Cause & Affect in Ethiopia: $20/month Can Save Lives

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Abel is a 17 year-old Ethiopian boy whose parents and older sister are all dead. His Aunt Sisko has little to give him, but she allows Abel - and a few other young students in need - to sleep in her small restaurant at night and eat a basic meal or two so they can at least go to school and hope for a better future. When I met Abel and his aunt and told them about Cause and Affect, they did NOT ask for help. Though they definitely need assistance, instead they told me about some others facing more serious predicaments. Faced with such selflessness, Cause and Affect felt obliged to help.

Abel first introduced me to Marisu and Mami, elderly sisters who barely scrape out a living. As the video shows, they live in a ramshackle house in sub-human conditions. Since one sister's son died, these women - 78 and 80 years old- were left to raise the granddaughter. One of them earns $7 a month from her son's military pension. In addition to this, they also go to the weekly market to sell incense, where together, they earn about a dollar. With a weekly income of $4.50 each, these kind women do not have enough money to afford basic food supplies. When I met them, they were eating week-old bread and were forced to cook with farm refuse, as they couldn't even afford normal wheat. They two women and the 9 year old granddaughter sleep on the same bed on a mattress that was in deplorable condition. Their shack is dark, though they do have a single bare light bulb for power. They have no running water and cook over scraps of firewood outside of their house. They are forced to beg for food from neighbors, but since most people in this run-down neighborhood are similarly poor, there is very little to go around.

Though Abel has very little to give, he has been helping these sisters any way he can. They lit up when they saw him arrive and were even more happy when we went out and bought them a real mattress with sheets! We are providing the sisters with $20 each per month to cover basic food and medical needs. Though this is a very small amount of money for most of us, it is a huge boost for Marisu and Mami. They now have money to cook for themselves and get the medicine they need.

Samson and Muluya are two students in Abel's high school, each facing very tough challenges. Samson is an orphan who lived in a tiny village in the mountains. Since there is no future for him there, Aunt Sisko asked a local family in Lalibela if they could allow Samson to sleep somewhere in their house, so he could at least attend school in town. He currently stays in a storage room next to the family's house, sleeping on a bed made of rocks and a layer of goatskin leather. He does not even own a change of clothes. All he wants is to succeed in school so he can improve his lot in life.

Our other student in need is Muluya; his mother has passed away and his father has AIDS. Though his father is too weak to work full-time, he tries his best as a day worker, earning $1.25 a day. As he told me, "All I want is a better future for my son." Cause and Affect purchased mattresses for each of the boys, bought them a set of supplemental textbooks to help them in their studies and gave them some money to purchase some basic clothes. In addition, we are providing them with $12 per month each, to take care of some basic food needs. The boys are very excited to receive the assistance and are actively studying. They are aware that getting an education is their only hope for a better future.

For less than $600, Cause and Affect is providing 6 months of support for these two elderly sisters, these two students and some assistance to Aunt Sisko and Abel as well. It is amazing how far your contributions are able to go in Ethiopia. Cause and Affect will be returning there from June 5th - 9th to search for more recipients, so please donate to the cause.






Thank you for your continued support. Please give to projects like this on our website using credit card or paypal. To see our recent projects, please visit our blog.

WATCH OUR FIELD REPORT VIDEO HERE.

Building a New Home for Impoverished Guatemalan Family

WATCH VIDEO REPORT HERE

Anywhere on earth, the loss of a loved one can decimate a family, but for Mayan families living in poverty in rural Guatemala, the absence of a parent can be especially trying. Such is the case here in Pajomel, a tiny hamlet located high above the shores of the picturesque Lake Atitlan, where Miguel and his two kids Miguelito and Sonia were left to fend for themselves after his wife passed away more than 5
years ago. Without steady work, Miguel has to support his kids (now aged 11 and 7), which is difficult as he is unable to travel to other regions of Guatemala to do seasonal agricultural work (as most men in the region do).
A few months ago, my mother Linda, while on a field visit with Feed the Dream, one of Cause & Affect's local partners (as seen in this field report here) a local non-profit organization, was appalled to witness the terrible living conditions young Sonia and her family were subject to. They inhabited a tiny shack made of the most basic materials and had no stove to cook on, so they had to cook in their home, inhaling fumes and smoke, which is very hazardous. There was only one bed for the three of them and no insulation from the cold or rain. Mold, insects and rodents were common challenges.
WATCH VIDEO REPORT HERE

Upon my arrival in Guatemala, my mother expressed her desire to somehow, someway, buils young Sonia and her family a new home. We set out finding local organizations that could assist us in our quest and through our network of non-profits in Guatemala, we discovered ConstruCasa, which builds homes for rural impoverished families in need. But before we could build the home, there were two obstacles we had to overcome:
1) They build new homes with durable materials for $4,000 but require at least $1,000 from the family. Since Miguel has to stay at home to support his kids, he has few opportunities to work, so for someone earning $80 a month, having to pay $1,000 is out of the question. Luckily, Cause & Affect was able to step in and pay the $1,000 with the agreement that Miguel will pay about 10% of his income over the next 24 months towards ConstruCasa for his home.

2) They only build homes for families that are integrated with other programs to provide educational and health opportunities, so as to assist these families on a more comprehensive level. So we contacted Feed the Dream and Amigos de Santa Cruz since they already work with families in the region, they agreed to integrate the family into their nutrition program. Thanks Pat!
WATCH VIDEO REPORT HERE

So all we had to do was donate $1,000 and construction would begin!

$330 of that amount was donated by my sister Julia, who is working with Cause & Affect on her Service Semester as an early graduate of Wheaton North High School. After weaving and selling friendship bracelets, she raised $1,200 to donate towards Cause & Affect projects in Guatemala and Brazil. Her donation is a wonderful boost towards making this family's dream a reality. Well done, Jules!

Two weeks later, construction on the home began and 5 days after that, everything was complete! My mother continued her amazing commitment to help by purchasing $400 of supplies, such as tables, chairs, a stove, 2 beds with pillows, sheets and blankets,
as well as kitchen and cleaning supplies for the entire family. As you can see from the photos, they are overjoyed to have a safe and warm home to live in. This will also help the kids excel in school as they will have light to read and do their homework. We are so happy for the opportunity to team up with ConstruCasa and Feed the Dream to provide such a wonderful boost to this wonderful family beset by challenges!
WATCH VIDEO REPORT HERE and CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE PROJECTS HERE.