Volunteering at an Orphanage in Ethiopia

Volunteering with the Art Joy Love Project

How did the idea even come up?

After national service, the army, and two more years working in a youth movement, we decided, like typical Israelis before real life begins, that we had to see a bit of the world. We started out wanting to travel specifically to volunteer, and only after that did we plan the rest, which included another 3 months of traveling in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

There is something about the phrase "we're flying to volunteer in Ethiopia" that makes anyone who hears it look at you with admiration and gratitude, and when you add the words "in an orphanage," people don't even know how to react to all the kindness dripping from you... How do you even begin to explain to people that we were the ones privileged to get a glimpse into and be part of an amazing world we didn't even know existed six months ago?

We flew to volunteer at an orphanage named "Ahope", located in Addis Ababa and designated for HIV-positive orphans. The volunteer program is an initiative of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, which has been leading an organization called "Art joy love" for many years. The collaboration between the orphanage and the hospital began years ago when hospital representatives developed a unique drug cocktail that delays the onset of the HIV virus in children and teenagers. The connection grew when volunteers from the hospital arrived at various orphanages across Ethiopia to distribute the medication. In recent years, after many years where medication became part of daily routine at the orphanage, volunteers from Israel started being sent to various orphanages across Ethiopia so that, alongside medication routines, they could add social activities and build personal, loving connections with the kids.

Getting started...

We arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday, 1/10/15. The initial feeling was shock, as typical when arriving in a Third World country. Although there are main roads, traffic lights, and cars on the street, the moment you step into an Ethiopian taxi for the first time, you realize that what would long ago have been scrapped in Israel is considered a luxury car in Ethiopia (which apparently justifies the driver charging us double just because of our skin color).

We reached the guesthouse we knew was supposed to be close to the orphanage. Well, it might have been close, but getting from there to the orphanage was quite an ordeal... Public transport in Ethiopia relies on vehicles structured like shared minibuses in Israel, meant for about 10 passengers, but in Ethiopia, they pack in at least 20 people sitting crammed, sweating, on top of each other, just waiting for the ride to end! Furthermore, journeys involve many taxi transfers along the way, where each ride lasts about 3 minutes before you have to get off. Consequently, a trip that should take 15 minutes in a private car can take over an hour. Without a doubt, out of the entire volunteering period, this was the part we'll miss the least, though it was an experience and an integral part of Ethiopian culture and lifestyle.

We reached the orphanage for the first time and met the manager, Mengesha. We went over rules and regulations, an overview of the orphanage, and what was expected of us in the coming period.

Meeting the kids

There are about 30 children in the orphanage, 5 of whom are babies and the rest attend kindergarten and school. The oldest kid, a 16-year-old boy named Meskelu, is undoubtedly the leader of the group.

The first time we met them, of course, they laughed at us and tried to make up new names for themselves. It took time before they opened up and realized they could connect with us.

Luckily, the second time we came to the orphanage was a Saturday, which is a day off, so the kids were at the orphanage all day and didn't go to school. This gave us a lot of time with them right at the start, which earned us many points with them.

And then slowly, they became faces with names.

Betty, Beza, Patrick, Miron, Sami, Nati, Eshetanau, Miki, Bareket, Flor, Tsnet, and Yosef are just some of these amazing kids who stepped right into our hearts. Although it's very hard to communicate with children without a shared language, over time we learned that communication can be built on a few words in English, broken sentences in Amharic, and one Hebrew word they will never forget—Meshuga (crazy)!

What about the daily routine?

We would arrive every day and wait for the kids to return from school. The main shortage in the orphanage is creating activities with added value for the kids once they return from school. There is no atmosphere of discipline or educational process, but rather care taking and passing the time for the children.

This is where volunteers step in to do whatever they want—ball games, cards, coloring books, jump rope, reading in English, arts and crafts, and anything else you can think of. It is very important to bring supplies from home because they aren't always available on site, and it adds immensely to the experience!

One of the things we really loved was going to church with the kids on Sundays. There's a church located near the orphanage, and some of the kids liked going to it on Sundays. Usually, people attend church as a family in formal clothes, much like going to synagogue, whereas our kids usually walked alone in tattered clothes... The first time we walked with them hand in hand, we felt how proud they were that someone was taking them and caring for them.

In addition, it was very important for us to teach and practice English with them. Occasionally a private teacher would come to volunteer and give lessons, and we would come to assist her. It was the only shared language with the kids, and it was rewarding to know there was a school subject where we could help them.

And what happens with the kids?

So, of course, the ideal goal is to place the kids for adoption. During our volunteering period, there were two very emotional goodbyes—one family from the US came to adopt Betty and Tsnet (ages 15, 16) and a second family came from the US to adopt Samuel (11).

Each farewell was accompanied by a moving ceremony in which the staff and children bade farewell to those leaving. From a brief conversation we had with one of the families, there's one sentence that stays with us to this day: "This is a real opportunity to change this child's life," and so it was.

The children who remain at the orphanage are naturally supportive and happy for them, but it's accompanied by great sadness. The goal is to first try to get the older children adopted. There are children who have been at the orphanage for over 10 years, and sadly, it's uncertain if they will ever be adopted.

The kids who arrive at the orphanage grow up in very good conditions compared to general standards in Ethiopia. They receive 3 meals a day, medical care, showers, regular schooling, a bed, and an overall sense of family. Although they are orphans and most have gone through a lot before reaching the orphanage, once they arrive, they receive great conditions to succeed later in life—at university, work, starting a family, etc.

The most meaningful experience - Noy

A few days before we finished volunteering and returned home to Israel, a delegation from the US arrived consisting of board members of the orphanage. In honor of their arrival, they organized a fun pool day for the kids, and we happily joined them.

I have seen kids smile and be happy many times, but joy like that of 30 kids entering a pool probably for the first time in their lives—there's nothing quite like it. It was without a doubt the peak moment and the greatest fulfillment of the entire volunteering period. To us, it's taken for granted that a young child goes to the pool or the beach with their parents, who teach them how to swim and dive, but they had never had that experience. They got new swimsuits and got into the water; of course they didn't know how to swim or dive, and it was wonderful to be with them that day, teach them, and watch them enjoy and play in the water.

The most meaningful experience - Dror

Among the items I brought from Israel to the orphanage were strings for making bracelets, the kind I spent endless hours making with friends throughout my childhood. On our first day at the orphanage, we sat down with all the kids who wanted to join and started teaching them. The beginning was very hard; everyone wanted to learn, everyone struggled, and the lack of a shared language certainly didn't help. As days went by, more and more kids learned to make bracelets; in fact, most learned from each other during hours when we weren't even at the orphanage. The bracelets and strings became our signature mark, and it was the first thing the kids asked for every time we arrived at the orphanage.

It was moving and fulfilling to see that we managed to give these kids something that was meaningful during our own childhood, and the peak came on our last day before returning to Israel—we walked into the living room and saw all the kids sitting together quietly, making bracelets. There was a sense of closing a circle and immense satisfaction.

The goodbye

The farewell was hard and painful. It was sad thinking we might never see them again in life, and unfortunately, there were no other volunteers coming to replace us. These are amazing children, and I wish as many people as possible would adopt as many children as possible and give them the greatest gift you can offer—changing someone's life.

In summary, this was an incredible experience we couldn't have had anywhere else. The true privilege was ours—to get to know a new world, with amazing children and huge hearts who are simply looking to love and be loved in return. Without a doubt, it puts into perspective many of the things we deal with daily and allows us to support a country where local resources for this are limited.

It's a fun, warm country with a rich, interesting culture and strong pride. The people we met during the volunteering period (not just the kids, but the staff as well) made us fall in love with the country and culture, which is why we enjoyed the rest of our trip so much.

This volunteering program is suitable mainly for those looking for something organized and structured. The minimum requirement is 3 weeks of volunteering, so there's enough time to form a meaningful bond and experience for both volunteers and children.

To contact the organization - "Art joy love", email the following:

Adi Ornay - ornaiadi@gmail.com

Prof. Dan Engelhard - engelhard@hadassah.org.il

Facebook: Art Joy Love

Dror Kedem, 23, Kochav Ya'ir. Noy Gorky, 23, Pardesiya.

We both decided to fly and volunteer in Africa as part of our trip. We met through work—we both worked for two years in the Scout movement managing local chapters in the Sharon region.

The decision to fly to Ethiopia was made very quickly, after it was clear to us that we were looking for a short volunteering setup focused on youth and child education, after which we could continue traveling across the country.

We definitely made the right decision!

After our first month of volunteering, we continued traveling around Ethiopia, moved on to Tanzania and Zanzibar, and in the end, homesickness for the kids took over and we returned to Addis Ababa for two more weeks at the orphanage before heading back home to Israel.