Our children

 

Our children come to with tragic identities and stories:

 

HIV/AIDS orphans

Street children

Juvenile delinquents

Abused children

Innocent children staying with their imprisoned mothers

 

It’s in the soil of broken circumstances that we begin to help grow new lives from what seemed barren ground.

 

Helping the children

Instead of a totally institutionalized support service, we offer our children a community-based housing model in which groups of 6-12 (based on age and sex), live and play together in a home-like space with their own house mothers, family-style.

 

In and around these homes, partnered with trained and professional attendants, we’re able to offer our children basic human needs, as well as holistic services and support including:

 

Food

Clothing

Schooling / Education

Education facilities

Library and Tutorial Class

Medication

Life Skill Training

Individual and Group Counseling

Entertainment

Recreation

 

Achievement

Currently, our children attend schooling at every level; from kindergarten, all the way through university. Many of our children go on to complete secondary and post-secondary education, successfully deploying into many fruitful career paths including:

 

Accountants

Information and Communication Technologists

Secretaries

Barbers

Purchasers and Human Resource Managers

Electricians

Lawyers

Teachers

Hotel managers

Hair dressers

….and more.

 

Life in the orphanage

 

At Hanna Orphans Home, our main goal is to alleviate orphans from their tragic circumstances and transform them into happy, healthy children by supplying their basic needs, along with quality education and tailored psychological care.

 

Our main goal in providing first-rate education for our children — complete with access to school stationary materials, a library service with a librarian, and neat study rooms — is to help our orphans become self-reliant, productive citizens by the time they’re ready to walk back out into the world as mature adults.

 

For children who face an emotional journey of rehabilitation, we have a professional psychologist on staff who is always there to help. Furthermore, our social workers, whose main task is following up with each child on their day-to-day progress, needs, and personal standing with house mothers, tutorial teachers, psychologists, and the organization at large, ensure an extra measure of protection and accountability for the emotional and psychological livelihood of the children.

 

Here are a few of our orphan’s stories, in their own words:

 

Tigabu Welde

 

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“My name is Tigabu, aged 17, currently I am attending grade 7. I was born in Welayta Sodo town in 1994 living with my parents. After my mother had died, my father re-married to another woman. This condition resulted in abandoning my home and forced me to move to the capital city Addis Ababa.

 

Since I had no relatives to shelter me, I was obliged to be street child. Eventually, I become one of the most serious pocket pickers. In this way I have caused many people to remain with empty pockets and made them scream and weep in vain. Consequently, one day I was caught red-handed for stealing some spare parts from a car and was sent to a remand home.

I remained there for 10 months then after the prison, Hanna came and has told me about her orphanage and since I was fed up of street life and theft, I agreed and felt very happy to live in HOH. I was admitted to HOH in October 22nd 2008.

Now I am attending my schooling receiving all essential things to living. I am completely changed in my behavior. I assure you, the theft has disappeared for ever. To your surprise, I went to the remand home and witnessed who I was before and who I am at present. Currently, I am living in a house named Amanu with 6 children, peacefully and harmoniously. Last year I stood 2nd in my class. This year I want to be 1st. I want to be space scientist after I complete my education.”

 

Rediet Mulugeta

 

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“My name is Rediet Mulugeta, aged 15, I am attending in grade 6. I was born in Addis Ababa I was living with my dad and mom in a very peaceful and decent life. I have one brother and one sister However, later on, things dramatically but negatively changed.

 

My Mother died. Then after, our father re-married to another woman. When we were in a state of grief, my dad also became gravely sick. After a while, he also died. Later on, we came to know that both of our parents died of HIV/AIDS and we heard, too that HIV was the killer and it has not cure yet.

 

We were in a bad situation as to where we should stay.

 

Our step-mother was not willing to keep us and grow, besides, she herself was carrier.

 

Consequently, our case was reported to Social and NGOs Affairs Office and through this governmental office, we came to Hanna Orphan’s Home in 2005. Hanna wholeheartedly accepted three of us. My older sister is named Tigist Mulugeta. Currently, she is grade 8 student. My younger brother is named Yakob Mulugeta. He attends grade 4.

 

I live with my younger brother in a house called Rediet, which is named by my name. I serve the house children being a monitor. Together with our house mother, we advise, counsel and guide them in their day to day activities for they are very kids. We have also social workers, supervisors and a psychologist who facilitates all our needs. After completing my education I want to be a journalist.”

 

Haron

 

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“My name is Haron. I am 13 years old. Currently I am attending in grade 5.

 

My father had quarried with one of our neighbors for a plot of farm land, and the dispute gradually escalated to its climax and suddenly, my father killed the man. Consequently, he was taken to prison. While he was in prison, one night, the relatives of the killed man came over to our house (thatched house) and set fire on us. When the house was in blaze, my mother first carried my younger brother and took him  out. Then, she came and carried me, but I was damaged on my head and my left eye by the fire.

 

My mother had not care for the loss of our house. She was much concerned about our life. Later on, my mother realized, these people wouldn’t give as peace in our area, and consequently, she took us to the prison in Jimma where my father was.

 

Fortunately, this was the time for Hanna to open a center for rehabilitation program. As a result, I and my brother were among the first to join the center, for rehabilitation program.

 

Therefore, I am living peacefully getting all services together with my brother and all the rest and we are currently found in Jimma.

 

I am very much thankful to Hanna who brought me and my friend from the deepest darkens to the brightest light of life.”