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We urgently need your help to keep vulnerable children safe and stop families being torn apart
I’ve just got back from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I was there to see how your donations transform the lives of local children and one case in particular really touched me. It proved just how important your support is, how far your money goes and how much of a difference it really makes to children who have little more than the clothes they stand in.
I’d like to share Aamina’s story with you, because there are many more children in her situation and we need your help to reach them.
Aamina, aged nine, was born after her mother was raped. She lives on the streets of Addis Ababa, which I could see for myself, is a very dangerous place.
Every day Aamina’s mother has to leave her to go out begging, which is the only way she can get any money to rent a room for the night. If she’s lucky enough to get 3 birr (equivalent to just 20 pence) they can just afford a tiny space on the floor of a hostel. Here the two sleep side-by-side on a makeshift bed made from a sack.
This offers little security though, as Aamina is at risk of being abducted by child traffickers who prey on street children and sell them into exploitative labour, often far away, or into the sex industry. When I talked to Aamina she said, “It is scary living on the streets. I am scared of being taken.” I could see the worry in her eyes. It was truly heartbreaking.
Conscious that her daughter was both missing out on school and in danger of being attacked, Aamina’s mother approached EveryChild about getting her into our non-formal education scheme, just one of the vital projects your money helps to fund. We provided Aamina with a uniform and the materials she needed to attend.
The non-formal education classes are a lifeline to children whose families cannot afford to send them to regular school. Here they not only learn, but also make friends and play. Even though the classroom is small and run-down, the children’s faces beam with heart-warming smiles. They are all eager to learn and happy to have been given the chance of a brighter future. And as long as the children are at the centre, they’re off the streets and safe from the risk of abuse or trafficking.
Aamina has been there for six months now. Maths is her favourite subject. We believe, as I’m sure you do, that every child has the right to an education. That’s why it’s so uplifting to see a child born into such abject poverty given the chance to fl ourish – all thanks to your generosity.
But Aamina’s living situation is still very fragile. So EveryChild is arranging more suitable accommodation so that Aamina and her mother can stay together in safety. Stopping families being torn apart is key to our work.
We must keep Aamina off the streets to give her the best chance of growing up in a secure, stable and loving environment. But we can only make this happen with your kindness. That’s why I’m asking you to play a huge part in ensuring her story has a happy ending.
Aamina’s case is just the tip of the iceberg though. I saw a heart-breaking number of children, just like her, who are desperate for our help. That’s why we urgently need additional funds so that we can reach more children and protect them from horrific abuse.
We want as many children as possible to have an alternative to life on the streets. And not just in Ethiopia. We work with children all over the world who can’t go to school, but have to work in appalling conditions to survive and who are abused and exploited. Children who deserve every opportunity to grow up with happy memories of childhood.
This can only happen with your ongoing goodwill. As I said earlier, a donation from you means the difference between life at risk on the streets or the hope of a future free from fear to children like Aamina.
Thank you.
With best wishes
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