September 27, 2014
Greetings to all from chilly Ethiopia! Yes, it is true, with the rainy season comes some colder weather. You see some Ethiopians dressed like they are prepared to go skiing as the altitude is quite high in Addis Ababa and the temperatures at this time do require a coat. It does seem strange considering we are in Africa. So be sure you have your umbrella handy and that parka just in case.
We would like to bring the “Ethiopian RBW Month of September Report.” This month we were very busy with meetings such as,
- Time of sharing with our orphans and widows. Sister Nancy had more than one time with the children presenting them Bible stories and crafts. Then the mothers and widows worked on making bracelets and necklaces. The women are doing a good job of listening to the instructions so as to do the job of making the jewelry according to the pattern.
- As always there seems to be a lot of paperwork to be done for related issues for the Government offices. We had a financial audit done for the NGO that came out with a very good report. Learning to be precise and to be sure and keep a paper trail has proven to be very useful.
- We also had a staff training for three days with Sister Cecilia. She traveled here from Uganda to share her expertise in NGO management and we must say the training was very excellent.
- Bro.Thomas from the Czech Republic offered his computer expertise and helped us set up the office computer and printer. The good news is he showed us how to use it all in the proper way.
- We have such exciting news to share! We have found a vocational school that has offered to train all our mothers and widows in a skill of their choice. They can choose from making a wide variety of pottery or hand crafts such as purses, baskets, sweaters and many other crafts. What they learn will give them an ability to find productive livelihoods to support their families. The training takes 6 months to a year depending on what they decide to learn. Once the class is over, they will receive a certificate stating they have completed the course. We heard many testimonies of past students that have gone on to come out of poverty into a better self-sustained life. The ladies will begin classes in October. They will attend 3-hour classes either in the morning or in the afternoon so they can also maintain any jobs they might currently have.
- All our children have started their school year. We have passed out their school uniforms and we must say the children look very nice in them.
We thank all of you for your great labor in this God’s kingdom work. Thank you for your prayer support, sponsorship and donations.
God bless you all,
The Ethiopian NGO Team