Hello Everyone,
We would like to share with you some events of the month of May in the Ethiopian RBW. Days for us here are very full and sometimes find us in the office late into the night. But we are so thankful to God for this great opportunity to serve God by helping those in need.
- We have meetings every 15 days with the orphans and widows. Our number one goal is to not only feed them in the natural but to teach them the salvation message. We always have some time teaching the children from the Bible, and even though many do not know Jesus as their Savior yet, they are beginning to respond with questions and really enjoy the Bible stories.
In May at this meeting we also discussed the children’s health and the need for them to be diligent in their studies at school. With the mothers we talked about the proper way of raising their children and cooperating with the guidelines stipulated by the Ethiopian government. We see now that the mothers are beginning to understand the need for having the children wash their hands and faces always.
- We have had three meetings during the month of May with the 10 new widows in our RBW office to discuss what some of their interests are and how we can implement a training program for them soon. Most of the ladies spoke of their desire to sell things, such as vegetables or coffee. One thought we have is to train the ladies to crochet and also make crafts so they could sell them at the local Bazzar. We are meeting with an instructor at another local NGO that is also going to give us ideas on how we can best help these widows learn to have a productive business.
- Our 75 children are continuing their education and are in good health. RBW pays their School Fees, Tutorial Fees and Medical Expenses. Some of the children have needed medical help from drinking contaminated water that caused intestinal problems, but they are all feeling better after going to the clinic.
- We are very glad about our special needs child Besufekad Aby. At this time we were able to get him a wheel chair free of charge from Cheshire Home in Ethiopia. His Mother is very happy and he has already started using his wheel chair. It is wonderful to see his face light up as he is able to get around without being carried. This is another marvelous praise report and we thank Cheshire Home for this generous donation.
- The social worker visited our orphans and their family homes and schools. She encouraged them to study hard because they will take the final exam of the year next month. These visits are quite helpful for us to know first hand what each child is doing and what they might need in addition to what has already been provided. It is also another opportunity to help the mothers understand the need for their children to be in school and keep up their grades.
- We purchased school bags for all our 75 children and we will distribute them to each child by the end of June 2015. These bags are black and we have large bags for the older children and smaller bags for the younger children. This way each child can have what fits them best.
We have also purchased new shoes for all of our 75 children in the program. When they receive their new school bags they will also get a new pair of shoes that fit them.
- We are excited to report we have received donations from some of the members of the RBW NGO general assembly totaling 2000 Birr, as well as other offerings from some local sources. We thank God for that and God bless those who expressed their love to RBW in this way. The Ethiopian RBW Board members are demonstrating their support by committing to give 100 Birr each month for the program.
- We have staff meetings every 15 days on Friday mornings after our time of devotion. It is a time to evaluate our work and it helps us to continue training the staff in the proper ways of running the RBW office and program. Some of the feedback from the staff is that they can see ways to improve their work performance.
In all our work, we give Glory to our Almighty God because He gives us favor and strength to do His Kingdom work. Thank you for your lovely contributions which are a great support for our work. May God bless you all abundantly.
God Bless You,
Bro. Jemal and the Ethiopian RBW Staff