This past December, I had the privilege of visiting Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a climate change and human health research with my college. During my time in Addis, I visited Medhen Social Center which Good Shepherd Church has supported for more than 20 years through parishioner donations and the annual Ethiopian walk.

Medhen Social Center is not an orphanage, but rather a network of foster care homes. The system is in many ways preferable to a traditional orphanage setting. The social workers at Medhen work within the community to find suitable guardians for vulnerable children. Often, children are placed with a family friend or well-established community member capable of providing the support and care needed. Through this system, children maintain engagement within the community and are not alienated by the institutionalized lifestyle of a boarding school or traditional orphanage. Medhen does not place children in homes and leave them to fend for themselves. A home aide visits homes twice a week to check on the home and help children develop life skills such as cooking and mending clothes. A nurse also visits weekly to ensure the health and well-being of the children. If the home is in need of repair, Medhen will provide materials and as well as cover all necessary costs. The organization will also help subsidize the costs of clothes and food if needed.

In Ethiopia, many children who have lost a parent or two, fall through the cracks and fail to stay in the educational system. Medhen has instituted safety nets to prevent this from occurring. First, all children supported my Medhen undergo calibration exams to determine their current educational capacities. After determining their mental grade level, Medhen holds mandatory tutoring sessions every day from 4-6:30 for all children to catch up on content they have missed, maintain their education, and prepare for examinations. In Ethiopia, students take the EHEECE (Ethiopian Higher Education Entrance Certificate Examination) at the end of high school to determine if they are eligible for higher education at a university setting. Medhen works to prepare students for this exam, but if students fail, Medhen hires these students as tutors for two years so that they can master material through teaching. Students are eligible to retest after two years and gain a second shot at attending a university. Medhen has had great success getting their youth through the educational system. Children of Medhen have become computational biologists and astrophysicists.

In Ethiopia, school systems do not have the capacity to support children with special needs or disabilities. Because of this, Medhen teaches mentally and physically disabled youth to weave. Because education is not a viable option for these children, learning an artisan skill provides them with an opportunity to make a living in the future.

During my visit, I met with Sister Shenekesh, the woman in charge of Medhen’s operation, as well as some administrators. All were exceptionally friendly and excited to host me for the afternoon. In addition, I met a family that had been created by the work of those at Medhen. Two girls, ages 9 and 16, had lost their single mother to illness and were left with no family members to provide for them. Medhen worked to find a suitable guardian and matched them with their godmother. The older girl wants to study medicine and the younger girl dreams of becoming a pilot.

This family was doing just fine, and the children seemed to be happy and thriving in the education and environment. However, their poverty was still astounding. The family lived in a two-room home with no running water and no flushing toilet. The walls were made of dilapidated wooden boards and the ceiling from corrugated sheet metal although one half of the ceiling had caved in and was soon to be repaired by the contractors at Medhen. The family bathe and do laundry in the same shallow bucket and cook simple meals on a charcoal fire inside the home. The two children and their godmother share a single mattress on the ground. Despite their poverty, the religious adherence of this family and others I visited was unmissable. Amidst the battered home were shiny crosses, images of Jesus, and fresh palms from a recent holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Sunday church is a weekly ritual and the family practices prayers and hymns daily. When asked what was the most important aspect of their life, the family answered faith. They stated directly that without faith they had nothing. After faith, they valued health and education.

Visiting the home of this famil,y and others in Ethiopia, was a staggering reminder of how fortunate we are to live, work, and receive an education in the United States. Each day, we wake up under warm roofs with running water, flushing toilets, and electricity. We visit doctors and eat nutritious meals. Youth are required to attend school and our government supports the poor, the disabled, and the elderly. The majority of Ethiopians cannot say the same. We are two groups of people that share the same fundamental desires for safety, health, love, and meaning in our lives, but our conditions of living are worlds apart. Many of us have been born in the United States and have done nothing to deserve this fate, but benefit from the resources, opportunities, and support of our wonderful country every day. As we count our blessings, we must be especially mindful of the less fortunate.

The work of Medhen Social Center is made possible by MORE (Medhen Orphan Relief Effort) and independent organizations such as Good Shepherd who provide cyclic donations to support their efforts. Sister Shenekesh, her associates, and the family I visited were exceptionally grateful for Good Shepherd’s fundraising. They persistently emphasized the necessity of financial assistance in supporting the vulnerable children of the community.