News about the Ethiopia project “Talita”

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In issue 2/2024 of our magazine, we had the opportunity to report for the first time on the new Ethiopian project "Talita." Thanks to Stephanus's collaboration with the local organization "Talita Rise Up" (Tabitha, stand up), a home for abandoned babies and a safe house for sexually abused girls can remain open. In the last issue, we reported on our trip there and the decision to support the project. In this issue, we would like to give you an overview of the project's current status and share our future plans.

Current status

The €12,500 donation, delivered on-site in April, initially covered the organization's debts, two months' staff salaries, and 16 months' rent for the safe house. While this is a substantial sum, it quickly became apparent that the organization will need more funding in the long term to continue its valuable work.

To ensure adequate care for abandoned babies and abused girls, a considerable number of staff are needed. This includes nannies for the babies, nurses, social workers, psychologists, a cooking team, and security personnel. In addition to salaries, there are rent and food expenses. Baby formula is particularly expensive, with costs recently increasing by around 50%. Since the babies can only be fed commercially available formula for the first few months, this results in monthly costs of approximately €140 per baby.

In total, several thousand euros are needed each month to cover Talita's basic costs. With your help, we would first like to expand our circle of regular donors. We are still looking for a community or company to sponsor this project.

Eagerness of organization and update on the baby home

Even though the future funding of the projects is not always clear, this does not prevent the organization from continuing its important work. Since there is unfortunately still a great need for a facility for unwanted or sick babies, and Talita is reaching its capacity limits, an expansion of the baby home has been decided upon. Five former cowsheds on the premises are currently being converted for this purpose.

To secure funding, at least initially, not only were the cows sold, but the budgets of other projects were also reduced. Furthermore, the director and the program coordinator waived a portion of their salaries to enable the expansion. Once completed, the facility's capacity will increase from approximately 30 to up to 50 babies and children.

Update on the Safe House and new project

The safe house also regularly reaches its capacity limits. Therefore, additional beds are needed. Furthermore, there were 10 girls in the safe house who, despite successful rehabilitation following their abuse, unfortunately could not or were not allowed to return to their families or their former homes. This is always the case when the perpetrator is a family member or when a lengthy prison sentence for the rapist could not be obtained in court.

Since the Safe House project does not provide permanent accommodation for the girls, the new "Girls Group Home" project was quickly established. Currently, 10 girls live there together with a staff member responsible for them. In the medium term, the facilities of the residence will need to be continuously expanded. We would also like to support this project, provided our financial resources allow.

The girls are currently still attending school and, once they graduate, will be prepared for participation in the job market. Talita's goal with this so-called "empowerment" program is always to find employment that matches not only the individual's abilities but also their interests.

Health status of the children

As mentioned previously, the first step is to build a network of donors to ensure the regular coverage of Talita's basic operating costs. Once this is achieved, we can provide targeted support for the organization's specific needs. We have previously reported on some of these projects in the mission newsletter.

Makbel, who will soon be two years old, currently lives in a baby home and was born with a birth defect (PHPV) that has left him almost blind. After successful surgery on his left eye, surgery on his right eye was planned. The cost of the operation was estimated at around €1,000, similar to the first surgery. Once the necessary donations were received, Makbel went to the doctor again. Unfortunately, the examination revealed that surgery on his right eye offered little chance of restoring his sight.

However, the doctors believe that a second operation on her left eye would very likely restore her sight. Unfortunately, this type of surgery would have to be performed abroad. One country that specializes in this type of procedure is India. Since the total cost is estimated at around €20,000, we will be looking for a way to make this life-changing operation possible for Makbel in the long term.

We also reported on three-year-old Leul. We had the pleasure of meeting this cheerful boy during our visit to the baby orphanage. He is extremely hard of hearing and suffered severe burns to his hand. Thanks to a donation from a local community, he was able to undergo what we hope will be his last operation. To enable him to communicate effectively in the future, he now attends a school during the day where he is being taught sign language.

It is currently being assessed whether he can live permanently in the facility where he is currently learning sign language. The same is being assessed for little Shlemate, who is also deaf and mute and currently lives in the baby home. Ideally, we will find sponsors for Leul and Shlemate who would like to finance their accommodation in the home until they turn 18.

There's also some good news about one-year-old Samson. He's been living in a children's home since he was a month old. Because his HIV test came back positive, he's been on medication and tested for HIV ever since. The final PCR test was recently carried out, after Samson turned 18 months old. Thankfully, the result was negative.

We also have a positive update on Etenesh. Now an adult, she was raped by a neighbor 10 years ago when she was a small child. Numerous operations and a lengthy rehabilitation were necessary to treat her severe injuries. Thankfully, she is now able to fully participate in daily life again. During our visit, Etenesh told us that she would like to open a home for abused girls one day. Since she has now finished school, Talita Rise Up has supported her and her mother in opening a small shop as part of their empowerment program. The two women plan to sell spices and injera, the typical Ethiopian flatbread.

In addition to the Baby Home, the Safe House, and the Girl Group Home, there is also the Feeding Project. This project regularly provides food and, if needed, medication to approximately 150 families. These families include single mothers, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and the elderly. The project's success is evident not only in providing food and medicine to those in need, but also in enabling the schoolchildren who receive support to concentrate on their lessons and improving family circumstances.

Provided the project budget, age, and health of the participants in the Feeding Project allow, Talita also aims to empower people to become self-sufficient in the long term. Suitable individuals acquire the fundamental skills to open and successfully run their own businesses. Initial financial start-up assistance and support during the initial phase are also part of the empowerment program.

The developments of the last few months have therefore led to the following prayer requests:

• Building a regular donor base to finance basic costs in the medium term and project expansions in the long term,
• Search for a main sponsor (municipality or company),
• A prayer of thanksgiving that Samson is HIV-negative,
• Makbel eye surgery
• Looking for long-term sponsors for Leul and Shlemate,
• Success and wisdom in legal proceedings for abused girls.

David Bechthold

Municipality of Eppingen