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Flying
in Africa in small missionary planes like the Cessna described
here
isn’t always as comfortable as jet travel is here in America.
Those small planes can really be tossed around by updrafts
of warm air as they fly over canyons and ridges.
I remember some flights I took while in Ethiopia that
made me feel like I was on a monster roller-coaster. Although
I don’t get motion sick easily, it took me a full day
to recover from one of those particularly turbulent flights.
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| Since
opening a Girls Club that catered
to the unique needs of Ethiopian
girls, the number of girls going
to the Mekelle Center went from
five to more than 100 in just
four years! |
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When SIM opened the Mekelle Youth
Center in Ethiopia, we wanted to provide
a place to reach youth through relationships
and with fun and educational activities.
Although hundreds of boys took advantage
of the center from the very start,
only a handful of girls attended.
In Ethiopia, girls are expected to
work at home—cooking, cleaning,
and caring for younger siblings—and
must receive permission to go somewhere.
Unlike boys who can just “hang
out” at the center, girls must
have a reason to go.
To address this difference, Mekelle
started a structured Girls Club in
2003. At the time, only five girls
wereattending the center, but that
number rapidly increased. Structured
programs designed specifically for
girls gave them a reason to attend
the |
center, and by the end of the second summer,
more than 100 girls were participating in
Mekelle’s programs!
The girls have played games, learned crafts
and life skills, and participated in
Anti-AIDS Clubs and sporting events. Many
girls also visited a blind school/orphanage
where they became shining examples of how
youth can make a positive difference
in the community.
Thanks to your support of the Mekelle Youth
Center, these girls have benefited from new
friendships, learned new skills, and gained
greater confidence in themselves. Most important,
many of these girls are spending time in God’s
Word—learning more and more about God
and what it means to live a life that is pleasing
to Him.
Project Number -
92742
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