Reaching out for them to stand on their feet
As part of PBF’s vast humanitarian support, searching for the forgotten and most needy people and enabling them to stand on their feet (apart from getting the basic food) is one of the major tasks. Here is the examples of Ereta Tesfaw, Debesa Tesfaye and Tertaraw Alamrew
They came from a different countryside villages out of Lalibela and we found them living at the same compound where an old man offered them tiny plastic shelters.
- Ereta Tesfaw
Ereta Tesfaw is an 18 years old boy who came from a countryside called Sarzina just to continue his high school. He became blind just few years ago including his seven family members except the mother, because of Glaucoma. we found him in a tiny room with a plastic roof at the same compound where the lady Debesa Tesfaye is living. But Ereta had also some complicated daily life because of his blindness; he is supposed to pay for someone to read him the books, he is supposed to pay for his room mate to cook for him(the little food ingredients his parents send him every two weeks) and to get some educational materials. Surprisingly, with all his problems, Ereta is a very good student and ranked second from his class. With due consideration of all his challenges and his commitment, we helped him to get some mattress and cooking materials. We have also supported him with the required educational materials as a blind. Moreover, Ereta is now under our students list and get the regular monthly support so that he is fully concentrating on his studies.
- Debesa Tesfaye
Debesa Tesfaye, a 27 years old lady who came from Yimrehane Kirstos just one year ago. She is a widow woman having three kids 7,4 and 2 years old. She came to Lalibela in search of some work because she was not able to feed her kids after she was divorced. When she decided to come, she knew only Lalibela was a good place for her to get work but she doesn’t know where to stay and how to get to know people. When she was walking around with her three kids, some kind old man met her and helped her to stay with them after she told all her stories. That old man lives with a wife and offered her a small tiny room with a plastic roof.
She then started working some home to hike activities like she prepares food grains, wash clothes and other household activities for people who can pay her little penny for her kids.
The PBF team realized all her stories and the miserable life she has we helped her to start some other income generating work. This is buying some food crops and grains from wholesalers and she resells it at the market with some profit.
Debisa is now working hard at the market and she is able to feed her three kids well. She is so thankful for the support and has got back her good dreams for her future.
Though PBF can not make miracles, but it is such great at least to make those kinds of forgotten people to live the life they deserve as a human.
- Tertaraw Alamrew
Tertaraw Alamrew is a 37-year-old deaf adult. Tertaraw can write English language and he is communicating with people with in sign language and by writing English but couldn’t his families native language Amharic. He has three brothers and three sisters, his father died when he was a child and he still lives with his mother.
His mother, two sisters and he live in poverty condition in the house. He was met Dr Peter in person when he was visited Lalibela in 2023. Tertaraw is the very innocent person and a PBF real target, He was getting irregular help from PBF for several times. But when Dr Peter visited Lalibela, he was requested for family help project that he able to work for earning income for family.
PBF, as it always does, believed in the importance of implementing a self-help project for this real target and opened a game house with 2 pools for his income generating. Tertaraw is very grateful for PBF and we working on his project at the moment.
Mesay Mekuanint and Abebe Zewdu