Day One: Here We Go!
Saturday, March 17
It's 9:15am on Saturday, March 17. We're sitting at the Kombolcha airport, waiting for our flight back to Addis Ababa. The flight is supposed to leave at 9:30 but we just learned it's been delayed 90 minutes. The extra time is giving me a moment to reflect on this past week.
Our time here is spent with over 200 kids at two care points in Kombolcha. One of the care points, Meserete Baptist Church, serves the kids with whom we've known the longest. I first met them in 2009 when a group of us came to Ethiopia and visited care points to determine which one we wanted to work with. We've watched them develop and mature, experience hardships and joys. Some of them are off to college, some of them have started their own businesses, and one of them was recently married. As they've left, new children have come into the program.
The second care point is sponsored by Grace Baptist Church. Here, another 100 children, come for care and assistance. While there are a few older children, by and large, these kids are young. Most of them are between six and ten. We've been with them three times, although this is the first year that we put on a full program with them.
Because we had a small team this year (we had eight where we normally have between 12 and 15), it was a chaotic week to put on a full program twice a day. We also had a different guide, as Fikre (Feek-rah) got a promotion so has new responsibilities. Our new guide, Abigail, was fantastic and extremely helpful. We miss Fikre, but it was great getting to know Abigail and look forward to working with her in future years.
Upon our arrival in Kombolcha on Monday, we went straight to Grace Baptist where the kids were waiting for us. The church is constructed of a wood frame of tree long thin trees covered by corrugated metal. Also on the compound is a series of small offices, with doors opening to the outside and what I guess you could call a bathroom but is really an enclosed hole in the ground.
The compound is surrounded by a corrugated metal wall with an entrance protected by a sliding gate. Through the gate is a small grassy area. The church is on the left with a twenty feet stretch of grass that runs the length of the church and the offices beyond. As we entered the compound on Monday, throngs of small children rushed to greet us. A common greeting here is to extend the right hand to shake while gripping the same arm with the left hand just above the elbow. One after another, children extend their hands to greet us, with a bashful grin on their faces. Past the kids, parents, mostly mothers, are standing or sitting against the wall opposite the church. Some are smiling and extending their hands in greeting. Others are more reserved.
The church itself is simple. On one side of the church is a stage covered with a once bright sheet of linoleum. On the stage is a simple white lectern. A white cross hangs on the wall behind the lectern. In front of the stage are rows of wooden benches, onto which the kids start to sit. The floor of the church is dusty cement. Two open doors and a window are the only light into the room.
Rob introduced each of us, and after our own short introductions, everyone went outside. It was a bit awkward at first as none of us could talk to each other and we didn't have anything planned. However, after a few minutes, Ektu, one of the translators organized everyone into a big circle. He told us that he was going to call out a number between one and five and everyone then had to create a group of that number. Anyone left out had to sit in the middle.
Well that was the end of the awkwardness. The courtyard was soon filled with laughter as we ran around trying to create our groups. At least one of the adults was a little too competitive, pulling kids out of other already formed groups or telling other kids that their group was already formed and pushing them away. It was all done in a good natured way. Everyone was having a blast.
After an hour, we said our good-byes and headed to the bus. The kids again held out their hands as they had done earlier to shake our hands, but most us pulled them in for hugs. They were a little surprised.
The next stops were for some home visits. One of the stops was at the home of Samuel, the sponsored child of our friends the DiNapolis.
Samuel lives in a small 10x10 mud house that is part of a complex of five or six other similar houses. A single flourescent light bulb hangs from the middle of the room. To the left of the door is a mat on the floor and to the right is a higher mattress. In the middle of the dirt floor is a coffee pot and a tray of small cups. Sitting just outside the door is an older woman, Samuel's grandmother. She is blind.
Samuel's mother greets us warmly. We ask her about her family and her circumstances. Samuel has two siblings, both older than him. Five people, including the grandmother live in the home. Samuel's father was killed in the civil war with Eritrea when he was a baby, so he has never known his family. She thanks us for the sponsorship and tells us that it means a lot to her and Samuel. The Bogdanovich's are with us and Myndi lets her know that Ty Bogdanovich and Jack DiNapoli, both 7th graders, are good friends. After a few more minutes, we left with our good-byes. Samuel is a small, wiry boy with a shy demeanor. While playful at the care point, he was much more reserved than the other kids.
After a couple more home visits by other team members, we went to the home of the child whose mother has taken advantage of the IGA program. The purpose of this program (income generating activity) is to give start up funds to begin businesses. There is a formal application and reviewal process that enables families who otherwise can't get bank loans. The IGA program is part of the mission of Children's Hopechest to break the cycle of poverty. As Rob Tennant, the leader of our team says, "we want to make sure the kids of these kids don't need this program." We will be visiting several of the IGA projects this week.
Our first visit is to the home of a child whose mother is making embroidered pillow cases. Her work is amazingly beautiful. She talks about how the IGA program allowed her to get started by purchasing materials. I'll post a photo of her work later.
Next, we head back to the hotel for a quick checkin, lunch, and time to refresh. Since the kids at Meserete are in school during the day, and since we know in the past they have skipped school in order to attend our camp, we have purposely scheduled our time there at 4:00.
We actually arrive early (how often does that happen in Ethiopia?) so are asked to wait in the bus. The choir is preparing a program for us and we can hear them singing. After awhile, we get clearance to enter and are greeted with the familiar faces we've come to know so well. Abeaubo (A-boe-boe) (sponsored by Carey Douglas) greets each of us with a paper rose and we take our seats in the front row. Then the choir comes up and sings their fabulous songs. Rob introduces us, and then we have time to spend with the kids.
However, there's a different vibe this year. I don't know if it's because the kids are older and too cool to be excited or if it's because we haven't been here in two years so some distance has developed, but they are very reserved. Michael wades into a group of kids and is quickly surrounded. One girl wants to play music for him, and asks him to play music as well. It's kind of fun watching them use music as a form of communication. Some of the songs she plays are familiar (Justin Bieber, anyone?) and some are traditional Ethiopian songs. She tries to get Michael to dance, but can't quite get him to do it.
After about an hour, we head back to the hotel for dinner and to call it a day. I'll write about the hotel we're staying at later, but I'll just say that it may have had it's day, but that day is definitely past! :-)
On Tuesday, we started the formal VBS program. It was an interesting week. Over the week, we built close relationships with the youngsters at CHDA (Grace Baptist) and got the teens at Meserete to be more open. We visited more IGAs, did more home visits, handed out care packages from sponsors, identified needs by the children or care points, and tried to get some rest. It was a great week! I'll write more about the week in a separate post.
It's 9:15am on Saturday, March 17. We're sitting at the Kombolcha airport, waiting for our flight back to Addis Ababa. The flight is supposed to leave at 9:30 but we just learned it's been delayed 90 minutes. The extra time is giving me a moment to reflect on this past week.
Our time here is spent with over 200 kids at two care points in Kombolcha. One of the care points, Meserete Baptist Church, serves the kids with whom we've known the longest. I first met them in 2009 when a group of us came to Ethiopia and visited care points to determine which one we wanted to work with. We've watched them develop and mature, experience hardships and joys. Some of them are off to college, some of them have started their own businesses, and one of them was recently married. As they've left, new children have come into the program.
The second care point is sponsored by Grace Baptist Church. Here, another 100 children, come for care and assistance. While there are a few older children, by and large, these kids are young. Most of them are between six and ten. We've been with them three times, although this is the first year that we put on a full program with them.
Because we had a small team this year (we had eight where we normally have between 12 and 15), it was a chaotic week to put on a full program twice a day. We also had a different guide, as Fikre (Feek-rah) got a promotion so has new responsibilities. Our new guide, Abigail, was fantastic and extremely helpful. We miss Fikre, but it was great getting to know Abigail and look forward to working with her in future years.
Upon our arrival in Kombolcha on Monday, we went straight to Grace Baptist where the kids were waiting for us. The church is constructed of a wood frame of tree long thin trees covered by corrugated metal. Also on the compound is a series of small offices, with doors opening to the outside and what I guess you could call a bathroom but is really an enclosed hole in the ground.
The compound is surrounded by a corrugated metal wall with an entrance protected by a sliding gate. Through the gate is a small grassy area. The church is on the left with a twenty feet stretch of grass that runs the length of the church and the offices beyond. As we entered the compound on Monday, throngs of small children rushed to greet us. A common greeting here is to extend the right hand to shake while gripping the same arm with the left hand just above the elbow. One after another, children extend their hands to greet us, with a bashful grin on their faces. Past the kids, parents, mostly mothers, are standing or sitting against the wall opposite the church. Some are smiling and extending their hands in greeting. Others are more reserved.
The church itself is simple. On one side of the church is a stage covered with a once bright sheet of linoleum. On the stage is a simple white lectern. A white cross hangs on the wall behind the lectern. In front of the stage are rows of wooden benches, onto which the kids start to sit. The floor of the church is dusty cement. Two open doors and a window are the only light into the room.
Rob introduced each of us, and after our own short introductions, everyone went outside. It was a bit awkward at first as none of us could talk to each other and we didn't have anything planned. However, after a few minutes, Ektu, one of the translators organized everyone into a big circle. He told us that he was going to call out a number between one and five and everyone then had to create a group of that number. Anyone left out had to sit in the middle.
Well that was the end of the awkwardness. The courtyard was soon filled with laughter as we ran around trying to create our groups. At least one of the adults was a little too competitive, pulling kids out of other already formed groups or telling other kids that their group was already formed and pushing them away. It was all done in a good natured way. Everyone was having a blast.
After an hour, we said our good-byes and headed to the bus. The kids again held out their hands as they had done earlier to shake our hands, but most us pulled them in for hugs. They were a little surprised.
The next stops were for some home visits. One of the stops was at the home of Samuel, the sponsored child of our friends the DiNapolis.
Samuel lives in a small 10x10 mud house that is part of a complex of five or six other similar houses. A single flourescent light bulb hangs from the middle of the room. To the left of the door is a mat on the floor and to the right is a higher mattress. In the middle of the dirt floor is a coffee pot and a tray of small cups. Sitting just outside the door is an older woman, Samuel's grandmother. She is blind.
Samuel's mother greets us warmly. We ask her about her family and her circumstances. Samuel has two siblings, both older than him. Five people, including the grandmother live in the home. Samuel's father was killed in the civil war with Eritrea when he was a baby, so he has never known his family. She thanks us for the sponsorship and tells us that it means a lot to her and Samuel. The Bogdanovich's are with us and Myndi lets her know that Ty Bogdanovich and Jack DiNapoli, both 7th graders, are good friends. After a few more minutes, we left with our good-byes. Samuel is a small, wiry boy with a shy demeanor. While playful at the care point, he was much more reserved than the other kids.
After a couple more home visits by other team members, we went to the home of the child whose mother has taken advantage of the IGA program. The purpose of this program (income generating activity) is to give start up funds to begin businesses. There is a formal application and reviewal process that enables families who otherwise can't get bank loans. The IGA program is part of the mission of Children's Hopechest to break the cycle of poverty. As Rob Tennant, the leader of our team says, "we want to make sure the kids of these kids don't need this program." We will be visiting several of the IGA projects this week.
Our first visit is to the home of a child whose mother is making embroidered pillow cases. Her work is amazingly beautiful. She talks about how the IGA program allowed her to get started by purchasing materials. I'll post a photo of her work later.
Next, we head back to the hotel for a quick checkin, lunch, and time to refresh. Since the kids at Meserete are in school during the day, and since we know in the past they have skipped school in order to attend our camp, we have purposely scheduled our time there at 4:00.
We actually arrive early (how often does that happen in Ethiopia?) so are asked to wait in the bus. The choir is preparing a program for us and we can hear them singing. After awhile, we get clearance to enter and are greeted with the familiar faces we've come to know so well. Abeaubo (A-boe-boe) (sponsored by Carey Douglas) greets each of us with a paper rose and we take our seats in the front row. Then the choir comes up and sings their fabulous songs. Rob introduces us, and then we have time to spend with the kids.
However, there's a different vibe this year. I don't know if it's because the kids are older and too cool to be excited or if it's because we haven't been here in two years so some distance has developed, but they are very reserved. Michael wades into a group of kids and is quickly surrounded. One girl wants to play music for him, and asks him to play music as well. It's kind of fun watching them use music as a form of communication. Some of the songs she plays are familiar (Justin Bieber, anyone?) and some are traditional Ethiopian songs. She tries to get Michael to dance, but can't quite get him to do it.
After about an hour, we head back to the hotel for dinner and to call it a day. I'll write about the hotel we're staying at later, but I'll just say that it may have had it's day, but that day is definitely past! :-)
On Tuesday, we started the formal VBS program. It was an interesting week. Over the week, we built close relationships with the youngsters at CHDA (Grace Baptist) and got the teens at Meserete to be more open. We visited more IGAs, did more home visits, handed out care packages from sponsors, identified needs by the children or care points, and tried to get some rest. It was a great week! I'll write more about the week in a separate post.
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