Helping Women and Children in Ethiopia

The average income for an Ethiopian family is about $120.00 (USD) a month. In the area of Addis Ababa where YWAM ministers, the income for an entire family is about $25.50 (USD). The average-sized family is six children. Women who have been widowed are expected to provide for their children and there are no government social services to help them. Unemployment stands at a whopping 65% according to government statistics. The poorest women generally are not educated and have no skills to earn a living. Many of these mothers sell their bodies in order to provide bread for their children. YWAM’s community program helps some of these widows by paying $30.00 a month per child so they can buy food, pay rent, send their children to school with school supplies and access medical care if needed. The need is great and the only limitation is finances.

There are currently 27 children/families being assisted in the community in this way. Adoption Ministry, in collaboration with others, is putting together a proposal for vocational training and seed capital to start a small business for twenty of these widow heads-of-homes so these mothers can become productive and generate income to provide for their families.There are some extremely desperate situations that YWAM encounters when working in this poor section of Addis Ababa. Because of the pandemic of AIDS, fathers have died and many mothers are infected themselves. Several fathers have sought YWAM’s help because the wife has died of AIDS and he cannot care for the children alone. Food prices have soared in Ethiopia and the very poor are struggling like never before to purchase needed food. Several children in these distressed situations have become available for adoption and YWAM brings these children to our Widows and Orphans Home and searches for a strong Christian family to adopt them.

On our home page you can select the "Donate" button and make a donation.

All $30.00 donations will go to this cause.


*To learn more about what Youth with a Mission is doing in Ethiopia go to: http://www.ywamethiopia.com/

**This post was copied from the the YWAM Ethiopia site**