Home / Campaigns / Help Homeless and At-Risk Children in Ethiopia

Help Homeless and At-Risk Children in Ethiopia

2020_09 Appeal (Small)

“The worldwide COVID pandemic and other diseases are having a huge impact on the numbers of children now needing our help,” Brother Clayb continues. “We are in desperate need of funds for clothes, shoes, medical supplies and school supplies. We also need personal care items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. And since Ethiopia is such a poor nation, we must rely on donations outside of the country. That is why we are writing to you. I am hoping that you can help us!”

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Nelson Mandela

Children playing at St. Mary’s Children’s Home

As I write this letter to you, I continue to pray that you and those you love are in good health. I also hope that you are among those who have been able to avoid getting sick from COVID19 — and have returned to a “somewhat normal” routine. As I have stated before — and will continue to remind everyone until this crisis has passed — please make sure that you take care of your own needs before sharing your resources with our missions.

However, if you can help those in our missions — such as the children in Adigrat, Ethiopia — we would be most grateful!

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from Brother Clayb Caputolan — one of our Missionaries living and working in Adigrat — a city in northern Ethiopia near the Eritrean border. Brother Clayb supervises the General Wellness Program at St. Mary’s Children’s Home in Adigrat. St. Mary’s Children’s Home was founded by the Missionaries of Africa nearly 20 years ago as a shelter for “street boys.” Over the years, though, as the need has grown, St. Mary’s has adapted its outreach to serve not only street children but all vulnerable boys and girls — including orphans and at-risk youth.

“St. Mary’s provides children with regular meals, housing, health care, clothing, pastoral care and education,” Brother Clayb writes. “Our main objective is to help a child develop his/her own potential by providing an environment that helps young people learn how to care for themselves and to be responsible, productive citizens. Since our founding, we have helped hundreds of young people become mature, productive citizens — adults who are now working as engineers, medical professionals, teachers and accountants.”

“But Ethiopia’s children are now facing a new wave of challenges. As diseases such as COVID19, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis claim the lives of adults, more and more children are being orphaned.”

Students in class at St. Mary’s Children’s Home

“The worldwide COVID pandemic and other diseases are having a huge impact on the numbers of children now needing our help,” Brother Clayb continues. “We are in desperate need of funds for clothes, shoes, medical supplies and school supplies. We also need personal care items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. And since Ethiopia is such a poor nation, we must rely on donations outside of the country. That is why we are writing to you. I am hoping that you can help us!”

My friend, will you consider giving homeless and at-risk children the help they need?

A guardian (woman in scarf) visiting children at the home.

One way thing that you could do someting within your own community is to donate toys to your local homeless shelter. Shelters often lack items such as toys and diapers that are needed by transient families. You can also make sure that your local school district has a “homeless liaison” — someone to coordinate services for children whose families become homeless!

Will you also consider sending a donation to support Brother Clayb’s mission at St. Mary’s Children’s Home in Adigrat? While our goal is to raise at least $30,000 to help this and other programs for children throughout East Africa, please know that any donation you can send — no matter the amount — will help make life a bit better for boys and girls who have lost everything. No donation is too small. God bless you for your kindness and generosity!

 

Your Missionary Friend,

Denis P. Pringle
Director of Development