Who's Children Are They Now

When I decided to adopt and then stumbled on the Ethiopia program it completely sucked me in. I found myself reading everything that I could about the country and trying to understand how adoption served the children and the country. I could never imagine waking up as a child and my mother, father, and other families members were no longer around.

Here is a video about Ethiopia and the AIDS orphans. I'm not sure how anyone could watch this video and not be touched to the core. I'm not sure how anyone could watch and not feel that they must do something.

In the video you will meet the woman who started Abebech Gobena (her name) Orphanage . She began her mission by picking up two children who were clinging to their deceased parents. From that and with no resources at all she began the orphanage that now has six separate facilities and has taken in more than 5,300 children since 1988. You can learn more about her story through a MetaCafe video.

Ethio Kids With Joyous Hearts

We always hear about the harshness of life in Ethiopia. As adoptive parents we try to imagine (at least I do) what life is like for the children outside of the orphanages. When I found this video it reminded me that whether they walk miles for walker, attend school regularly, see adults in despair, or wonder what their future holds, they are just kids.

This video really makes me smile and laughed at some parts too. It reminds me of growing up in 60s and 70s black America when we were able to find the JOY in really simple things. JOY no matter the circumstances. It reminds me of those summer picnics when your friends and relatives are over and your parents push you out there to show them the latest dance or sing the latest song. Everybody claps and for five minutes the stage is all yours.

You have to hear them sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" in what I believe is Amharic. There is one little boy in the video that stills the spotlight. He is a STAR! I can only imagine what is in store for him.

Games Ethiopian Children Play

If I haven't mentioned before I love YouTube. It is allowing me to bring Ethiopia in full motion video right into my living room. Really my computer is in my office but you get what I'm talking about.

Here is one that I think is interesting about the games children play. The narrator says that they wanted to chronicle the old games and teach them to children. The video is short but look closely at what you see: hopscotch, jacks, ring around the rosie, pick up sticks, tether ball, and paper-rock-scissors.

Can you believe that? Far away but much the same. PS. I watched it again and they are also playing hide-and-go-seek.

Dance With Me in Gurage Ethiopia

I found this short video on YouTube. It shows children of Gurage dancing. It looks like a cross between the The Running Man and The Butterfly.

The Gurage people of Ethiopia can be found about 75 miles south-west of Addis Ababa. They speak a collection of Semitic languages and dialects, collectively known as Gurage, but divided into at least three subgroups known as Northern, Eastern and Western Gurage.

The Gurage people Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Catholics. They are known for cultivating the ensete ventricosum or false banana plant, known as asat, although this is a practice they share with other southern and southwestern Ethiopians.

The Children Should Lead Them

Isaiah 11:6 says that a child should lead them. I found this video on The Children's Project in Awassa, Ethiopia. The children are staging performances around many of the small villages to teach the people about the dangers of HIV and Aids.

Meet The Children of Ethiopia

Pictures from Ethiopia

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are thousands of pictures from a variety of sites.

Wide Horizon for Children, Inc. - www.whfc.org

• Series of Pictures from my placement agency.

All God's Children Adoption Agency.

• Watch this compelling video Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the video.

Hundreds of pictures from Sprague Photo - www.spraguephoto.com

• Everyday Life in Ethiopia: See orphans studying for seminar and inside their schools.
• Religious Festivals: See the color and pagentry of these celebrations.
• Landscapes: See the country side and breathtaking views.
• See More Categories

ASMAT - Photo slideshow of the Timkat procession, the outside of the churches, and local life.

Ethiopia Lives is a program that has given digital cameras to young people in Ethiopia to document their lives. - www.ethiopialives.com

• Celebrations: Festivals, naming ceremonies, and weddings.
• Foods: Cooking of injera, fruit, a typical plate.
• Work Life: See how people make their living.
• Family: This picture notes how rare it is to see elderly relatives.

Photos by Martin are amazing pictures of one man's travel through Ethiopia.

• Amazing Black & White Photos
• Wow Scenic Scenes
• Must See People Videos
• Great Scenic Videos

These photos are from the travel library of Galen Frysinger. Check out his Ethiopia Page. You'll find more pictures from from:

• Addis Abba
• Axum
  
• Gondar
• The Blue Nile
• Lalibela
• Yena
  

More than 6,000 Pictures from Flickr show the range of diversity and ethnic groups that can be found throughout Ethiopia.

• Rural Tribal Pictures show the diversity of the country.