Sunday October 10th, we return to Addis Ababa.
This time, apart from Abugida, new projects and relationships are waiting for us.
We can now rename the project: "Schools of Akaki".
On the first day, we shall sign an agreement between the Kebele of Akaki, who will become, through this act, our official local counterpart.
They kindly issued us with a letter to help us with Customs and another as a safe-conduct, knowing well the way local Mafiosos work - and now that we have even more "friends", it is better to watch out than to feel sorry later on.
There will be heartwarming moments at the Abugida school as well as in the kindergarten.
We will also visit the Fitawrari public school where we are providing breakfast for 160 children, one studies better with a full stomach, and we hope to be able to inaugurate the kitchen and dining hall we have built so as to be able to feed over 100 orphans. Heavy rainfall has delayed the opening of this dining hall.
We will get to know the Biru Tesfa junior school , which was closed for years and will be opened this year with our help.
And we will meet the disabled and handicapped children at the Akaki Mengist school. We intend to to evaluate the situation and find out what we can do in the near future there for them.
And, of course, we will have meetings with the "adopted" families - with those brave mothers and grandmothers (and also with one father equally valued).
To see the positive evolution of these families is most gratifying and cannot be described in words. To bring hope to people who never had it before is a great responsibility , but is it also very worthwhile. It is good to see how our mothers and grandmothers are stronger with every passing day.
There has not been a single case of abandonment because of poverty, or for any other reason in this program. Fortunately, there has also not been any grave health care problem with any child, which again shows the direct relationship between food supply and health.
We shall meet the old folks of the "railroad district" whom we support financially, and also we meet the adult students of Abugida, who not even in summer interrupted their lessons.
And we will certainly we be meeting up with the proud parents of Abugida who are so very happy to have their their children in our school.
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