Bethelihem's Family

For Bethelihem and her family, scavenging from the trash dump is their only source of income.

As the eldest of five children in a very poor family, Bethelihem left home at just 14 years old after realizing how difficult it was for her parents to provide for all of their children. She traveled to Addis Ababa, where she soon found herself in a desperate situation. With nowhere safe to go, she was left to survive on the streets—sleeping in a garage and taking on odd jobs to get by. Eventually, Bethelihem met her husband, Ashenafi, and moved into his family’s small home—a single mud-and-wood room located next to the dump, without running water.

With no support system, Bethelihem is unable to work and stays home to care for their two young children.  Ashenafi works scavenging at the trash dump to support his family, but because of the large number of scavengers, he is not able to work every day. He works hard to find food for his family, often bringing home discarded food from the dump. Their living situation is extremely unstable, and they live with the constant fear of eviction.

Monthly sponsorship will provide Bethelihem’s family with holistic support such as food, housing, medical care, spiritual care, counselling, education, health and life skills training, income generation and business development opportunities. Being part of HFK’s Family Empowerment Program will also give this family an opportunity to participate in many of our youth, daycare, education, and community programs.

Current Need per Month $260: Sponsor $260 per mo.| $130 per mo.| $65 per mo.