Host – Tamara Hayes
Income Generation Coordinator
Hayes.Tamara@gmail.com
Beza Entoto Outreach and Community Integration Program
(Sudiskilo Compound)
Founded 18 months ago by 10 young adults from the Beza Church in Addis Ababa, the Beza Entoto Outreach Program connects the children and families living on Entoto Mountain with income generating activities and social outreach in the city.
There are currently between 2,000-3,000 HIV+ adults and their children living on top of Mt. Entoto. The mountain draws people from all over Ethiopia seeking a cure through bathing in the holy water at its peak. These families have very little support or method of generating income. Their children do not attend school and the settlement experiences a lot of tension between Orthodox and Pente (Pentecostal) residents. It is a very bleak life for adults and children alike and many report feeling hopeless and moving to the mountain to die – without knowledge of treatment possibilities or outreach groups located in the city below.
The young adults at Beza Church were aware of the situation and began to pray that they would find a way to help these people out of their despondency. The small group regularly went up the mountain to sit with families and build relationships. They also started food and clothing drives to help but were very conscious about not starting something that could not be sustained. In time they organized the Beza Community Development NGO and were able to garner support from both the Mennonite Central Committee and 10,000 Villages.
The NGO has many programs that try to address the holistic needs of families affected by HIV/AIDS. They have children’s programming, income generating training including sewing and jewelry making, health training, ARV distribution, parenting classes, and community trainings/meetings.
The program has been successful but “Mara” shared with us some of the setbacks as well.
Success include the hiring of staff members who used to live on Entoto who are now leaders in building the bridge with families that are scared to come back into society. Additionally, self-esteem and empowerment programs along with work skills training has taught parents how to make future plans and think about life instead of death. A sponsorship program ($30/month/child) has allowed 50 children to attend local schools and 15 of these are in high performing private schools.
Lessons learned have included a sanitation and latrine building program which ended up with rents being raised for homes located near the new latrines forcing several program families out of their homes. Another difficult lesson learned was that Beza has to approach the Pente and Orthodox differences with caution. A recent “feast” planned for the communities still living on Entoto backfired with the Orthodox priests refusing to allow their congregations to participate.
A very interesting quote from Mara regarding the time it takes to build understanding through relationships: “Don’t carry too large a load over a thin bridge.”
During our visit to the compound we met with several participants engaged in various income generating activities. We met four women working on sewing machines as well as a man and elderly woman stringing coffee beans to create necklaces and bracelets to be sold at the monthly NGO bazaar.
My Thoughts:
I asked Mara about the children that they work with and whether or not they encounter many orphans. She said that so far the children who have been orphaned have been absorbed into families but that not many parents in their program have passed away yet due to increased access to ARVs. They are however, actively preparing for the next stage for children who become orphaned. Many of the children came with their families from other parts of the country where their extended family may not know the reason for the family’s departure or had rejected them due to their HIV status. They are hoping to begin a children’s home that can transition children back into extended family (where they can find them) or into Beza church foster homes.
Founded 18 months ago by 10 young adults from the Beza Church in Addis Ababa, the Beza Entoto Outreach Program connects the children and families living on Entoto Mountain with income generating activities and social outreach in the city.
There are currently between 2,000-3,000 HIV+ adults and their children living on top of Mt. Entoto. The mountain draws people from all over Ethiopia seeking a cure through bathing in the holy water at its peak. These families have very little support or method of generating income. Their children do not attend school and the settlement experiences a lot of tension between Orthodox and Pente (Pentecostal) residents. It is a very bleak life for adults and children alike and many report feeling hopeless and moving to the mountain to die – without knowledge of treatment possibilities or outreach groups located in the city below.
The young adults at Beza Church were aware of the situation and began to pray that they would find a way to help these people out of their despondency. The small group regularly went up the mountain to sit with families and build relationships. They also started food and clothing drives to help but were very conscious about not starting something that could not be sustained. In time they organized the Beza Community Development NGO and were able to garner support from both the Mennonite Central Committee and 10,000 Villages.
The NGO has many programs that try to address the holistic needs of families affected by HIV/AIDS. They have children’s programming, income generating training including sewing and jewelry making, health training, ARV distribution, parenting classes, and community trainings/meetings.
The program has been successful but “Mara” shared with us some of the setbacks as well.
Success include the hiring of staff members who used to live on Entoto who are now leaders in building the bridge with families that are scared to come back into society. Additionally, self-esteem and empowerment programs along with work skills training has taught parents how to make future plans and think about life instead of death. A sponsorship program ($30/month/child) has allowed 50 children to attend local schools and 15 of these are in high performing private schools.
Lessons learned have included a sanitation and latrine building program which ended up with rents being raised for homes located near the new latrines forcing several program families out of their homes. Another difficult lesson learned was that Beza has to approach the Pente and Orthodox differences with caution. A recent “feast” planned for the communities still living on Entoto backfired with the Orthodox priests refusing to allow their congregations to participate.
A very interesting quote from Mara regarding the time it takes to build understanding through relationships: “Don’t carry too large a load over a thin bridge.”
During our visit to the compound we met with several participants engaged in various income generating activities. We met four women working on sewing machines as well as a man and elderly woman stringing coffee beans to create necklaces and bracelets to be sold at the monthly NGO bazaar.
My Thoughts:
I asked Mara about the children that they work with and whether or not they encounter many orphans. She said that so far the children who have been orphaned have been absorbed into families but that not many parents in their program have passed away yet due to increased access to ARVs. They are however, actively preparing for the next stage for children who become orphaned. Many of the children came with their families from other parts of the country where their extended family may not know the reason for the family’s departure or had rejected them due to their HIV status. They are hoping to begin a children’s home that can transition children back into extended family (where they can find them) or into Beza church foster homes.
I didn't take photos during our visit to the community at the top of the mountain but this was a poignant photo I caught from the side of the van coming back down to the city.
Hello, I would love to know WHERE the Beza Entoto Outreach is. We will be coming to Addis Ababa this year and I would love to visit. I would also LOVE to purchase some of the coffee necklaces and bracelets. We are adopting children from Ethiopia. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteBonnie, it is very near the Cure Hospital. Our driver was able to find it just by asking around.
ReplyDelete