A Life Through Education
A year ago, we set out with the hope of helping a small group of teen boys living on the street in Addis Ababa. The boys led typical lives of street children—begging for their meals, sleeping on the street, and turning to drugs and alcohol as an escape. The boys were begging Dawit Fasil for help, and when we asked them what they wanted the MOST, they each said without hesitation, “an education.”
And so the idea of giving life through education began.
We immediately began gathering donations of clothing, shoes, and school supplies here in the US, as we also sought a financial sponsor for each of the children. In August of last year, Logan and I traveled to Ethiopia with those supplies, along with enough money to cover the expense of putting fourteen children and one adult into school for the entire year.
We have followed the children throughout the year, checking their progress in school and trying to help meet their needs as they arise. Dawit checks in on them often, and we’ve delivered several care packages from sponsors in the US. We were even able to put one of our children, Yonatan, and his entire family into a rental home. Dawit has worked hard all year to help the children succeed.
Unfortunately, due to the hardship of living on the street, a few of the students dropped out through the year. However, eight of our original fifteen made it to the end of the school year! We could not be more proud of these students—they overcame so many disadvantages to finish the school year.
Dawit and Ashenafi have worked for months to obtain a license for Life Thru EDU. It was not an easy process, but on May 4, 2015, the license was granted!
The Ethiopian government has asked Life Thru EDU to expand to support more girls and adults. In the coming school year, the government hopes that we will send 40 children to school.
In addition to providing funding to put these children in school, we are also working toward renting an office space for the staff in Ethiopia. The office would also provide a safe place for the children to spend some time during the day—a quiet place off of the street to study and a place to get a warm shower.
The children will also have access to a social worker who will monitor their progress in school, facilitate recreational activities, and lead Bible studies. The social worker will also communicate with sponsors to update them on the status of their children.
We are so excited to see what this next year brings for Life Thru EDU—and for each of the children in the program!
