The Widow’s & Orphans Home in Adama, Ethiopia

LosingMyHeartAgain
Losing My Heart Again
I was in baby heaven when we arrived at the Widow’s and Orphan’s home in Adama, Ethiopia.  We entered the packed courtyard, which was filled with widows and orphans.  Most of the orphans are babies, and immediately the staff started bringing babies for us to hold.  They placed a little 3 month old baby in my arms and I fell in love!  Oh, to be 20 years younger!

TheJoyofHoldingBabies
The Joy of Holding Babies
The stories of the babies are tragic. In Ethiopia, a single girl who gives birth, usually can’t keep her child.  This would bring great shame on her family, so there is an epidemic of abandoned babies in this nation.  Our hearts broke when we heard that many of these babies are taken out to the wild and left for hyenas to eat.  In the remote villages, when they hear the hyenas howling in the night, they say “a baby has just been eaten”.  This is an unbelievable tragedy. 

JanwithIshtu
Jan with Ishtu
Jan held one of the babies abandoned in the wild. Her name is Ishtu, and her mother gave birth to her along a jungle path.  After giving birth, she just walked away, and left her newborn daughter to suffer a death in the wild.  An elderly woman gathering sticks found little Ishtu, and brought her to the police.  In this remote city, there are no social services EXCEPT the Widow’s and Orphan’s Home.  Now, the police bring these abandoned babies to this wonderful home and the babies are placed for adoption in the USA. 

StreamsofMercyBroughtInfantT Shirts
Streams of Mercy Brought Infant T-Shirts
Streams of Mercy brought in infant T-Shirts and baby formula for the orphanages.  It is extremely difficult to obtain baby formula in Ethiopia.  It is scarce and VERY expensive.  We were able to bring in about 100 lbs. of baby formula for the four homes. 
FormulaisPowderedGoldintheOrphanage
Formula is Powdered Gold in the Orphanages
There are 12 children in the home right now, and 9 more will arrive in Adama in the next week.  Streams of Mercy is working to find donors to help fund the FOUR Widow’s and Orphan’s Homes in Ethiopia. Will you join us in saving the lives of these newborn babies?
by Wick Nease