In October, the Global Family Initiative celebrated the sixth anniversary of Betasab’s creation, and in July, five years since we got our first children, we are amazed at how far we have come since the program’s conception! Time sure does fly by. As the leaves turn colors and the seasons begin to change, we are reminded of all the positive change happening in the Origins Home, the Learning Lions program, and the SHEBA initiative. Our children are growing up so fast and learning so much, and we have YOU wonderful donors to thank for contributing towards this positive environment for development!
Our Old Director is our New Director!
We are delighted to announce that Ephrem Gezahegn, our first director, has reassumed his role as (Interim) Country Director for Betasab. Ephrem served as the original Country Director for Betasab when we started in 2008 and was a co-founder of the organization.
In the intervening years, he has consistently volunteered his time, working with the staff and the children and women in our programs. He has been a steady presence and has provided endless support, from leading excursions to helping negotiate the best deals. We welcome his return. We also thank our wonderful previous director, Firewoyne Fransou, for her years of work with Betasab and her continued friendships with our children. We wish her tremendous success as she takes time to explore the next phase in her life.
And in the Promotions Department...
Fikirte Getachew has had a huge summer! You’ve known her as our headmother/cashier/backbone of the organization, so we made it official. Fikirte will now be known as our new Assistant Country Director. We’re very happy that Fikirte accepted our offer and is taking on more responsibilities with Betasab. We are positive she will make great leaps in maintaining the success of Betasab. Keep your eyes open for updates on changes around the office in the months to come! And in more happy news, we’re very happy to announce that Fikirte got married this past summer as well. Congratulations!
Learning Lions Program Reaches 50!
Earlier this year we welcomed ten new children to the Learning Lions program, bringing us to a total of 50 Learning Lions scholars. Who knew the progress we would make in such short years! The happiness is contagious around the future for these children. Speaking of happy news, the Learning Lions scholars and the Origins Home children received new school supplies including notebooks and pencils. The children could not wait to kick off the new school year with their brand new shoes!
Kaleab is Back!
After spending four months in Ghana following his spine surgery, Kaleab has returned to the Origins Home, better than ever. Thanks to Dr. Rick Hodes for undertaking Kaleab’s care, and making the surgery happen, and to the unbelievably generous Dr. Boache who performed the surgery for Kalaeb. We cannot thank Dr. Hodes and Dr. Boache enough for their help in giving Kaleab the opportunity to leap towards his dreams without being held down by his spine issues. The GoFundMe page is still open and we welcome contributions towards the costs of this life-saving and life changing surgery.
The New Selam House and the Improved Fikir House
August and September brought big changes for our families. The Selam family moved into a new house. Ejegayehu, the mother of the Fikir House, Mimi, their aunty, and the children took to the paint cans for a fresh new year. Green, anyone?
Origins Home Children Attend the Love and Care Event
The Origins Home Children joined other orphanages for a fun-filled day hosted by Love and Care. The children danced, played games, and even had their faces painted. After all, glitter makes everything better!
