By Ashli Keyser, managing editor

*Genet slowly makes her way out of the playroom at Holt’s Durame Intake Center, briefly holding onto the doorframe to get her balance. A dozen of her friends have already made it a few times around the merry-go-round. Undeterred, 3-year-old Genet, her legs [...]]]> Finding families for Waiting Children in Ethiopia

By Ashli Keyser, managing editor

*Genet slowly makes her way out of the playroom at Holt’s Durame Intake Center, briefly holding onto the doorframe to get her balance. A dozen of her friends have already made it a few times around the merry-go-round. Undeterred, 3-year-old Genet, her legs stiff and her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright sun, finally steps outside and slowly but surely finds her way to the empty, bright blue seat waiting at the merry-go-round.

She slides unevenly onto the chair and loosely holds onto the handles, her excited smile more brilliant than her pink Winnie-the-Pooh dress. Genet makes it around only twice before losing her grip and falling, almost gracefully, to the ground. Before she has time to react, two caretakers are at her side, exclaiming, “Govez! Govez!” (“very good” or “excellent” in Amharic), as they gently pick Genet up off the soft ground and wrap her in their arms.

“Govez!” –  the world the loving caretakers use to encourage Genet and reassure her that she is unharmed and in safe hands. Genet just smiles at her protective caretakers and resumes playtime with her friends. She knows she’s in a safe place.

“This is one special girl,” says Sister Abebech Abura, the head nurse at the Durame Center. “Genet’s smile brightens everyone’s day. She has some developmental delays and vision problems but has made so much progress since she arrived at the center.”

Transferred in March from Holt’s care center in Wolaita, Genet came into care, malnourished, after her father had passed away from tuberculosis. Her mother, unable to care for her due to her special needs, often kept Genet from other people, making it even more difficult for Genet to grow and develop.

“It’s very hard for parents to care for children with special needs in Ethiopia,” says Holt Ethiopia Director Dr. Fikru Geleso. “They just don’t know what to do, and many times the children won’t make it to their teenage years.”

Since coming to Holt’s care, Genet has learned to walk, use her utensils while she eats and is even learning a few words. The caretakers work consistently with her on speech and coordination, and give her the attention that she did not receive in her first two years of life.

The Durame Intake Center currently cares for 30 children waiting to find permanent homes. There are separate rooms for each age group, and the children are given age appropriate care and education. Sister Abebech regularly consults with the doctors at the Durame Hospital about the children’s health, and a doctor visits the care center once a month for check-ups. “Genet and the rest of these children have so much potential,” says Sister Abebech. “They are beautiful gifts from God.”

The Holt care centers in Durame and Addis Ababa are shining examples of Holt’s dedication to orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children. Genet’s story is one of many stories of scared and abandoned children who enter Holt’s care and thrive in their new environment.

“Because of the love and attention given by these wonderful caretakers, Genet has the hope of one day having a permanent, loving family of her own,” said Kim Brown, Holt’s president and CEO, as he visited with Genet and the rest of the children at the Durame Intake Center.  “She never had this kind of hope before.”

Genet is waiting in Ethiopia for a permanent, loving family. If you are interested in learning more about this beautiful, spirited little girl please contact the Waiting Child program for more information.

*Name has been changed

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”–Matthew 7:25

By Ashli Keyser, managing editor

In the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses a parable to speak [...]]]> Holt’s Family Preservation program in Ethiopia

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”–Matthew 7:25

By Ashli Keyser, managing editor

In the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses a parable to speak about faith and trusting in Him. He discusses two builders, a man who built his house on an unsteady foundation of sand, and the other who built his house on a rock – a firm foundation of faith and trust.

While the two houses in Jesus’ sermon serve as metaphors for obeying the word of God, I couldn’t help but ponder this parable as I observed two very different houses set atop a small piece of land in southern Ethiopia. Standing in front of one structure was *Ejamo, his wife, *Almaz, and their five children, waiting for our team, including Holt President and CEO Kim Brown, to arrive.

I had seen this family in a photograph, just over a year ago, and was taken aback by how different each of them looked today. The parents no longer had gloomy expressions of hunger on their faces. The children no longer wore tattered rags of clothes. They each stood, happily, in front of their new house, a strongly built hut, made of durable wood and thickly packed mud. Flowerpots lined the windowsills – a mother’s special touch to a home that she could be proud of.

To the right of the family stood another house – a weak and dilapidated hut made of eucalyptus leaves, straw, and misshapen pieces of wood and branches – a house that looked to be more of a nest than a home suitable for two parents and five children. Today that nest-like shack serves only as a devastating reminder of what this family’s life once looked like and what it will hopefully never be again.

What an amazing moment for Ejamo, I thought. Showing off his family’s new and improved house to Kim Brown and the rest of our team. “Look what I’ve accomplished, look what you’ve helped me to accomplish.” The smile on Ejamo’s face matched his equally large 7-foot frame. This family, no longer weak and wanting – like the broken-down house they once occupied – has made a fresh start and stands strong beside their house, a new beginning and a renewed hope.

“We are going to help this family,” said Phil Littleton, Holt’s senior vice president, standing with Ejamo in 2009, in the beginning stages of Holt’s intervention. “We are going to give them what they need to build a better life for themselves.”

Before their acceptance into Holt’s Family Preservation program, Ejamo’s family was in a critical state. Ejamo, sick with malaria, was unable to maintain his farming duties – the family’s main source of income. Their 7-year-old son had lost his eyesight due to a Vitamin A deficiency, and their other son’s health was failing. The eldest daughter, Tirunesh, 14, lived in Durame as a servant.

Desperate for the health of her children and the return of Tirunesh to their home, Almaz petitioned the local government for assistance. A Holt social worker was contacted and the Holt Committee stepped in to assist the desperate family.

The Holt Committee, made up of a tribal leader, a government representative,  a village agricultural extension worker, a church representative and a Holt social worker, identifies “the poorest of the poor” families in Ethiopia, studies their situations, identifies weaknesses and strengths and proposes an intervention strategy. Currently, there are 120 families in Holt’s Family Preservation program spread throughout four villages in southern Ethiopia.

Holt does not simply give handouts to families in need. We provide families at-risk of losing their children with start-up supplies and assistance to get them back on their feet, including health and hygiene education, medical assistance and regular follow-ups by social workers.  Many of the children in family preservation are also in Holt’s sponsorship program.

Holt gives families the tools they need to build better lives for themselves.  Once families have reached a place of stability, they transition out of the program.

Ejamo had a gift for farming. To build on this talent, Holt gave him seeds to plant on his land, a four-month supply of grain and a donkey for transportation from village to town. The family also received canned milk, new clothing, bed sheets and blankets, and training on health and sanitation. Ejamo and his son received medical treatment, and the family was linked to a micro financing institution.

Today, Ejamo’s family has plenty of food to eat and a garden full of vegetables to sell. Ejamo regained his health and, in the summer of 2009, Tirunesh returned home and now attends school with the rest of her siblings.  The family saved enough money to purchase a cow, and wood for building a new and stronger house.

“The initiative these families are taking is amazing,” says Larry Cahill, Holt board member. “Their willpower is even more amazing.”

Like the man who built his house on a firm foundation in Jesus’ parable, Ejamo took the skills he had learned and the supplies that he had been given and turned them into a better life for his family – a home built on a foundation of faith and strength.

“My father never gave me anything,” said Ejamo, his hand placed gently on his daughter’s shoulder. “Holt International has been like a father to me.”

*Names changed

By Ashli Keyser, Managing Editor

Durame, Ethiopia—Our last day in Durame had come to an end…or so I had thought. As our group piled out of the cars we had been traveling in all day, I thought [...]]]> The following is a journal entry from Ashli’s trip to Ethiopia with one of Holt’s medical mission teams.

By Ashli Keyser, Managing Editor

Durame, Ethiopia—Our last day in Durame had come to an end…or so I had thought. As our group piled out of the cars we had been traveling in all day, I thought about how grateful I was to be here and how much it meant to me to see and experience the work Holt is doing in Ethiopia. I thought about the children and babies I had witnessed being rocked, hugged and fed by their loving, smiling caretakers; I thought about Holt’s work at the Shinshicho clinic and the hundreds of sick children and families who were being helped during this week-long medical campaign. It had truly been an amazing trip. But on this particular evening, exhaustion had also set in and I was more than ready to rest my head on my pillow and drift off into sleep. I had already made it half way up the stairs when Dr. Fikru, Holt Ethiopia Director, suggested that a group of us take a trip to one of Holt’s partner care centers—an hour drive from our hotel. I guess sleep would have to wait.

As I positioned myself in the same seat I had left not more than ten minutes ago, I rested my head on the window to the right of me, closed my eyes and tried not to think about how tired I was as the van pulled away from the hotel. It had been a wonderful, eye-opening trip thus far but, at this particular moment, I was feeling a little unenthusiastic. So, I did what I always try to do when things aren’t going according to my plans…I prayed.

“Lord,” I thought. “Thank you for allowing me to be here. I am pretty tired right now and feeling a little unenthusiastic about this unplanned trip. But I am trying to have faith that you still have more to show me….more to reveal to me. I may not be able to see it right now, but I pray that my purpose for this hour-long trip will be revealed to me…help me to see what You want me to see.” An hour later we made it to the care center.

As we entered the gates of the center, the first thing I noticed was the absence of children playing outside. “Where were all the children,” I thought. “What am I do here, Lord?”

Our group found out that many of the children at this care center had recently been transferred to Addis Ababa and would soon unite with their permanent families. Grateful to learn that children were about to meet their families for the first time, I eagerly anticipated meeting the children who remained at the center.

A few of us entered a small room occupied by two caretakers, but we saw no children. A little disappointment set in once again. I slowly began to make my way across the little cribs that lined each of the walls. I peered into the first crib…no child; the second crib…still no child. And then I made it to the third crib and slowly peeked inside not expecting to see anything but an empty crib with blankets….what I found was Terefet.

Abandoned at a bus station a couple weeks prior to our visit, Terefet smiled up at me as if he had known me for years. He continued to look at me as one of the caretakers gently lifted him out of his crib, set him down and helped him walk outside.

The rest of our group was standing on the grass talking, but their conversation immediately stopped when Terefet made his appearance at the door. Terefet’s charming demeanor and adorable facial expressions made everyone around him laugh. We stayed there for a half an hour completely captivated by this beautiful and brave child.

I couldn’t wait to get Terefet in my arms, and when I finally did, I held him closely, kissed his soft cheek, closed my eyes, once again, and quietly whispered the words: “Thank You.”

God had shown me my purpose for this unplanned trip. Many children had left the care center in the last few days to unite with their permanent families, and only one child remained. A child who just two weeks ago had been left all alone at a bus station and who was now in my arms giggling and smiling. “This precious child needs a family,” I thought. “And it’s up to me to do all I can to help him find one.”

I had asked God to reveal to me my purpose for this hour-long journey; what He revealed to me was my purpose for the entire Ethiopia trip. The Lord showed me how resilient and brave children really are, and how much each one deserves a loving family. God showed me why I do what I do, and what Holt is truly about….his name is Terefet.

Click here to learn more information about how you can adopt a child from Ethiopia

by Ashli Keyser, managing editor

The second Holt medical campaign in six months had come to an end. For a week, Holt Board Member Dr. Becca Brandt and her husband Dr. Kim Brandt volunteered their time and expertise at the Holt Shinshicho clinic. Arriving at the clinic in [...]]]> Surgical center for children and their families

by Ashli Keyser, managing editor

The second Holt medical campaign in six months had come to an end. For a week, Holt Board Member Dr. Becca Brandt and her husband Dr. Kim Brandt volunteered their time and expertise at the Holt Shinshicho clinic. Arriving at the clinic in the early mornings, the Brandts stayed until each patient had been diagnosed and treated. With the conclusion of the campaign, hundreds of children and families had been treated for malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis, goiters, and other common ailments affecting the people of this region.

“This is good,” says Becca. “Most people would not come to the clinic, or they would wait until their needs are too great. The message went out to the community that we were here to provide the services, and they should come and use them.”

Holt’s renovations of the Shinshicho clinic and the subsequent medical campaigns have dramatically changed the lives of children and families of this area. People are now able to receive medical treatment, prenatal care and health and hygiene education in a clean and safe environment.

A lot has been accomplished in this area, and yet children and families continue to get sick, many of them succumbing to treatable illnesses—leaving the questions: what more can we do? And where do we go from here?

During the closing ceremony for the medical campaign, hundreds of residents and community leaders gathered to help answer these questions. One by one, men and women enthusiastically stood up, walked through the crowds of people, stepped onto the stage and proudly pledged what little they could to help the clinic, which has provided them with so much hope, enter into its next phase of expansion…a state-of-the-art surgical center.

“We don’t have surgeons or an operating room at this clinic currently, and the children and parents are not able to get the surgeries they need to survive,” says Dr. Mintesinot Tadewos, clinic physician and coordinator for the medical campaigns.

The creation of a surgical center would take this humble clinic and turn it into a fully functional regional medical center, where children and families from this region would not only receive treatment for common ailments, but also obtain surgeries that could help save their lives. “Sick people in need of surgery will often go home and pray for recovery,” says Dr. Mintesinot. “We are making a difference in this community, but we need to expand the services we provide to meet the growing need.”

Meklit Gareden, a 16-year-old girl from the area, donated 100 birr (about 7 U.S. dollars) to help with the construction of a surgical center. “I am happy to be a part of this,” said Meklit. “So many sick people have died, and I wanted to give what I could to help with this new project and help children.”

Meklit, just a child herself, and so many other residents donated what they could. It’s now our turn to match the community’s efforts and help make this surgical center a reality for the people of the Shinshicho area.

“We’re their only medical facility,” said Holt President and CEO Kim Brown, who traveled to Ethiopia during the medical campaign and witnessed firsthand the great need. “Each month, thousands of desperate families come for care. Many walk for miles with malnourished and sick children in their arms. We are looking forward to providing this surgical center to the people of this community.”

Where does Holt go from here? We do all we can to make sure that the precious children and their families are still receiving the best medical care and treatment possible. The next step is to get them the surgeries they desperately need through the creation of this surgical center.

Please help us in our efforts to bring this surgery center to the children and families in Ethiopia. Your help today will save lives tomorrow.

Brian Campbell, Creative Services Director

An excerpt from Brian’s Travel Diary while in Ethiopia.

Messenich recieving a micro-loan to start a small coffee selling business.

Durame, Ethiopia—I met an old friend today. Not an old friend from my [...]]]> A mother is able to provide for her family with the help of Holt International’s family preservation program

Brian Campbell, Creative Services Director

An excerpt from Brian’s Travel Diary while in Ethiopia.

Messenich recieving a micro-loan to start a small coffee selling business.

Durame, Ethiopia—I met an old friend today. Not an old friend from my childhood or college. Rather, a friend I encountered on my first trip to Ethiopia in February of 2008. Messenich is a smiling, healthy mother of two delightful daughters today, but this was not the reality when we met in 2008. Holt International had just introduced our family preservation services to the Durame and Shinshicho areas in southern Ethiopia. Recently widowed and the mother of three daughters, Messenich’s situation had been brought to Holt’s attention after her youngest daughter had been relinquished into Holt’s care. I traveled with two social workers to Messenich’s home to see what we could do to help preserve the remaining family and give them hope for a better future.

When I traveled there for the first time, I remembered thinking that Messenich’s home was tidy and the structure was sound and sturdy. The sturdiness of the home, however, was the only stability this mother had. In poor health and with almost no food to provide her children, Messenich waited for us in her dimly lit home, sitting politely with her hands folded and her eyes down-turned. As she spoke about her children and retold her story to the social workers,

I watched her through the camera lens. I saw expressions of hopelessness and desperation move across her features as she tried to describe her very limited options. I remained hidden behind the camera, the salty moisture in my eyes blurring my vision. This was a mother on the edge of having any remaining appearance of family-life totally slip through her fingers like loose sand.

That was in 2008. Today, because of the help that Holt has provided, Messenich has a smile on her face as she rushes to the gate to meet us. Her daughters quickly bound around the courtyard. Nearly as tall as Messenich, these children are full of life, joy and confidence. Through our family preservation efforts Messenich and her daughters are pictures of success and vitality.

Messenich received a micro-loan and started buying coffee to process. From the funds gained through this venture, she purchased cows and sheep to sustain her family and continue receiving income. She is now healthy and active in her community, and her daughters are now in school, in good health and receiving plenty to eat.

Holt Ethiopia Director, Dr. Fikru Geleso tells me that this family is now ready to cycle out of the family preservation program and continue to succeed on their own.

Messenich has frequently occupied my prayers for the past two years and today I had the privilege to see how God has used Holt International to lift up this mother and preserve this family.

You can participate in this kind of blessing this Mother’s Day. Give a Gift of Hope through Holt International’s Gifts of Hope catalog and provide some basic necessities to help get a family back on their feet and give them a brighter future.

An excerpt from Brian’s Travel Diary while in Ethiopia.

Durame, Ethiopia—The washboard, gravel roads from the only hotel in Durame jostle our team along the way to the Holt Shinshicho Clinic. The clouds are beginning to break as the sun comes up and rain from the night before has created a [...]]]> Brian Campbell, Creative Services Director

An excerpt from Brian’s Travel Diary while in Ethiopia.

Durame, Ethiopia—The washboard, gravel roads from the only hotel in Durame jostle our team along the way to the Holt Shinshicho Clinic. The clouds are beginning to break as the sun comes up and rain from the night before has created a shimmering lushness to the surrounding hillsides. All along this road can be seen people making their way to work. Bundles of firewood, donkeys carrying grain or coffee, women with containers of water share the road with us. To the side of the road, children can be seen in their well-worn school uniforms heading to classes. Other children remain behind, long switches in hand, tending to a couple of cows or a small flock of sheep and goats.

Holt International, in partnership with doctors from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Korea, will be volunteering and performing medical procedures including surgeries from the Holt Shinshicho Clinic and the Durame Hospital over the next five days. Holt Board member Dr. Becca Brandt and her husband Dr. Kim Brandt are here to lend their services and expertise to the efforts and to provide much- needed medical services to the surrounding people in the Kampata region served by these two facilities.

Our arrival at the gates of the clinic is met by a mass of people waiting to enter. This brings a smile to Dr. Becca Brandt’s face.

“This is good”, she begins to explain. “Most people would not come to the clinic or they wait until their needs are too great before they come. Now the clinic has been able to get the message out to the community that we are here to provide the services and they should come and use them.”

Becca has been to this region five time previously, the last time being in October for the first Holt medical campaign, and has seen the Holt program here grow over the last 4 years.

Today, the Holt International Shinshicho clinic is a vital part of not only the physical health of this community, but to the relational health of the community. Trusted and respected, the Shinshicho clinic has become a place of healing for families and children.

by Sunshine Schmidt

Africa has always been in my heart and will continue to be forever. I think the idea to adopt started to take sprout when my husband and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing such an amazing country face [...]]]> A love of Africa paves the way for twin boys to be adopted

by Sunshine Schmidt

Africa has always been in my heart and will continue to be forever. I think the idea to adopt started to take sprout when my husband and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing such an amazing country face such huge obstacles touched us in a way that cannot be forgotten.

Because of our connection to southern Africa, and love and appreciation of the people and culture, we looked to that region for our adoption. After our research we determined that we would need to look to other African nations with more stable and developed international adoption legislation. As an anthropologist and natural researcher, I enjoyed learning more about the different countries, and Ethiopia stood out as a proud and beautiful country. Our decision was made; our children would come from Ethiopia!

We received our referral in September of 2008 for 10-month-old twin boys. Abdurahamen (Abdur) and Nursun were going to be our sons!

21 weeks and what felt like a lifetime later, we met our boys for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Kissing the faces of our children and holding them in our arms for the first time is an indescribable feeling and one that I will never forget.

We spent the day getting to know them; asking questions of the caregivers who have loved them for so long, playing on the floor, giggling at Nursun’s scrunched up smile and Abdur’s inquisitive nature, and just reveling in the beauty of our new children.

Our time in Ethiopia to receive our sons passed quickly, too quickly. We traveled a bit, and explored the southern region, the area in which our boys were born. We fell in love with Ethiopia. At the goodbye ceremony, held by the Holt staff, we cried and vowed to return with Abdur and Nursun. That will be an easy promise to keep.

The transition home has gone amazingly well, and I think these boys have quickly realized how many people across the world love them. Not only do our children have family and friends close by, but a large Ethiopian adoption community exists in Portland. We have get-togethers every 2 months and our circle of friends now includes not only families who have adopted Ethiopian children, but also Ethiopian born friends who are available to stand by our sides and help in any way possible.

Most evenings, after the boys are asleep, my husband and I kick the toys from our path, sit back, relax, and think about how fortunate we are to have had these two amazing little boys enter our lives. We are looking forward to a lifetime with our sons.

Interested in adopting a child from Ethiopia?  Click here to learn more

Holt runners and aid station volunteers came together to participate in the Omaha Marathon 2009 to raise money and awareness for the Holt Ethiopia program. Nearly 15 Holt runners participated in the 10K and the half marathon portions of the event, and another 10 volunteers helped out by directing [...]]]> Holt Ambassadors participate in the Omaha Marathon

Holt runners and aid station volunteers came together to participate in the Omaha Marathon 2009 to raise money and awareness for the Holt Ethiopia program. Nearly 15 Holt runners participated in the 10K and the half marathon portions of the event, and another 10 volunteers helped out by directing runners along the route and handing out Holt items at the finish line.

Through the team’s hard work and passionate efforts, runners were able to raise $3,565, making the event a huge success! This money will go to provide the children in Ethiopia with much needed medical supplies.

The race began at 7:00 AM, and as the Holt team began the first mile, minds were focused not so much on the physical race that the team was running, but on the figurative race – the race to bring medical supplies to the children who are waiting in Holt’s care in Ethiopia.

Every child deserves a home, and while these children wait for their forever families, the team focused their minds on Holt’s dedication to providing a safe and healthy environment for them. Some runners wore pictures of their own children on their Holt t-shirts, those waiting to come home and those who have already come home, and this helped add a very personal touch to the race. The mood was festive, but everyone was keenly aware of the seriousness of the cause.

“Several runners commented on the picture I pinned to the back of my shirt of my son Jack wearing his most infectious grin! It helped open the door to conversations about Holt and our cause,” said Holt mom Cathy Morin.

“The marathon was a good fit for us to use our passion to do something good,” said Holt mom-in-waiting Amy Becker. “We are adopting from Haiti and it is a lengthy process, a true marathon of waiting. We started a blog for family and friends to contribute miles to our run. Weekly we have folks logging 15-25 miles and we are up over 1,000. Raising money for a quality organization like Holt, doing something we love, is a real honor.”

Juliet Brown and Cathy Morin, team organizers and Holt moms, want to extend a special thank you to all runners and volunteers and their families for making Holt’s participation in the Omaha Marathon 2009 a huge success.

Please contact Cathy if you are interested in participating as a runner or volunteer at next year’s event.

Spread the word about Holt International’s mission by becoming a Holt Ambassador

November is National Adoption Month….Click here to learn about ways you can celebrate!

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 [...]]]> 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

The team, including Holt Board Member and physician, Dr. Becca Brandt, will be there for two weeks providing training to a group of Ethiopian doctors. They will also be [...]]]> A team of doctors from the United States is currently in Ethiopia helping to provide for families and children in Holt’s care.

The team, including Holt Board Member and physician, Dr. Becca Brandt, will be there for two weeks providing training to a group of Ethiopian doctors. They will also be providing necessary medical supplies that will benefit the children and families served by the clinics in southern Ethiopia.

Since their arrival on October 5th, the group has traveled to Holt’s  child center in Addis Ababa, where they 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 that they provided to their children while they waited to go home. During the farewell ceremony, the medical team was able to interact with the children and listen while the children sang for the group.

From there the team traveled to Holt’s Durame Intake Center where they began their clinical work and trainings.  The Durame Center provides care for 50 children who have been abandoned or relinquished.

In the days to come, the medical team will continue with their trainings and have about 40 surgeries scheduled at the clinic.

We will keep you updated on the medical team as they continue their mission of helping to provide medical care for families and children in Holt’s care in Ethiopia.

Read about the newly renovated clinic in Shinshicho….

Read About Holt’s Ethiopia program