Home Visits in Bole

Bole is a neighborhood in Addis Ababa and is the location of the Bole Addis Ababa International Airport.  Despite Bole being one of the wealthier neighborhoods of the city, it is home to some of the poorest people in Addis.  The streets we walked on to conduct our home visits contained large, beautiful homes.  However, the homes of the beneficiaries we visited  were the size of closets with mud for walls and floors.  There was no running water, refrigerators, telephones, stoves, or electricity. 

One of the first families I visited has extreme difficulty obtaining water.  The husband has HIV and is unable to work.  The neighbors know that he is positive and will not allow the family to obtain water from their local area so the family has to go a much further distance and carry their water home.  Many families affected by HIV not only face the affects of having a lifelong deadly disease, but they also experience persecution from neighbors, family, and previous friends. 

Another woman I met and her daughter, Brooklynish, (see picture) live in a small, mud apartment that cost about $10 a month.  Her brother pays $2 a month and the project pays $8 a month towards her rent. When she found out she was pregnant, her only partner and boyfriend left her.  Not only did he break her heart, but he gave her HIV.  The project has been able to help her not only financially and medically, but the project has been able to provide her with support through friendships and the love of the Lord. Maria and I were able to share with her about ourselves and what God has done in our lives.  She is one of the many women I met while in Bole who will forever impact my life.