Yezelalem Minch has grown from helping just a few children to feeding over 720 women and children each week. The feeding program happens in three different locations every Saturday. Programs include finding sponsors for children, training women to help them be able to support their families, providing a medical clinic, helping children without families to be paired with a family or other relatives (family preservation) and in some cases, helping children to find forever families through adoption. It was overwhelming to visit the feeding program. There were so, so many children! The day we visited, lunch was a bowl of soup and chunk of bread that looked like a sub roll. The children were very friendly and many wanted their photos to be taken by us. They shook hands with us and said, "Selam" and wanted to know our names. They may be poor in physical resources but their spirits are lively! I can't even find words to describe how humbling it was to be there. I kept thinking of Simon and what his life might have been like. Many of the children we saw that day are orphans living with extended family or neighbors -- a new way of thinking about "the village" to consider non-family members checking on children living by themselves in a house next door. The poverty was so prevalent yet we experienced so much joy being among the children. One little boy wanted Mark to take his photo over and over again -- I can still see his face as if it was just yesterday. I just can't describe what it was like to be there -- I know that neither Mark nor I will be the same again for what we saw that day.
Birtukan and Nesibu are amazing people. They have a heart for the people of their community and truly invest in the people. They hire people to help them with so many things -- cooking, cleaning, laundry, night security guard, babysitting -- just to provide more jobs. They are helping the poorest of the poor on a daily basis and it is humbling. Our goal is to help Yezelalem Minch with a yearly fundraiser. If you're reading this and are interested in sponsoring a child, please let me know and I can connect you to Yezelalem Minch.
Here are a few photos from our visit to the feeding program. I don't feel right about putting too many photos here of the children so here's just a taste of our visit. This first photo shows Nesibu on the right with the women who roast coffee and sell it to support their families. Believe me, it is FABULOUS coffee! We are savoring the coffee we brought home but if you'd like to try some, just say the word -- we'll share. : )
The little boy on the left is the boy who had Mark take his photo over and over again. He was very friendly and spoke English very well. And I love that the boy on the right is wearing a suit. He was more shy.
This is a photo of the food line. The women prepare and serve the meal, first to the children and then to each other. They were very busy!
We were mobbed like rock stars but it was a joy to shake the hands of so many friendly children. Many wanted to practice their English while we tried out our few Amharic words.
At this point in the trip, Simon only wanted to be held by Mark and he wanted to be held all the time. So Mark took all of his photos with one hand! See the boy on the left? I told you he was photographed a lot!
After visiting the feeding program, we returned to Morning Coffee Guest House for lunch -- traditional Ethiopian food -- delicious as usual! We were amazed to watch Simon eating with injera correctly AND, he hardly spilled anything on himself. He amazed us each day. After lunch, we took a nap with Simon. Then we had the opportunity to watch Birtukan make injera and doro wat. So cool! Here are a few photos of the injera:
And a few photos of Birtukan making doro wat. Mark took notes!
That same evening, we went to a cultural restaurant, Yod Abyssinia, to see dancing and eat from a common table. It was very fun! The dancing was high energy and fast moving. There was a quartet of musicians, too, which was so fun to see. We left Simon with a babysitter that Birtukan hired -- a school teacher from the local community. He cried for Mark, "Ababa," for about 30 minutes. Here are a few photos from the evening. Me and Mark on what turned out to be our last 'date night' -- still haven't been on a date since we're home!
Our guide for the week, Abel, taking part in the traditional hand washing before eating from the common table.
Our dinner! It was so delicious. And Mark was excited because it included a dish we saw on Bizarre Foods -- a kind of bread from the false banana tree.
And a few photos of the musicians, coffee ceremony and dancing:
When we returned to the guest house, I went in first and while Simon didn't come to me, he didn't cry when I picked him up and played with me a bit more while we were getting ready for bed. Hooray for progress! We laughed at him trying to put on his own shoes. We loved seeing what new trick he would imitate each day. Simon continued to wave hi, honked our noses, gave high-fives and smiled quite a bit for only knowing us five days. We had to keep working with him to not hit or bite -- tough lessons. We really missed him when were out at the cultural dinner and were glad that he seemed to miss us too!
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