It was quite a drive out of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia today to get to a church which partners with Compassion. While the sights on the way were amazing, nothing could prepare our group of five Australians for our arrival and the welcome we received.
A throng of children moved towards us. A small girl made her way over to me, handed me some beautiful roses and said, “Welcome, we love you.” I only just managed to hold it together.
From that point on we couldn’t go anywhere without several children holding onto our hands as they chatted excitedly amongst themselves and with us. They were all children who are benefitting from the holistic child development offered through Compassion. We had the honour of being shown through the centre where they are receiving help to improve their physical, spiritual, cognitive and socio-economic outcomes.
The joy exhibited by the children was only part of the story. As we found out more and more about this particular centre, we were told that many of those who had graduated previously had moved from desperate poverty to living fulfilling lives. Three graduates have become doctors, four have become lawyers, others have started their own businesses and the list just went on.
The love the staff at the centre have for each child was obvious. The fact that they could point at photos of many previous graduates and tell us what they were now doing and about how many children they now had showed that this was no passing interest. They are fully invested in the very best outcomes for each and every one of the children they serve.
I wonder what potential is hiding in each of the children we met today. I wonder how different their lives would have been if they didn’t have someone somewhere else in the world who loved them enough to sponsor them.
I wonder what potential will remain undiscovered simply because there are not enough sponsors for every child who deserves a chance to be released from poverty. Will you consider sponsoring a child through Compassion today?
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Welcome … We Love You? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
Managed to hold it together? You did much better than i wold have. I am a sucker for kids. Thanks for the update.
A great news story. Love hearing about the kids and the difference Compassion is making.