Newsletter - Spring 2024
Board Member Visits to Medhen
Dear M.O.R.E. Family,
Happy Spring! As the trees are blooming and flowers are blossoming, we would like to take time to share a little about what has been happening with M.O.R.E.
In the past 18 months, 11 of our 14 board members have traveled to Addis Ababa to visit the Medhen Social Center. We all had similar, yet unique, experiences on our visits - educating the staff, setting up laptops, gaining a better understanding of the reach and impact of the services & programs sponsored / co-sponsored by M.O.R.E, and brainstorming new ideas with Sister and her staff.
Several of us went on outings with a busload of children to share new experiences with them, but a favorite activity for all was helping the children pick out new clothes which were donated by M.O.R.E. The smiles on their faces were priceless. Each child received a new shirt or top, pants, socks, underwear, sweatshirt or fleece, and shoes. Thank you to all of our generous donors that have provided clothes or money towards this effort - with a special thank you to Kathy Snyder for sharing her sewing talents by making clothes for the children.
October 2022: Board members Jen and Jack Baxter, along with Wendy Dewey and Sandy Smith Krantz, visited Medhen.
Highlights of their trip included distributing clothing to the children, accompanying the children on an outing to Unity Park, visiting client homes with Sister Senkenesh and her staff of social workers, spending time at the preschool and after school programs, and observing the efforts at the weaving center that employs special needs young adults, while purchasing some beautiful scarves from them. If you are interested in a scarf, visit www.etsy.com/shop/cardsformore to view and purchase.
Yodit Amaha visited several times during 2022, 2023, and 2024
With Yodit's strength and depth of experience in social work, she facilitated training seminars for the staff on a variety of topics to help them become more proficient in subjects such as effective communication, as well as dealing with severe trauma from the Civil War - a condition faced by many families seeking services at Medhen. Yodit is working hard in helping the staff grow to meet the changing needs of the community.
November 2023: Jim Miller traveled back to Ethiopia after a break of eight years. Accompanying him was his sister, Gwen Zack and Andrea Santos. The week was spent with the children, caregivers, Medhen Social Center (MSC) staff, and Sister Senkenesh.
The first day at the Medhen Social Center (MSC) compound in Addis Ababa, they were welcomed with a party consisting of the very first three children that were left with Sister Senkenesh more than two decades ago! They had suffered the loss of both parents and were orphaned before the age of six. Sister Senkenesh and Jim worked together to place them in a safe home of a couple in the community who were financially impoverished, but rich in love and compassion. This was 1998 when the spirit of M.O.R.E. was born. It was a joyous reunion experience to learn all three are successful adults. They also brought their adopted mother, now in her 80s, and their children who are around the same ages that they were when first dropped off at MSC! Other children that were part of the program early on were also present, and they too brought their adopted parents, and their own children. The time spent together was emotional and unforgettable.
On the second day, they took a group of 5- to 10-year-old children on a bus to a commercial rose flower farm outside of Addis. They enjoyed the children’s singing, laughter, and joyfulness of the day. The week went on with many more awe-inspiring interactions with the beneficiary children, caregivers, events, meetings, songs, and prayers. Most importantly, the experience gave Jim the ability to reflect on memories of past trips. It has provided him renewed inspiration to support the mission and for Gwen and Andrea to understand all the programs provided.
The experiences from recent visits to Medhen provide a snapshot of the scope and reach of the programs that M.O.R.E. supports. Be on the lookout for our next newsletter which will highlight some of the other recent visits of our Board to Medhen.
Currently, M.O.R.E. reaches over 650 children, parents, and caregivers. With a holistic approach, the Center is able to assess and determine which service(s) each child needs, along with their family members. Annual inflation, which has run above or near 30% since 2021, has made it more difficult for our beneficiaries to move beyond dependency on the services and programs provided by Medhen and M.O.R.E. As a result, the number of people applying to join the programs continues to grow faster than those exiting. Sister and her staff are limited to providing help based on current funding constraints, which has created a crisis in meeting the basic human needs of those who are most dependent.
Thank you to all the angel donors who have made these 25 years so effective and successful… one dollar and one child at time. Please join us in keeping the work at Medhen viable, so we can continue helping more of those in dire need.
What better way to recognize your loved ones than through a donation honoring or in memory of them. Father's Day is just around the corner.....please consider a donation in his honor / memory.
