Timmy* is five years old and started kindergarten this year. The first day, he was so excited. He got his little uniform on, lovingly took his new notebook and pencils out of his backpack, just to gaze at them for a moment before tucking them securely back inside and hoisting the bag onto his back. He fairly jumped out of his skin he was so excited that morning!
All day, he and his new friends in class would learn and listen and soak in the lessons. And every day after school, his mom was there to pick him up and listen to the new fidel (Ethiopian Amharic script) he had learned. Timmy sometimes wondered why his mom almost seemed to be crying behind those big smiles of hers… why would she be sad that he was learning so many wonderful new things!
But his mother’s tears were not of sadness. They were tears of great joy and thankfulness.
You see, Timmy’s mom had birthed him in one of the slums of Addis Ababa. Desperately hungry, they almost starved to death in those first few weeks. Life had been so incredibly difficult for Timmy’s mother – and it wasn’t until she came to LSM that things finally began to change.
Today, Timmy is able to go to school because his mother had a stable, dignified job with Moriya Ethiopian Accessories. Timmy will have the chance to choose his career, always have enough to eat, know the hope of a life with Jesus and dream about his future because people believed he and his mother were worth it!
You can make a difference for a vulnerable child in Ethiopia by:
- Providing school supplies or tuition payments for 2016
- Supporting Moriya Ethiopian Accessories by purchasing some of their beautifully handcrafted products
- Giving a general gift (select “Ethiopia” in the drop-down menu) to help more at-risk mothers and children just like this family.
*name changed for privacy