Helping Hebo's Helpless Children

My name is Abell Haile and I am a second year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia with an intended major in Psychology and minor in Spanish on the pre-med track. Born in the United States, I am an Eritrean American and this past winter I was blessed to be able to visit my parents’ home country of Eritrea for the first time in 15 years. While there, I was astounded by how different my parents’ upbringing was compared to the life they have been able to give me here in the United States. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Eritrea is only 582 US dollars compared to that of nearly 60,000 US dollars in the United States—as you can imagine, the majority of Eritrean people live in a state of poverty. As a result, many programs go underfunded, including schooling.

     My father’s hometown, Hebo, is a small village in the southern region of Eritrea,70 km from the capital, Asmara. In Hebo, Mariam Zion parish serves the whole village's population but also provides for 40 orphans (all under the age of 3). Despite limited resources, the nuns of Mariam Zion (The Daughters of Charity) work hard to feed, clothe and teach these infants without a home. 

     After speaking with The Daughters of Charity nuns, I am looking to raise money to help cover the cost of the children’s meals, clothing, school supplies and the necessary renovations needed. The Daughters of Charity, the children of the orphanage, the surrounding community and I would be extremely grateful for any donation in order to positively impact the lives of these children who have little in life other than love, hope and the grace of God. All of the proceeds for this GoFundMe will be donated to the sisters of Mariam Zion. Inserted here is a link to a photo gallery of the children.