PROCESS
We have now received $3,200 from you all to support Rakeb’s
education! With a commitment to purchase her plane ticket, the money Amanda and
I have contributed, and other financial commitments made but yet to come in,
that total jumps up to roughly $8,800! This leaves us just $800 short of what
is needed for the final payment to Amicus, which is due April 5th.
If you are wondering why the amount we still need is slightly larger than what
it was a few weeks ago, one of our commitments that came from Ethiopia ended up
being less than anticipated due to the Ethiopian currency recently taking a hit.
That said, $800 still appears manageable compared to where we began! Lets
finish this strong!!!
RAKEB
I believe that one of the reasons I have been so driven to
assist Rakeb is because of a shared loss. As many of you know, my father passed
away when I was 11. While not quite as dramatic, it is clear that Rakeb felt a
similar loss when her father moved away from Ethiopia to find a higher paying
job in Saudi Arabia. Like myself, she was only 11 years old when he moved away,
and in the six years since then he has only been able to return to Ethiopia
once for a short visit. Fortunately they are able to talk on the phone somewhat
regularly, but it is obvious that Rakeb longs for a more present father figure
in her life.
Rakeb and one of her mentor's, Sara
ETHIOPIA
The capital city of Addis Ababa is said to be the safest capital
city in all of Africa. Based on my experience there, I can see why. I never
felt nervous visiting any part of the city at any time of day. There are
obvious areas where sneaky pickpockets operate, aggressive drunks hassle you
for a handout, and shady taxi drivers try to swindle you, but you can find this
anywhere in the world… including the US. All you need to remain safe in Addis Ababa is a healthy dose of common sense and awareness of your surroundings.
One small section of Addis Ababa that I frequented. Slums and elegance side-by-side
No comments:
Post a Comment