Volunteers’ Stories

“Since Hope for Children was started as a volunteer organization, a spirit of voluntarism still pervades us. As a result, we always welcome newcomers - foreign or local, rich or poor, HIV-affected or not - to be part of our efforts in any way they can.” Yewoinshet Masresha, Founder, 2005.

Kerry O’Brien, Margot Sidman, Yontii Wheeler, Alison Wheeler and Charlotte Richardson of The Maret School - Summer 2008

The two weeks we spent at Hope for Children were life-changing for us all.  We loved getting to know the kids and teachers at the Youth Center and really enjoyed helping Ms. Rhees meet with all the US-sponsored kids.   One of our most memorable experiences was our visit to one of the Hope for Children group homes where we had a great time practicing our Ethiopian dance moves with the kids (theirs were a lot better!).  It was very clear to us that this was a home in the truest sense of the word and that the seven children and housemother who lived there were a real family.  We all participated in the traditional coffee ceremony and stuffed our mouths with popcorn.  While the poverty and hardship that we saw in Ethiopia were upsetting to us all, we left the group home with smiles on our faces and hope in our hearts.  Thank you to the many Ethiopian friends that we made for an incredible trip.

Freda and Gary Temple - Summer 2008

While we enjoyed every minute of our time at Hope for Children, having a chance to meet the children that we and our friends sponsor was truly special.  While every child and caregiver we met had a tale of heartbreak and struggle, we were overwhelmed by the exceptionally warm reception we received.  We wish that all of our sponsors could have the opportunity to see first-hand the difference that our donations make and to hear how appreciative our children and their families are.

Brian Bates, Anna Cates, Lance Kramer, Mignon Lamia, Chris Schooley - all ‘06 graduates of Dartmouth College - Summer ‘06
After leaving Hanover in June, we had the incredible experience of spending the summer together teaching English to over 200 children at Hope for Children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We were absolutely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, warmth and resiliency of our students. While we hope that they benefited from the program, we know that we were each profoundly changed by the time we spent with them. We hope you will read our Tales from the Summer. It was truly an amazing time!

The Maret School, Washington, D.C.
As part of their service learning program in world history, the entire ninth grade class at the Maret School in Washington, D.C., spent the spring raising money to sponsor children at HFC who are approximately their own age. The ninth graders enthusiastically held numerous bake sales both in and outside of school and collected donations for a walkathon. At the end of the day, they had more than $7,000, enough to sponsor Ayenadis Ababu, Michael Aligas, Tadesse Terefe and Etetu Hilemareyame through high school! HFC would love to work with other schools that are looking for projects that the students can really connect to.

Kelly Bates, Bethesda, Marylnd — Summer ‘05
Last summer I went to Ethiopia with my mother and brother and volunteered briefly at Hope for Children. For me, it was love at first sight! Everything about HFC is inspirational, especially the children. Reality really hit home, though, when Woinshet took us to see a woman who lay dying of AIDS. Her six-year-old son sat by her bed sobbing. When we asked Woinshet what he was saying, she told us he wanted to see his brothers and sisters who had been left in the country while he came to the capital to care for his mother. Such a heavy burden should never fall upon a child. Shortly after we left, his mother died. Our family friends are now sponsoring him and recently received a letter in which he excitedly reported that he was now able to enroll in school. Without Hope for Children, his life and the lives of so many other AIDS orphans would be so much worse. My brother will be teaching English at HFC this summer and I can’t wait until it is my turn!