon with pics x
S tells me that the kids are all well, they had last week off from school as they just finished exams.
Other than that, not much else new to report. There are a million things to be done over there though, but they all seem
to be on hold until i get back- the mayor will not grant our license until he sees me back in ethiopia as they recently had a westerner open an orphanage then went back overseas never to be heard from again! I need to sit down and have another chat with him and prove I am very seriously committed to this project and it's longevity.
But i shall do this next week as I am making a very last minute trip back to sort out this issue with he mayor, as well as to hire more staff and keep things moving forward. I will be looking for land to build the permanent orphanage, as well as looking at ways to make the project sustainable. AT the moment I am considering opening some kind of training cafe/ restaurant similar to projects i visited in Asia. I need to investigate the viability of this option.
Most importantly, I will be taking needed clothes, books, shoes & learning materials & giving them all a massive big hug!!
We now have 6 full sponsors for the kids and only need 4 more to keep the orphanage running! Very exciting stuff.
Will update again soon with pics x
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Still in Australia
I've been a little bit slack with this blog of late, work at the cinema has kept me very very busy! Life goes on in Lalibela though and there have been a few new developments. The first is that just before Christmas, a lovely American couple visited the orphanage and were our guests for the weekend. This couple were kind enough to donate some of their luggage allowance to us and brought over some desparately needed diapers and baby things for Ytinet and Hillary, as well as backpacks for each of the kids, exercise books and pens, some clothes and games. S tells me the kids were very very excited about having a backpack of their own to wear to school each day, and Sabi is very happy to have nappies/diapers for the babies as it makes her job that much easier when she doesn't have to wash all the linen and blankets twice a day. I believe the babies are even allowed to wear dresses and pants now, instead of running around in t-shirts and jumpers only!
The second blessing we received was the return of valerie the goat. Valerie disappeared on December 30th and was gone for two days. The kids, S and Ayatil looked everywhere for her, S reported it to the police and we were sure that we wouldn't see her again because goats are very valuable in Ethiopia and there are far too many desperate people who would look upon the finding of a goat as a gift from God. So when Val came wandering back into our yard on New years day with a tiny version of herself in tow, we were all very very excited!!! Val's baby is a boy and has since been named Fred. The kids are very taken with Fred, so I am told.. and i can just imagine, as I saw firsthand how sweet they were with Val, finding all the nicest leaves and plants they could find for her- Temesgen often spending hours taking all the thorns off cactus leaves and then pulverising them into a sloppy goopy mess for Val to eat.
On January 7, Ethiopians celebrate Christmas and S tells me the kids spent days cleaning their best clothes and braiding their hair nicely for the special day. Lalibela is a kind of mecca in Ethiopia and thousands of pilgrims all descend upon the town for christmas each year. All the motels are booked out months in advance, school is disbanded for a week in order to make some temporary accommodation for pilgrims, though most stay in the vicinity of the rock hewn churches. There were so many people in town that S had to keep the kids in the compound for a few days for their own safety, but the day after the celebration, the town emptied once again and things are back to usual. During the celebrations though, S was tour guiding some Australian girls and at some point showed them around the orphanage and told them it was run by a young Australian girl and they were fairly impressed and went out and bought the kids a sheep for their big Christmas lunch. Prior to Christmas, Ethiopian Orthodox christians fast for a week, so it's a big deal having meat on Christmas day. S however, has already bought a goat at the Saturday markets which he had planned to have killed for the feast, but once I spoke to him and heard about the gift of the sheep etc, I insisted the goat join our ever increasing herd. So we now have 3 goats! This 3rd goat is eventually to start a breeding program at the orphanage. Ethiopian admin is very big on 'animal husbandry programs' and I am very big on animals and baby animals in general, so the more the merrier i say! and if it is educational at the same time and we can teach the kids about relavant skills in their hometown, then even better!
In other news, two of the boys beds collapsed in the middle as unbeknown to me, they were all sitting on temesgen and abraham's beds of a nighttime as the other 3 don't have a light in their room. So all the extra weight on the metal frames caused them to bow. so we're in the process of having those repaired and in the meantime abraham and temesgen are cosily sharing a bed. since the only electrician in Lalibela is never able to find the time to repair that light, I think we need to buy a lamp of some description to put in the other boys room, next time we are in Addis.
S also tells me that the kids are all missing me. I too miss them dreadfully!! I have acquired plenty of things that they need such as shoes etc and it kills me knowing that they are walking around in plastic shoes that have holes in them, or give them awful blisters, and here I have these lovely joggers and sandals for them, just sitting in my bag of things to take back. I plan to give the kids a belated christmas once I finally get back to Ethiopia, I have bought a christmas stocking for them each in the after christmas sales, and plan to fill them with 2 pairs of shoes each- a pair of joggers and sandals each, as well as a pair of pyjamas (the currently sleep naked) as well as a toiletry bag (that my nan and myself will run up) with soap and toothbrush holders as well as hairties for the girls etc.
Right now though, my main concern is the next three months rent. Rent is due on the
6th Feb and is $1200 that we don't have. I have complete faith that God will provide us with the funds to pay this, but I have no idea where the money is going to come from. If anyone was contemplating making a donation to the orphanage, now would be the time to do so!!
xx
The second blessing we received was the return of valerie the goat. Valerie disappeared on December 30th and was gone for two days. The kids, S and Ayatil looked everywhere for her, S reported it to the police and we were sure that we wouldn't see her again because goats are very valuable in Ethiopia and there are far too many desperate people who would look upon the finding of a goat as a gift from God. So when Val came wandering back into our yard on New years day with a tiny version of herself in tow, we were all very very excited!!! Val's baby is a boy and has since been named Fred. The kids are very taken with Fred, so I am told.. and i can just imagine, as I saw firsthand how sweet they were with Val, finding all the nicest leaves and plants they could find for her- Temesgen often spending hours taking all the thorns off cactus leaves and then pulverising them into a sloppy goopy mess for Val to eat.
On January 7, Ethiopians celebrate Christmas and S tells me the kids spent days cleaning their best clothes and braiding their hair nicely for the special day. Lalibela is a kind of mecca in Ethiopia and thousands of pilgrims all descend upon the town for christmas each year. All the motels are booked out months in advance, school is disbanded for a week in order to make some temporary accommodation for pilgrims, though most stay in the vicinity of the rock hewn churches. There were so many people in town that S had to keep the kids in the compound for a few days for their own safety, but the day after the celebration, the town emptied once again and things are back to usual. During the celebrations though, S was tour guiding some Australian girls and at some point showed them around the orphanage and told them it was run by a young Australian girl and they were fairly impressed and went out and bought the kids a sheep for their big Christmas lunch. Prior to Christmas, Ethiopian Orthodox christians fast for a week, so it's a big deal having meat on Christmas day. S however, has already bought a goat at the Saturday markets which he had planned to have killed for the feast, but once I spoke to him and heard about the gift of the sheep etc, I insisted the goat join our ever increasing herd. So we now have 3 goats! This 3rd goat is eventually to start a breeding program at the orphanage. Ethiopian admin is very big on 'animal husbandry programs' and I am very big on animals and baby animals in general, so the more the merrier i say! and if it is educational at the same time and we can teach the kids about relavant skills in their hometown, then even better!
In other news, two of the boys beds collapsed in the middle as unbeknown to me, they were all sitting on temesgen and abraham's beds of a nighttime as the other 3 don't have a light in their room. So all the extra weight on the metal frames caused them to bow. so we're in the process of having those repaired and in the meantime abraham and temesgen are cosily sharing a bed. since the only electrician in Lalibela is never able to find the time to repair that light, I think we need to buy a lamp of some description to put in the other boys room, next time we are in Addis.
S also tells me that the kids are all missing me. I too miss them dreadfully!! I have acquired plenty of things that they need such as shoes etc and it kills me knowing that they are walking around in plastic shoes that have holes in them, or give them awful blisters, and here I have these lovely joggers and sandals for them, just sitting in my bag of things to take back. I plan to give the kids a belated christmas once I finally get back to Ethiopia, I have bought a christmas stocking for them each in the after christmas sales, and plan to fill them with 2 pairs of shoes each- a pair of joggers and sandals each, as well as a pair of pyjamas (the currently sleep naked) as well as a toiletry bag (that my nan and myself will run up) with soap and toothbrush holders as well as hairties for the girls etc.
Right now though, my main concern is the next three months rent. Rent is due on the
6th Feb and is $1200 that we don't have. I have complete faith that God will provide us with the funds to pay this, but I have no idea where the money is going to come from. If anyone was contemplating making a donation to the orphanage, now would be the time to do so!!
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