Month of Change- Day 13

One of the most rewarding pieces of Eyes That See for me is watching kids be kids.  We all know that kids are growing up too fast and this could not be any more evident than in Ethiopia.  These kids that we work with are worrying about food, clothing, shelter, their siblings, and disease.  Often times these girls and boys look so serious and sad.  When they first join our program you can see the calluses of life all over them.

We have told about it before, but the kids come to our site mainly to be kids.  They know their school is paid for, they will get to eat, and that they don't have to worry within our walls.  You can see all of these worries fall off of them as they walk past the front gate.

There is a sweet family in Kentucky who told friends about this project and raised some money for these kids.  Because of this money, every kid got a new pair of shoes.  They no longer only owned broken croc shoes, but now a nice pair of Ethiopian dress shoes as well.  With the rest of the money, this family wanted to buy something else that was needed.

In Ethiopia there is need everywhere.  There is always another person to feed, clothe or house.  At the same time, there is a need to see kids be kids and adults have dignity and joy.  The staff at LIA decided to invest in these things and buy a basketball hoop and table tennis set.  I can't tell you the joy that these items brought.  By providing the money for these two things our friends, the Rowe family, gave as much joy as a trip to Disneyworld.  Now all of the students in our program can play and laugh everyday.

our kids being kids.

Thanks for the example, Rowe family, and thanks to everyone who is a part of this "Month of Change."