There was not a dry eye among us when we visited this mom/grandma. Both of her children died from AIDS leaving behind her HIV+ granddaughter with a chest deformity and congenital heart defect. We thought we were there to talk to her about sponsorship and improving her life. She spent the entire time begging us to save her granddaughter, she was the only thing she has left. She kept pulling up her ...gd's shirt and showing us her chest. She was 7 years old with the chest size of an infant. Each breath she took seemed painful. She can barely walk with the chest compression. Truth is....she's terminal and we all knew it. We could send her to the best doctors, but we would hear the same thing. We couldn't give her more years to her life, but WE can still do something. We can make sure the time the grandma does have with her are filled with dignity and hope and to take away their daily worry of how will they eat. This is the last update for the night Via Eyob: We visited Teshaynesh Sisay . She have been doing her shiro, Berbere , charchole and salt business so far. She told us her life is better and feed her grand kid good food . She got more than 200 birr profit from the business. She really happy in her life looking her life getting better and better. She is so thankful for the family who sponsored her.
Teshaynesh is sponsored by the Little Family
Almost 95% of the mommas in our program have the same dream. It involves selling either produce or local spices in the market. That is all they can envision. A part of our program is to help them feel successful in that, then encourage them to think bigger...We thought it would take a year to get to that point..Wow, this momma proved me wrong. Via Eyob:We visited Almaz Masrie. This is our second time to visit her and she doing well with her sweet potato business . She lives with her 8 years of old daughter. She starts with half sponsorship money last month and she got 180 birr profit from it. She told us she has a dream to open shoe and cloth shop in the near future. Almaz is Great.
Almaz is sponsored by the Block family
When we met this sweet momma, she couldn't even look at us and when we told her we believed in her and could accomplish great things...She doubted herself..Not anymore here's Eyob's update: We visited Missaye Assefa. She doing her small tomato, potato and paper. she has been working great last month with her half sponsorship money. And now she own 2 hens and sell eggs from it. She told us she got more than 200 birr profit from her business. Missaye feed her kid properly now. Her life is getting great. She has dream to have big business in any filed that suitable for the area.
Missaye is sponsored by the Troyer family
Goosebumps! Do you remember the mom I told you about that we visited in Oct. She didn't have a sponsor, so we left her with half a month due to her dire situation. Then we ran into her two days later with her baby strapped to her back, beaming from ear to ear, because she used the little $ we provided to get started in a business. WELL....via Eyob:We visited Feleku Kibret today. Feleku is a strong mom. She was telling us about how the market going with her tomato , potatoes, carrot, paper. She told us there is a 200 birr profit with in less than a month and with the profit she already bought 2 hens. And she is also getting eggs from the 2 hens. Feleku is doing amazing. She is awesome.
Feleke is sponsored by the Warthman family
via- Eyob...We visited Fentaye Kebede Sultan today. She is health and hard worker mom as you see from the picture. She have been doing her tea and bread business since we gave her half sponsorship money. I know observe she is doing great. She told us she got 300 birr profit with in a month. So she improve her life and her family.
She is so happy for the letter from Angi & Tim cooper and would like to write a letter back to them. She promised us that she will be working hard more and change her life and her family life.
Fantaye is sponsored by the Cooper family
This is one of our very first mommas to get sponsored (we are transporting her to the fistula hospital in Addis.). Update via Eyob-We visited Adanche Desta Ayalew. I am so proud of her. She is doing amazing. She sold only charcole before but now her small business is now growing by selling tea,Injera and sometimes wood. Her health is better now. Adanech HIV positive and suffer from fistula. She is a strong mom.
She is so happy and willing to work hard to change her life and her son.
I told her to be ready to go to Addis Ababa with me to the fistula hospital. And she is so happy and willing to go with me to Addis.
Adenech is one of the three mommas the Benn family sponsors!!!
Another one of our "faith mommas" that was sponsored by the Faust family looking at their photo and letter. Eyob- Marta Bekele is HIV positive. She is 29 years of old. She has a daughter who is 6 years of age. This is our first visit. She live in rented house for 120 birr. She gets her income by washing cloths, baking Injera.
And she would like to work on small business in celling sweet potato, potato, tomato and the likes. She is so happy having sponsorship from the organization. She told us that the family who sponsored her will be proud of her at the end of the month because she will work hard.
Marta is sponsored by the Faust family
Another amazing update. We didn't have a sponsor for this momma when we visited in Oct. Her situation was dire. She lives in the kitchen in service quarters. We left her half a month sponsorship believing she would use it wisely! From Eyob- Belaynesh Kemal. She is doing the Kolo(roasted barley &check pea) from the first half sponsor we gave her. She is health and working hard. She is getting prof...it from selling kolo. She told us she got 150 birr profit from the half sponsor and she is so incited in making more profit when i handed her sponsorship money. She would like to improve her small Kolo business to large one.
She is so greatful and thankful for all. And she is so happy to show you that she is strong Mom.
Baylenesh is one of the two mommas the Munz family sponsors
She is so greatful and thankful for all. And she is so happy to show you that she is strong Mom.
We received 3 more momma updates today. This was one of our "faith mommas". We had 8 women that we weren't able to personally meet during our Oct. trip. So, we had absolutely no information on them...only a name. The families who chose to sponsor them, did so on faith:) This is Belaynesh Arega Tessema. This is our first time visit. She is HIV positive. She has 2 kids, older one 20 years old, girl ,in the university and the little one is 15 years of age, 9th grade who is in the photo. Belaynesh's husband is not with her. She Divorced. She would like to work hard on small business on selling onion,potato, tomato and the likes.
She is so great full and thankful for the family sponsor.
Baylenesh is the other momma the Munz family sponsors
From Eyob- We visited our mom Yeshi Dinberu and I handed the sponsor money. She was so surprise, happy, and smiley when we showed up. Mom yeshi told us that her health is good now . She asked how the foreigners are doing and she told us they change my life because I eat good and I wear well. She is thankful and pray for her family in America.
“ God bless you, God bless you..May God give you happy life and love among your family….Amesegnalehu…Amesegnal
Momma Yeshi is one of two grannies the Spagnotti Family sponsors
From Eyob-We visited our mom Teyitu Bisetegn and I handed the the sponsor money. And she told us she is so happy in her life since she got a family who sponsor her. And her health is getting better now. She told us that she was having food that really wants and that makes her happy. She told us that she always thankful and pray for the family in America.
“God bless you, God give you health and long life…Amesegnalehu…Amesegnalehu
Momma Teyitu is sponsored by the Spagnotti family
