When we heard Belaynesh’s story and investigated the situation, we became committed to helping empower this single mother and her family of three girls and one boy. She was a seriously abused woman (broken arm, leg and teeth and psychological trauma) trying to get back on her feet. One daughter is very young; the other children are in the low to late teens. Because of poverty and its effects, she’d lost four children at childbirth.
Immediate Need
First, we assessed that she needed temporary mercy funds and counseling.
Improving shelter
Second, we assessed the condition of the house in the middle of a small town. The house was full of holes in the walls and roof. It had a dirt floor and unhealthy kitchen and bathroom. So we determined that the family needed better shelter and began a campaign to raise funds to renovate her home. Today, it has a concrete floor, new walls, ceiling, windows and doors. There is a new bathroom. The house fits in with the neighborhood homes, which are all modest but liveable.
Making the Family Self Sufficient
Finally, as our mission is to make people self sufficient, Gigi trained Belaynesh in business practices and we set her up in a baking business that she and her family can operate. The business should provide for their needs into the future.
