Lawayes journey from near death to new life...
Lawaye, a mother of two came to us a few months back feeling like there was no hope for her. She was a single mother who had suffered from a breathing difficulty that eventuated in her having a tracheotomy. She complained that she was not able to work and therefore not able to care for her children. In Ethiopia (unlike Australia) tracheotomies are difficult with such poor facilities, and it's hard to take on such medical challenges when all you have is a dirt floor to sleep on in a mud house. We were firstly able to provide her and her two young daughters with clean clothes and a home kit consisting of a bed, mattress, blankets, cooking equipment and utensils. We then encouraged her to show us she was willing to work. The mothers whom Grace Centre assists have to be willing to be active in changing their situation.It is important for these women to get past the hand out mentality; otherwise, we are nothing more than a charity and are instead making these -
women reliant on us rather than self reliant. Lawaye joined our weaving project, that has proven successful in helping mothers become self-sufficient business women. In the beginning Lawaye complained a alittle due to not being able to see past the problems she had. She was hopeless and that once she had hope, she had the ability to climb out of the hole that she was in. She has become one of our most skilled and dedicated weavers producing the most beautiful work, and quite gracious about it too. Our Hope Memorial Clinic was able to send her down to Addis to have the surgeon look at her throat to see if anything could be done. We were thrilled to hear that she was able to have the tracheotomy tube removed and is doing very well. From when she first walked in our gates at Grace to the progress she has made thus far, we know this was a credit to God and the work he does through the Grace Centre and the Hope Memorial Clinic.
Other stories:
Fantaye and Getti's story/
Baby Day Care/
Genna 2009
