Ethiopia: turning the corner on hope

Brian Campbell, Holt Creative Productions Manager

Addis Ababa—Morning comes with call to prayers that can be heard across town. The call is punctuated by the sounds of birds and the low growl of traffic. Our first full day of moving about the city shows us the real pulse of Addis on a Monday morning. Streets are filled with old diesel cars and buses and people by the scores. Most of the people are on foot, performing feats of daring as they walk calmly in and through the traffic. I look at this and wonder how my prayer life would be affected to step foot into traffic like this.

I meet up with Holt staff Crystal Ashton to go to the facility where Holt has six children in care. Here we will meet the other children in Addis that are being matched by Holt to adoptive families in the United States. Most of these children come to us from our intake center in the south, about a four- to five-hour drive away. These children come from crisis situations to Holt’s intake center and then are brought to Addis for further care. Their stories are all different, yet all quite the same.

Gary Gamer, President & CEO of Holt International, and I move through the different rooms and care wards of this modern, well-staffed center. Right off we notice the level of care provided by the staff is quite personal and tender. These children, regardless of age, are beginning to show signs that come only from being loved: hair coming in, weight being gained and smiles starting to form. Crystal shares the story of each child as if the child were her own, telling us about the crisis that led each child to Holt, and how Holt brought each child to hope. Crystal has shared these stories a dozen times, but she pauses as she retells the story of a little girl in her arms. The emotion in her voice, the catch in her words, and the way the child is brought to her face tells me, it’s time to set aside the camera and simply listen. Gary listens to the story, and then tenderly he takes the little girl and holds her near his face. She looks at him, and I raise my camera as he begins to retell the story. Her health is in a delicate state at this moment, but with the attentive care of Holt staff and the loving partnership of the childcare facility, she is turning the corner and we see hope is arriving for this little girl. To hear Gary talk about this little girl and the story of hope Holt brings, click here to go to the YouTube Video.