Ethiopia News 11.03.2022
10 women have started a sewing and weaving course. This course lasts 3 months and is completely financed by Begegnung. Other parents (mainly mothers and one father) can recently participate in a sponsorship program, where they get a driver's license, for example, to find a job as a bus driver. 2 others are doing a cooking course for 10 months; after that they get a certificate to work as cooks in proper restaurants. Such a cooking course costs, as an example, 250€. The sewing and weaving courses cost the equivalent of 100€.
With these programs, we can provide for self-sufficiency even in these difficult times and give parents a chance for a good future and longer employment. It is only through you and your contribution that all of this is possible here, whether it be prayer or financial, materials or marketing.
Today, as we as an office team had a meeting to reflect on the last 2 months, I am especially grateful and overwhelmed by your faithfulness, friendship and trust! Thank you for investing in Ethiopian families!!!
We closed last week and started the 2nd semester with renewed vigor. All staff are well, Ethiopia has recovered well from her gallstone surgery and is back at work. Elleni and Tsehay are now on pregnancy leave. A new law in favor of pregnant working women states that it is now 4 months long. 30 days before birth and 90 days after birth.
As a replacement for Elleni as daycare manager, Ethiopia will show what she can do and replace her as much as she can, and as a replacement for Ms. Tsehay as social worker, we will not hire anyone here. Nevertheless, we had planned to hire 2 part-time volunteers, which we have now revised after some interviews. Our pediatric nurse, Sosina, who has been working in the project for one day a week since November, is currently studying Social Work in the Master's program at Addis Ababa University. During our trip, I had time to talk with her and was able to recruit her for our work. On April 1, she will start full time as a pediatric nurse/social worker volunteer. This is a very good solution for Tsehay and volunteers in one. She is young, faithful, very committed, very educated (speaks fluent English), arrived in the team, and a real asset for meeting... also in the long term... :)
A meeting with the landlord earlier this week was not profitable. Now we are waiting for his answer. We have remained so that we make an offer and he gets in touch.