by Joy Casey
Every time I go to Ethiopia I come back with a little deeper understanding of the struggles the poor face. Ejigayo’s husband died of AIDS, and she and their son Samson have struggled with health problems secondary to being infected with HIV. But health issues are only half of their struggle.
There is a stigma in Ethiopia when a person is known to be HIV+ and this has affected Ejigayo’s ability to thrive economically. She has tried her best to earn money to feed her 12-year-old son Samson and herself, but because she is HIV+, her community refuses to employ her or buy anything from her. I found this brave, hard working woman and her son nearly destitute, without food or a place to live.
The church Ejigayo and Samson attend has seen to it that Samson goes to school, and he is currently in the 4th grade, but he does not have a lunch to take and the kids ridicule him. School lunches in Ethiopia are a big deal, and those without food or with “poor” lunches suffer from the attitudes of their classmates. Ejigayo and Samson have free antiretroviral medication (good news), but the medicine only works when it is accompanied with consistent and nutritious food (emphasis on both those descriptions), neither of which this small family has access to (bad news).
Would you or someone you know consider 'adopting' Ejigayo and Samson? With your help of $40 a month, Adoption Ministry 1:27 will make sure these two have healthy food every day (and yes, a lunch for Samson) and will find a place for them to live. You can “adopt” them from our website:
**Thanks to a generous family Ejigayo and Samson have now been sponsored! There are many more also in need - please visit our 'Adopt A Family webpage to read their stories.
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