Several months ago, after our orphanage received six children from an orphanage the government shut down due to neglect, many of you donated financially to help us meet the many physical and practical needs of these precious children. Joy Casey was at the orphanage earlier this week and sent this update on two of the children… I know you’ll love reading!
Dawit* came to our care center when he was 16-months-old but unlike a normal child that age, he just sat, reserved and quiet. He did not cry. He did not say anything. He barely ate. He had isolated himself due to a trauma we could not know. The only thing we did know for sure was that he was abandoned at birth. What transpired during the months at the other orphanage we can only guess. Dawit has been with our nanny-mommies for three months and they have watched him transform before their eyes. With consistent love, predictable routine, and nutritious, reliable food, Dawit gradually began interacting with the other children. Today, he is walking, his vocabulary is growing, and he has an easy smile and laugh. He is learning to be affectionate with his nannies and to go to them for comfort. What a joyful addition to our “tribe”!
Momina* is a 5-year-old girl who also came to us from the orphanage closed by the government. She greeted me with a radiant smile and quietly was at my side as I greeted others and took an initial look at the babies. If I questioned a baby’s name, Momina knew it instantly. It wasn’t long before I realized her ready smile and sweet spirit had won me over completely.
I asked the orphanage director about her story and was shocked to hear her background. Momina had been severely abused by her mother, we suspect due to severe mental illness. But she was placed in the orphanage when her mother went to prison for killing her younger brother. For obvious reasons, the authorities were unwilling to have Momina go to prison with her, which is the common practice here in Ethiopia. How could a little girl cope with so much trauma and transition?
We are looking for a Christian foster family for Momina. It is doubtful she will ever be able to live safely with her mother, and I desire for her to have the stability and guidance of a nuclear family who will love and care for her. In the meantime, this bright little girl needs to go to kindergarten. She is enrolled in a good private school close to the orphanage. With backpack in place, lunchbox in tow and proudly wearing the school’s uniform, her eyes sparkled — and there was that famous smile again — when the orphanage guard took her hand and walked her to her first day of school.
*name changed to protect privacy
THANK YOU again to all who are giving financially to help us care for abandoned children and who are praying for each one. Contact us if you would like to help cover Momina’s costs to go to school. info@newlifeethiopia.org