Hope for children and families in Holt’s care in Ethiopia
Maria Nelson, Assistant to Holt President and CEO, recently traveled to Ethiopia with a group of American doctors. The doctors, there on a 2-week long medical campaign, provided care to the children and families in the small, rural town of Shinshicho and Holt’s care centers in Durame and Addis Ababa. The group also witnessed the loving care provided to the children at the centers. The following is Maria’s account of their trip.
By Maria Nelson
As we walked into the Shinshicho Clinic courtyard, on the first day of a 7-day community medical care campaign, I was immediately struck by the big crowd of people gathered there for the free medical visit.
My eyes glanced over the crowd then stopped straight in front of me. A woman carrying a baby in a blanket on her back, reached for me and pulled me close to kiss each cheek. She had a look of desperation, and I could tell instantly that she was seeking immediate care for her sick baby. As she unwrapped her baby boy, my heart sank. Her child was as sick as I have ever seen in person. Pale, fragile, listless and so very thin. His wrist was no bigger around than my thumb. Her sad eyes locked on mine as she pleaded for help. Tears began streaming down her face.
Her story was heartbreaking. Widowed in the past months, she was alone now with two very small, sick children. Barefoot, she walked to the clinic and was only able to bring her youngest child, whom she carried all the way.
The Shinshicho Clinic in southern Ethiopia, with help from Holt International, is able to provide some hope even for cases like these. It is the only medical facility in this rural area of over 250,000 people.
The clinic is funded by Holt International to address child and maternal health care in this area. They provide a full range of services including vaccinations, labor and delivery, nutritional support, and general medicine. The Shinshicho clinic also offers HIV testing and Anti-retro viral support, as well as education and counseling.
I learned that the woman and her baby, after receiving care, both tested positive for HIV and will now begin receiving the care they need, as well as counseling and nutritional support for the mother.
Without the support of Holt International and Holt donors, there would be no clinic in this poverty stricken region, which is rife with infectious diseases such as malaria and typhoid. Funding of the clinic supports Holt’s goal of improving maternal and children’s health and strengthening families… It also saves lives.
Holt’s childcare center
Our team also traveled to the Holt childcare centers in Durame and Addis Ababa, where we were able to witness a farewell ceremony for all of the children traveling home with their permanent families. Each family spoke to the caretakers at the center, thanking them for their love and devotion they provided to their children while they waited to go home. During the farewell ceremony, we were able to interact with the children and listen while the children sang for the group.
The caretakers at both Addis and Durame are loving, kind and committed to giving the very best of care to each child. From the 
cooks, to the nannies, to the office and laundry staff, each one is dedicated to serving children.
The children’s health and well-being are the caretakers highest priority. We saw the older children (age 4 yrs and up) learning the Amharic and English alphabets, there were toys and books available for the children, nutritious meals (a nutrition specialist is on staff in the Durame Intake center), and clean, well kept facilities. The children are thriving in this loving environment, while they wait for their permanent families.
Holt is grateful for the generous donors who made it possible for the renovation of the new healthcare clinic and the childcare centers. We will continue to provide for the children and families of Ethiopia, as well as provide loving care to the orphaned and abandoned children waiting to go home to their families.
Interested in adopting a child from Ethiopia?…Click here to learn more about Holt’s Ethiopia program
