Tuesday November 27, 2018
Today was I Care day.
Of all of the care points we visit, I Care has one of my favorite model
of support. They focus on training the
mothers and grandmothers who care for our sponsor children so that they will be
able to become self-sufficient. This makes the most sense to me because you
help the whole family, not just the child in a way that is sustainable and
promotes independence.
When I first went to I Care in 2015 it was a much different
environment. The women all have
difficult stories and you could see it on their faces. There was sadness in their eyes and many
tears. Now, after participating in the
woman’s support groups, they have all become much more confident and they exude
joy. Ayne has taught them to not have
shame and to share their hardships and successes with each other. We listened to the stories of four women and
they all explained how being involved with I Care has transformed their
lives. They have hope now and are able
to support their children with the training they have received. Each of them have used this training to create
new businesses and they serve as an inspiration to the other women in the
program.
Ayne is a visionary and is helping these women to attain
many useful skills. She is also focusing
on the moral development of the sponsor children. She knows that just providing for the
physical needs in not enough, so she seeks to educate them on ways to be
healthy, have positive relationships and fulfill their responsibilities in the
community.
Over the years, I have built a bond with my sponsor child,
Besufakad, and his mother Genet. Genet
is a strong woman who has overcome many obstacles in her life. Since my last visit, she has had a precious
daughter, Edilawit (which means “the lucky one”) and we were all so excited to
meet her.
Our kids had a good time playing with some of the sponsor
children while we were there. During our
time together at the I Care compound, I had the sense of being at home and
amongst friends. It made me wish we did
not live so far away.
The care point has faced many problems with securing a
rental space. In their current space,
they use the income generating project room for many uses. The women in the
cloth making job have made some of the most beautiful scarves. The work is of very good quality and you can
tell that they are made with love and pride.
We feel so lucky to have the relationships that we do in
Ethiopia and we pray for the continued favor of the Lord on all of their work.
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