Ethiopa is no stranger to poverty, with around 25 per cent of Ethopians living below the international poverty line of $1.90. This raises the incidence of child malnutrition and limits access to education, with many children having to take on jobs to help support their families.
Selam comes from one such family living in these difficult circumstances. Selam lives with her two sibilings – one sister and one brother. The family received the sad news that their father died while Selam was still very young, and their mother found herself having to work very hard during that time to ensure the family’s survival.
Unfortunately Selam’s mother’s efforts were not enough to provide for all the three children alone and due to the terrible poverty that the family were in, Salem’s older brother had to leave high school without completing his education and begin work in casual labour to provide for the family. Additionally, Salem’s sister also had to begin working, and managed to continue to study part time while working in a government office as a janitor for a very small salary.
Selam was registered on the sponsorship programme when she was four years old, but it took until the age of seven for her to be chosen by a sponsor for sponsorship. This became the transforming point of her life as she was then supported through that sponsorship on the Right Path Child Development programme with the World in Need Global Family in Pakistan. They ensured that she had all her school materials, medical care and the nutrition she needed, and could stay in education.
With Selam’s sponsor continuing to support her from 2007 to this day, she has had the wonderful opportunity to graduate with a degree in the Department of Medical Laboratory at the Africa Beza College! Now that Selam is 23 years old, she is ready to start her new life and support her family, taking the burden from her mother and siblings.
At World in Need we are all extremely proud of Selam and how she has grabbed this opportunity for her future by working hard and achieving this success. Congratulations! Selam’s words to her sponsor sum up what this relationship across the world has meant to her, “I give you my thanks for all the years of love and support.”
If you would like to support Ethiopia’s Right Path programme then you can do so on our Donation page by choosing ‘Ethiopia’ as your preferred recipient.
