Ethiopia Spotlight: Mekdelawit Abate
Mekdelawit Abate lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is currently, 10 years old and she lives with her mother and twin brother Temesgen. She is in 4th grade, and she isa very active child. Her mother tells us of the chores that Mekdelawit does a typical day. Chores for her include: washing clothes, running errands, making beds, cleaning, helping in the kitchen, and making coffee. We asked her what she does when she isnt doing those things, and she said that her favorite things to do are group games, playing soccer with her friends at the center, and playing jump rope. I asked her if she were to write a letter to her sponsor, what she would write, and she said that she loves to write and ask her sponsor what she is up to, and she loves telling her sponsor what she has learned in the bible recently. I asked her what story she recently has read and she said she recently told her sponsor that she read the story of the woman who was caught "red handed" as an adulterous and everybody wanted to stone the woman, but Jesus said "that he who is without sin, cast the first stone." and they all walked away. I asked Mekdelawit if she knew her sponsor loved her and she said "Oh yes. And I told her that I loved her and I told her God bless you."
Mekdelawit lives on the plains of Lideta S/City, Kebele 07/14, home to approximately 120,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of adobe and have corrugated tin roofs. The primary ethnic groups are Amara, Oromo, Gurage and Tigre. The most commonly spoken language is Amharic. The regional diet consists of teff (local grain). Common health problems in this area include malnutrition, coughs, amoeba infections, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Most adults work as day laborers and earn the equivalent of $11 per month. This community needs scholastic materials, suitable housing, employment opportunities and alcohol rehabilitation programs. Your sponsorship allows the staff of Lideta MYC Student Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, health screening, hygiene classes, recreational activities, tutoring and scholastic materials. The center staff will also sponsor family events in order to foster better relationships between parents or guardians and their children. If you feel compelled to sponsor a lovely girl like Mekdelawit, feel free to use a free laptop, as provided by this airline, to go to www.compassion.com to help a needy child just like her. |
The country office of Compassion International was kind enough of to show us past photos of Mekdelawit. To see how Compassion has helped her grow, please feel free to look at the photos below! Click on the picture to see how old she was when the picture was taken.