Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5022596/
by Bonnie Neugebauer, after conversations with and presentations by World Forum Global Leaders Africa Region and the Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally: “Supporting Family and Community Investments for Young Children Globally”
“Selam” and handshakes all around, as Lynette Okengo, her son Silas, and I were welcomed into a family group home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As we chose seats in the living room and others settled around us, the house mother began preparing traditional Ethiopian coffee for us — roasting the beans over a brazier. We were served the delicious coffee poured into tiny cups from a dark pottery jebena and offered leaves of rue and sugar, with bread and popcorn.
Rahel Berhanu and Tsedale Endrids led the conversation about Hope for Children — a local Ethiopian NGO established in response to the AIDS pandemic and related problems — sharing the work and the stories of the children they care so much about. Founder Yewoinshet Masresha says that it’s about providing children with a childhood, no matter their circumstances. “To understand a child is to be present in their lives. Like a bird flying over them, you have to watch patiently, carefully, constantly, while keeping enough distance to let them move. ...