Yezelalem Minch - Help For Ethiopia

For those of you that don't know us already, our names are Mike and Jill Wald. We started our adoption process a couple years ago with all of the paperwork with Ethiopia. In May 2010, we brought home our 2 year old daughter Birtukan Milka from Mussie Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia through Bethany Christian Services. While we were in Ethiopia, we stayed at Morning Coffee Guest House, owned and operated by the most amazing woman we have ever met in our lives - Birtukan Sinshaw. While not everyone is called to adopt Internationally, there are many things that YOU can do to help these orphans and widows. For $30/month, you can change the life of a child.


The History Of Yezelalem Minch
When Birtukan was a child, she was a sponsored child through World Vision Ethiopia. While she had all of her educational and nutritional needs met, she believed all sponsors were rich. She graduated from High School and joined the staff of World Vision, where she had the opportunity to read many letters written by sponsors. One letter changed her worldview completely. It said "I am a crippled man, and I do not have much money. However, I have a strong love for you and that is why I intend to help you. This is my pleasure." In Ethiopian society, a crippled individual is considered the poorest of the poor. Birtukan asked herself, "I have hands, I have feet, what can I do to help these in need?" Ten years later after leaving World Vision, she noticed many children with no parents living in the streets near her home. She started to help two orphans taking them into her home as a single woman. Fortunately after her marriage, her husband Nesibu agreed to her vision that these little ones should not be left behind - Yezelalem Minch. He now manages the programs of YM. In 2002, YM became a legal non-profit organization. Birtukan spends her time making beautiful jewlery, running the Morning Coffee Guest House, and works at YM as an advisor for administration and all of her orphans.


What Does Yezelalem Minch Do?
Yezelalem Minch is an organization in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that provides an outreach to children whose parents have died of AIDS, while providing support and meeting needs of families that have taken in orphaned children.

YM helps meet basic physical needs (food, clothing, shelter, medical care), educational opportunities (schools, uniforms, school fees, tutoring and after school programs, and hands on science education), and a home-based family setting with care from a Christian house mother for those children without extended family to live with.

What Can You Do?
Sponsoring a child is $30/month. With your financial help, YM will be able to meet the needs of the children currently enrolled through YM. You will be assigned a specific child, and your sponsorship money will be used to help this child receive the food, education, and medical care that they so desperately need. You will be sent a photo of your child, along with regular correspondence.

How Do I Become A Sponsor?
YM currently has partnerships with Bethany Christian Services and Helps International Ministries. You can contact BCS or HIM for more information on sponsorship. The easiest way would be to go to HIM's link, print off the sponsorship form, and mail it to HIM's address. You can choose to send a check in each month, or automatic withdrawal. You can also contact YM directly at yezelalemminch@yahoo.com for immediate information on your sponsored child.


How Do I Contact My Sponsored Child?
You can send your letters and care packages to YM's address in Ethiopia, and can also email your sponsored child at yezelalemminch@yahoo.com. I am also in frequent contact with adoptive families that visit Ethiopia and YM often, and would be able to help you coordinate them carrying a care package to Ethiopia for you. Email me at jillwald@mchsi.com if you are interested in coordinating that.


My Blog About Our Visit To YM

My Video About YM Sponsorship

Order Your YM T-Shirt For $20 (100% of profits go directly to YM!!)
Contact Kara at kkvassar@yahoo.com to order your shirt today!

Get A ~FREE~ DVD About YM
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50 sponsors in 50 days for 50 children at Yezelalem Minch

Birtukan's Second Update

These are pictures from Birtukan's second update, taken at the end of February 2010. This is the last official update we got of her until we picked her up in May.

A Different Perspective

An online friend of mine posted this amazing powerful article, giving a different perspective of adoption through your child's eyes.

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Imagine for a moment....

You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by soul mate, for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow.

The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the worldthe person who will be with you for the rest of your life. The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face. But it's not him! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man?

Where is your beloved?
You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back. . .even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay. But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him? Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone.

You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact. Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it. More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you?

You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried. The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you. You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy. The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to get along. You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation.

Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair. Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before.

He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black. You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to asleep.

People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness. Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along.

Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait.

How would each of us handle all these changes?

How would this impact us for the rest of our lives?

Ethiopia: Day 11 (5-15-2010)

Today we were able to go to Yezelalem Minch - an organization in Ethiopia that has an outreach to children whose parents have died of AIDS, while providing support and meeting needs of families that have taken in orphaned children.

Morning Coffee Guest House (MCGH) owners, Birtukan and Nesibu Sinshaw, are also the founders of Yezelalem Minch. It was amazing to be able to see their passion for orphans in Ethiopia and hear about all of the wonderful things they are doing through YM. By staying at MCGH, you are supporting their mission work in Ethiopia and therefore supporting the children that are served through their organization.

For $30/month, you can sponsor a child through YM. 90% of your sponsorship goes directly to Ethiopia to help your sponsored child to receive community support for AIDS orphans, basic physical needs (food, clothing, medical care), educational opportunities (school fees and uniforms, tutoring and after school programs, and hands on science education), and a home-based family setting with care from a Christian house mother for those children without extended family to live with. If you aren't able to commit to monthly sponsorship, you can always make a one time donation. Without the help of people that are willing to donate, these children will not have basic opportunities that ALL children deserve.

I am so glad to have been able to visit YM's Saturday feeding program during our trip to Ethiopia. We were able visit the main office, see the feeding program, visit the boy's house, see our sponsored child, and travel to her house and visit her mother. The trip was priceless, and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see first hand all of the things being done in Ethiopia; but my heart also breaks for all the things that NEED to be done for the people of Ethiopia. Especially the children.

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We started our visit at the YM's headquarters and got a tour of the office. We were able to speak with someone there that told us all about YM's programs, which was really neat to see first hand.

We went for a short drive to the Boy's Home, which he said currently had 4-5 children living there with a house mother. These children are orphans with no extended family to live with, and are in the process of being adopted by families outside of Ethiopia. This is also the location where the feeding program is. Each Saturday, a group of ladies that have received training from YM cook a meal for the children that are served through YM's community program. These children are able to receive one good meal a week. YM also pays the ladies cooking to prepare and serve the meals, so not only have these ladies received training but they have also received a job and income. Sponsorship and donations to YM help pay these ladies salaries.

As soon as we got to where the children were, they were all so interested in practicing their English with us! People in Ethiopia are all so kind and loving, it was really an amazing experience to see first hand the love that these people have to give not only to other Ethiopians but to crazy little Jill visiting from Iowa! The children were really fun to talk to.

After spending a little time at the feeding program, we were introduced to our sponsored child, Biruketayet. She was very quiet and shy, but such a beautiful little girl and so sweet! We had a gift to give her, which she was super excited about the shoes. We then were able to take a little drive with her to her house, where she lives alone with her mother. Her mom is very sick and dying of AIDS. After her mother dies, there will be no extended family to care for her.

We walked up the long dirt path to her house through an old rusty gate that was falling down. Once we were inside of the gate, there were a few "houses" there that I don't even know how to describe. We took a few more steps, where there was a little house with a sheet hanging for a front door. We followed Biruketayet through the sheet and inside of her house. The inside was probably about 5 feet x 10-15 feet in size. This was where they lived, with a dirt floor and one cut out window.

Her mother was laying in bed looking very sick. We spoke with her for a few minutes through the YM translator, who became teary when he spoke with her. She said she felt like giving up - what's the point of trying at life, when you know you are dying? She said that they didn't own the house they lived in, and she worried how she was going to pay rent to be able to stay there. They typically stayed somewhere long enough to still have free rent until they were kicked out, then moved somewhere else. She had a Bible sitting next to her bed, and Mike quoted a verse for her. The translator found it in her Bible and read it in Amharic. I had to keep pinching my leg to keep myself from sobbing.

We are so blessed. Even poor people in the US are blessed. You have no idea what the meaning of "extreme poverty" is until you see it first hand, and even then, you are too shocked to be able to actually grasp it. Birtukan was with us during our visit, and she slid off my lap and walked around, and I just kept thinking "This could have been Birtukan's life. This would have been her life." And I felt my heart break again for all of the children that ARE living that life, and will continue to live that life.

When it was time to go, her mother reached out to shake my hand. I crawled up into her bed/chair with her, gave her a traditional Ethiopian "4 kiss hug", and just held her for a while. Another person in Ethiopia has stolen my heart, and will forever remain in my prayers.

LIVE James 1:27.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Mussie Children's Home

I think this is Mussie Children's Home in Hosanna, Ethiopia. I'm not sure which branch of Mussie that our daughter was at before she was moved to Addis Ababa, but it was possibly this branch.

Mussie Orphanage

One of my online adoption friends found some pictures of the Mussie Orphanage in Ethiopia. Our daughter was originally in a Mussie Orphanage (which has a few branches throughout Ethiopia), but has since been moved into Addis Ababa to the agency's transition house. I'm not 100% sure if this is the Mussie that is in Hosanna or Addis Ababa. I trust our agency to keep her safe, well-fed, and loved. I have heard wonderful things about the staff in Ethiopia, and know that "B" is in good hands!