Today's letter is from Ethiopia, where we sponsor and correspond with
Zeynia,
Selam,
Samuel,
Seyefu,
Feraol and
Bacha. The original letter and photo can be found
here.
~~~
Dear Friend,
I am Tsehaywota Taddesse; I have been the country director of Ethiopia since December 2008. I am married and a father of three children. One of my life’s favorites is being with my children, playing with them, or going out for a walk. It gives me life and reminds me of how honorable it is to serve children.
Compassion, in partnership with the church, has been serving children of Ethiopia since 1993. There are about 104,000 sponsored children in about 440 partner churches spread over the country.
In my journey with Compassion, I have witnessed the selfless engagement of many people (bedridden mothers, siblings, social workers, pastors, and sponsors) to serve children who face lack, disease, loneliness, insecurity and despair because of the brutal realities of poverty. What drives this deep and selfless engagement? What is the mystery with these individuals? Love is the driver. Love is the mystery. Love-driven people are heroes of saving others. You are one of these individuals. Thank you for your love and inestimable contribution in sponsoring a child in Ethiopia.
Through sponsors’ support, Compassion provides holistic development for children in poverty. Partner churches open their facilities and welcome children of their communities. Children enjoy a caring and conducive environment. They get help to pursue their education and nurture their gifts. Children learn God’s Word and how much He values them. They gain a sense of worth; they are connected to a caring and sustainable community of believers.
When one girl’s mom brought her for registration, she was about five years old. She got a sponsor, continued her education, and enjoyed life until she faced her mother’s deteriorated health. This robbed the girl and her younger brother of hope. She ended up taking care of her bedridden mother and the young boy. She witnessed the long suffering and tragic death of her mother. Finally, she was alone with her brother. No security, no care. The small room they were living in suddenly seemed full of fear. The nights turned to long times of worry. Thankfully, these children were not left to continue that life of misery. The child development center extended extra care; a social worker took the responsibility of providing psychological, physical and nutritional care. The girl got vocational training and is now employed, leading her own life. She actively participates in church and serves children. The boy is in university, a top-scoring engineering student. Sponsors make such stories possible.
Many children in Ethiopia need love and care. They struggle with the brutal realities of poverty: lack of income, family breakdown, abuse, child labor, street living, and abnormal practices. It is our vision to reach such children as God enables us, while giving the best for every individual child in our program so that they can be the best of themselves. Our churches and centers become resourceful institutions for children. Please pray for us so we can do this well amid poverty and man-made and natural disasters like the drought we faced last year.
Sponsorship is a soul-to-soul connection nurtured by words of hope, care and encouragement exchanged through letters and prayers. Your letters represent you before your sponsored child. Children get better understanding of sponsorship through letters. Children count and treasure sponsor letters more than any other support rendered to them. I encourage you to strengthen the bond through writing letters to your child.
I cannot thank you enough for making the world better by sponsoring and loving a child in Ethiopia. May God bless you immensely!
Thank you,
Tsehaywota Taddesse
~~~
