This week I was waiting outside the compound and was passed by one of our regular school taxi drivers. As he had time before his next appointment, he had purchased a big bag of bananas from one of the “souks” nearby. It began to rain so I followed him into the compound where I watched him pass out the bananas to all the guards. They were clearly happy to receive this small gesture of friendship.

Earlier in the week I received an email from one of our Bingham families saying that they had some blankets that they didn’t need and would Y’tesfa Birhan be able to pass them on.

I recall visiting two of our Muslim girls, Dunea and Kemiriya, last year who lived in a shelter at the back of a barn. The shelter was only big enough to accommodate the bed, which was their only piece of furniture. Some of their few belongings hung on nails that protruded from the corrugated iron walls. Three weeks ago there was a fire while they were in bed. It wiped out their little shelter and everything in it. Thankfully they weren’t hurt. Neighbours gave from the little that they had: clothes and other items to meet their immediate needs. The girls have since been housed temporarily in an empty “souk”, with no electricity, whilst they wait for the police to come and take photographs of the scene. They don’t know what will happen next. For bedding they had been sharing a fire damaged cover. What they needed most - was blankets!

Meseret lived with her mum who has AIDS down on the river bank within a cluster of similar insubstantial dwellings. Recently her mum became ill again and was repeatedly coughing. Particularly poor Ethiopians are aware of the ravages of cholera and although tests showed this Mum was not suffering from the disease, those nearby began to ostracize the pair, making their lives really difficult. Their plight was explained to our head guard Lemma who has a school that I have blogged about in the past. Within his compound he also had a spare “icabait” (service quarters). This he prepared and Meseret and her mum have now moved. They are enjoying security and friendship and Meseret is completing Grade 8 at Lemma’s school. When I spoke to her this week, Meseret was looking the most relaxed and happy that I have ever seen her.

When I was chatting to Lemma he commented “If people are in need we have to help.” This from a man whose own daughter passed through the Compassion programme, and who currently cares for three (almost) orphaned young boys in his home.