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.
