No, Layla House is definitely not a New Age Spa! But recently, two massage therapists spent a month there teaching our caregivers the techniques and benefits of infant massage. A licensed massage therapist, Lesley Majzlin visited Layla House last March to help with a group of high school volunteers and knew right away she wanted to come back for an extended period of time to share her passion with the children and staff. She persuaded her friend and fellow massage therapist Ellen Roth to come along. While there they worked with infants and toddlers as well as some of the older children with physical challenges and at Opportunity House, our facility for special needs children. Lesley raised the money for her trip and collected many donations for Layla from her friends and clients back home and the quotes below come from her letters to them about her experience. It is wonderful for AAI to have volunteers with specific professional skills coming to share their talents at Layla House.
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I taught a full week of infant massage classes and it's amazing! They love it and keep adding in times for classes for me to teach making my days very full! I have a translator who is relaying all of my teaching into Amharic - so cool! The house mothers are loving it and the babies are very receptive. I have also been working on the older kids especially those with special needs.
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I have been massaging a little baby with no arms who uses his feet to do everything - I worked on his little feet and legs that are so overused and he was smiling and giggling and laughing - I took a great photo of him after the session!
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The young girl who had both her legs in casts is now cast free! We are doing some stretches and massage with her to get her legs moving again and she is seeing a physical therapist when possible to ensure she will have treatment after my departure...It is a challenge for her indeed. She is most comfortable when squatting all the way down and scooting her feet one at a time and this is how she "walks". She has a long way to go and no adoptive family at this time, but her smile is bright and it lights her way.... ***************
Thank you all for your support in making this trip a possibility. Never underestimate how little it takes to make a global difference. Together, anything is possible and from deep within my heart, I am grateful to have had you along for this journey in this life.
The following blog post was submitted by Alexa Lawson, one of our tireless volunteers at Layla House this winter. Hailing from Montana, Alexa's burning desire was to take some of the kids camping!
The desire to take the older boys on an excursion into the wild developed soon after my arrival to volunteer at Layla House-----and now the long-awaited day had finally come!Our ability to take this amazing trip came about through the generosity of our local friend Robel Saido.After asking him for suggestions of where we might be able to camp and horseback ride, Robel took it upon himself to not only make all the arrangements, but also to have his company cover the majority of the costs.
On the appointed day, we eventually had everyone gathered and loaded, and we were underway.We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant, a rare treat, where we discovered that M___ had a bottomless pit for a stomach, ordering the largest meal and devouring it before moving on to dispose of everyone else’s leftovers.Afterwards, we piled into the van once again to make our way to Lake Wenchi where adventure awaited but we were halted for while by an overheated engine.By resorting to using precious bottled waters to cool the radiator, we eventually were operational again, making our way to the Wenchi Park entrance, paying the entrance fee, and meeting with Robel’s guys.
In the small bright yellow pickup sitting low to the ground with all the supplies and people, we traveled slowly down a steep and rocky road, eventually stopping about two hundred yards from the edge of the lake where a large, white, circus-style tent was already set up.After unloading the truck, the boys rushed down to the lake, excited by the prospect of swimming.Taking a few moments to revel in the beauty of the lake, and to breathe deeply of the pollution-free air, I returned to the tent to set up house and prepare dinner.Having attracted the attention of the local children whose hut was a mere ten yards from our tent, I invited them, a little tyke named Abu and a girl with a smile a mile wide, into the tent to play with the game of Connect Four we’d brought with us.Though the objective of the game was lost on them, they enjoyed themselves nonetheless until they were shooed away by their father.
The evening meal was hobo balls, a staple of my camping trips in Montana – rice, meat, and vegetables mixed together and wrapped in aluminum foil then thrown directly into the fire to heat up – the boys came back wet and cold from their swim, and I took the chance to go photograph the beauty of Ethiopia’s natural landscape.With the wind increasing in strength and all the boys chilled by the icy lake waters, we set up the beds, with all 25+ blankets, though I was fearful we didn’t have enough to ward off the cold setting in as the sun began to dip below the horizon.I passed out the jerseys I’d gotten for the six boys; each one thrilled to be sporting new apparel from their favorite teams.
After letting the boys try their hands – unsuccessfully – at starting a fire, the locals took over and with the efficiency of those who depend on fire daily, had a fire going in no time.The strong winds made cooking over the fire quite a challenge, the bread ending up a lump of inedible charcoal, and only about one third of the popcorn kernels actually popped.Luckily, the boys were hungry enough that they weren’t overly picky.Having not planned for the extra eight to ten individuals that we ended up sharing dinner with, I ate sparingly.
Huddled around the fire for warmth, we passed the evening marveling at the star-strewn sky, the boy’s laughter filling me with warmth as I rejoiced in being able to offer them this opportunity to be young men, free from the monotony of everyday orphanage life.Thankful the boys were ready to retire by about nine, we headed to the tent, bundled up with all the layers we had, and steeled ourselves for a cold, windy night.Bright and early we again fought the gusty winds to get a fire started in order to cook eggs for breakfast.Again, underestimating the appetites of six growing boys, I went without in order to ensure they had had their fill.Then we packed up camp, leaving Robel’s guys to take down the large tent, and we negotiated a price with the local men to row us across the lake.The strong winds got the best of us yet again as we fought against the currents to make our way to the other side.Stopping midway at an island to recruit other rowers, we took a brief moment to explore the island’s monastery before separating into two smaller boats and commencing on our way across the lake.After fighting for nearly half an hour to travel less than 300 yards, we finally reached the other side, and hiked a short distance to where the horses awaited.
We rode happily, the hours passing all too quickly as I attempted to capture the joy of these first-time adventures through my camera’s lens.We even sampled the natural spring of fizzy mineral water from which the bottled product Ambo comes, though I wasn’t bold enough to actually swallow it for fear of giardia.The outing proved H__’s astounding perseverance; though I didn’t witness the incident, he fell off the horse, but quickly rebounded and got right back on without fear. Also, when we came to a section of the trail where the horses could not carry passengers, H__ hiked up the steep, slippery grade like a champion.Reaching the top, he was exhausted by the effort, but proud that he had accomplished the feat when he had originally said, “I can’t.”After over two hours, we eventually made our way around the lake, and back up to the top of the mountain where our drivers awaited our arrival.Worn out by the hike, I sank happily onto the seat.As the drivers made a switch, I feverishly made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the hungry crowd with M___s help.Approaching Layla’s blue gates several hours later, I was both thankful and amazed that the weekend had gone so well, confident it would be a fond memory for these boys for years to come.
(Alexa with the t-shirt the boys surprised her with after the trip!)
We have new office spaces at Layla! Gail Gorfe sent the following post and pictures to show you some of the new, more comfortable offices for our hard-working and growing staff in Ethiopia. Enjoy and thanks to all who helped make this possible!
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The final touches have been completed in our new main office! About 2 months ago we started a renovation project in our main offices at the AAI facility in Ethiopia. This is the compound that we built and moved into about 3 years ago now.
The main office space on this compound is right by the entrance and was the restaurant and bar of the hotel in its "former life". When we bought the compound and first planned out the space, we decided that this location was the best for the office and that we would do only minor work to it, as there was so much else to do. The space itself was larger than any office we had worked in before, and even though the space did not have the best layout and had several different ground levels, we were excited to move in.
For those of you who have been to the previous "Layla houses", you know that we have generally had not much more than a large bedroom in the service building, or the garage space, as our office space. Of course back then we had only 1 or two office staff, only me in fact, for the first months. Over the years of course we have added more office staff as the work increased and the government requirements changed. We have always felt though, that the best place for an office was in the same location as the children, so even though we did not have much space, we did not feel that it was right to go out and rent something in another part of town and be removed from the kids.
At our Layla house facility, we have several office locations. The social workers have their office further into the compound where the older children live. The teachers have their own little office where they keep some personal items and do some preparation work during their free class each day. We have a "clinic area" for our doctor and nurses. Ivy, as the volunteer coordinator, has an office near the soccer field, where she works and the volunteers can keep their things. Each department has a place to keep their personal belongs and to sit for tea and lunch. The administrative and adoption staff work from the main office.
In the old main office arrangement there was an outside lunch space with a corridor that led up to the biggest office overlooking the gate Downstairs the small door by the main AAI gate, took you into the small outer office where the copy machine stood and directly into one of the two remaining offices. Along the wall was the long corridor where the financial staff worked. At the end of that corrider was the second office where Etsegenet our administrator handled the affairs on the 170+ staff employed by AAI in Ethiopia. Behind that was the meeting room, where lunch was eaten during the rainy season, and where the toddlers passed through to get to their class. In between all these little rooms was a secured little room for the financial records (as required in order to receive a positive financial audit report each year) and two narrow little bathrooms.
The hub of all office activity though was the little office I mentioned, right off the inner office where the actual adoption paperwork was handled. This was Tsehaye's office. Tsehaye is our adoption assistant and prepares all the adoption contracts, birth certificate, passport applications and much more. I worked out of this office with Tsehaye compiling the documents for the embassy, among other things. Also working out of this office were Yared, our court liason and Felekech and Sintaheyu, our project assistants, who both handle the running around with the kids/paperwork that is part of the adoption process. On a busy day there would be as many as 6 people standing, talking and discussing court issues, paperwork problems and driving schedules in this little cramped space.
With the addition of Temesgen to our team this year, and his desire to work right with the rest of the adoption staff, in clear view of all that was happening, and the many orphanage staff coming to our offices, it was high time for us to redesign our office space, so that our 11 office staff would have the needed space to work.
The work went very fast and every day we would walk through the space with the contractor giving comments and ideas and watching the exact same space become much more roomy. Last week the temporary wall came down; the furniture was moved from the outer office into the new office space. A large office for the financial staff, an office right near the outer office/reception for the administrator, an office for the court liason, and project assistants, and one office each for Tsehaye, Temesgen and myself. The washrooms are nicer and more roomy and together at the far end. The small outer office looks much bigger without the many entrances and the new reception desk is perfect for Eleni the secretary. There is lots of space for the copy machine and chairs for the waiting visitors or staff. The main door has also been changed and is now much bigger. The upper office has now been emptied out and has become our meeting and lunch room.
It is very nice to be able to sit down and do paperwork without the constant interruptions due to the crowded work spaces. We are all very happy with the changes and are enjoying this special Christmas bonus.
We want to thank all of you who helped make this renovation possible by giving donations for this purpose. It is not always easy to see the benefit of money spent on administrative details, but in the long run a better work environnment is a benefit to the kids we work so hard to care for. For those who would still like to give a donation, the costs have not yet been fully covered and the office is always open to your assistance.
We look forward to welcoming you into our offices when you come to pick up your kids, and our staff also enjoy meeting you and seeing the fruits of their labor.
It is always inspiring to see kids helping kids! We just received these great photos from Lindsey and Hirut about the pancake breakfast they held for the children of Layla House. Hirut was adopted several years ago and Lindsey is her good friend. They raised over $500 for the children at Layla House. Lindsey sent us the following note about their project:
"I am so happy to help out! I had so much fun putting together this fundraiser. Many people were blessed by it, even here. It's so cool to see how God can work in America and Ethiopia at the same time. My best friend is Hirut--a girl who came through this orphanage. She is a very wonderful friend and this orphanage made a huge difference in her life. I love to hear all her stories from the orphanage. I want to help you guys as much as I can so more kids will get the same chance Hirut did. I love to see the pictures! I have put in some pictures of our fundraising event for you to see. There is also one of me and Hirut. I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. Love, Lindsey"
Hi all, We just received this short report about the Holiday Celebration in Dire Dawa funded by contributions to the AAI Holiday Project. Thanks again everyone for making our Holiday Project the most successful ever. We should be getting a description and photos from the Layla celebrations soon.
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(group of sponsored children in their new clothes)
SHORT STATEMENT ABOUT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION HELD IN DIRE DAWA WITH THE SPONSORED KIDS
Adoption advocate international works in partnership with the Dire Dawa Administration women’s affair bureau and 41 children are included in our sponsorship program. Mainly those selected children are orphan and vulnerable who really needs our help and assistance. They have different backgrounds and passed through different misery in their life. Thus, the women’s affair bureau examined the problem and finally settles on working together with AAI to lessen the problem and brighten their future. We have been working jointly for three year and still AAI is supporting the needy ones.
(staff distributing the clothing to the sponsored students)
Currently the selected 41 disadvantaged children are being able to follow their schooling and lining up their future. Moreover by the money given from our office the children are pleasing their needs and making big efforts to get in touch with their long-term valued and esteemed ambitions. All of the sponsored children are very bright in their schooling. They are children with potential to see a better tomorrow. To keep the children move forward and at the bright spark A.A.I had a little gathering for Christmas with all our sponsored kids. Presents were given for the holiday and the children were thrilled to get their presents. We tried to make the present useful for the children thus; we enclosed clothing that will help them all through the year. There were also soft drinks, cookies and Christmas cake for the celebration and the children were eating, dancing & having a magnificent time. The ecstasies of the children were very pleasing too see and all of them were passing their appreciation to their sponsor families for the gift.
(top performing student cutting the celebration cake)
The program celebrated in the company of invited guests like community members, police officers, different government and non governmental organizations were at the program. We had also media coverage (Dire Television program).
In the mean time discussion was held about child trafficking in Dire Dawa city and how different concerning bodies have to play their part by focusing on the problem and get to the bottom of the crisis together in harmony. Since the issue was very concerning and broad the respected guests agreed to discuss the topic some other time.
In Ghana, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. In addition to our own children residing at Eban House, many more children benefitted from this year's Holiday Project donations. Anita Gillispie, AAI Ghana coordinator, sent in the description and accompanying photos of the celebrations that took place last week.
Mema Mo Afe Nhyia Pa!!!
"Merry Christmas, and May You Have a Blessed New Year!" This is the traditional greeting in Ghana this time of year. Christmas and New Year's are the two most significant holidays of the year in Ghana--both considered "religious festivals."
This year, through the generous donations to the AAI Holiday Project, four groups of children in Ghana had a very special holiday.
The small but thriving group of children benefiting from Family Preservation sponsorships received new clothes, shoes, socks and underwear, as well as a new toy, cookies, and soda. The families also received rice, oil, and other supplies in order to have a special Christmas dinner. Muna Saeed, administrator of Eban House in Ghana said, "The generosity of donors/parents has enabled AAI to make a difference in the lives of children through the humanitarian projects. Donors/Parents through AAI donated hundreds of dollars to support these less privileged children and their families. The plan of setting up humanitarian projects in Ghana will never go in vain. Rather bring up a smile in a child's face."
The Anaba Foster Home (a foster home that cares for about 10 foster children) received a large donation of everyday food, gifts for the children, and the supplies needed for a feast on Christmas Day. This home did not previously have a table and chairs to eat on. The house father was delighted to receive this special gift. The director of Anaba Foster Home said, "I want to thank you and the sponsors so much for this wonderful donation. The dining chairs are beautiful, as you can also see in the pictures. May our good Lord expand the life of AAI and all of us."
Charity Kingdom Orphanage (a small orphanage with mostly much older children) also received a very generous donation through the Holiday Project. At this home they received basic food items, gifts, and items needed for their Christmas feast. As you can tell from the photos, this is a home exploding with laughter and joy! The director of CKO said, "We really had a nice Christmas by the grace of God and by your help through Eban. We have got some goat, fowl, rice, oil and other things that helped for the Christmas. We have also appreciated the gifts for the kids received from Eban House. Thank you very much and love to you all out there."
And now for the festive holiday celebration at our own Eban House (where AAI currently cares for around 20 children in a semi-foster care environment). At Eban House the children all received new (beautiful!) hand-sewn clothes, new shoes and socks, and a few personal gifts to open. In addition, the staff members each received a large bag of rice for their holiday dinners, and material to make new dresses. The day at Eban consisted of going to church first thing in the morning. That was followed by a feast that included Goat, fufu and light soup, chicken and rice, cookies, sodas, and ice cream. The children decided upon the menu! Of course there was much dancing and game-playing after the Christmas dinner. Muna said, "The staff and children send their Christmas wishes to donors/parents and to you for their contribution towards the Christmas bonuses and parcels."
We've finalized the details for our first 2010 Return to Ethiopia Trip which will take place from June 19th to the 27th. The tour has been arranged through Susan Parr Travel in Port Angeles, WA. The cost will be $2500 per person/double occupancy including round trip travel on nonstop Ethiopian Airlines from Dulles to Addis Ababa. Participants must make individual arrangements to get to Dulles Airport prior to departure and can do that if they wish with Susan Parr Travel. Cost is subject to change with fluctuations in airline prices but participants will be kept informed.
The trip is designed for older adoptees (12 +) and their parents or guardians but others may be considered on a case by case basis (younger children, older children traveling alone, etc.). We think we've organized an exciting week with many educational and relaxing activities including an overnight visit to Nazret's Safari Lodge and Awash National Park. Below is the daily schedule we envision and all transportation to and from activities as well as some meals are included in the package price. AAI staff in Addis will accompany the group during many of the activities. Not included are trip insurance, visas ($20 upon arrival), passports, vaccinations, family visits, and travel to and from the departure point.
Participants may choose their own departure date from Addis, thus acomodating the desires of many to see birth family and visit additional tourist destinations. Where possible, AAI staff will help participants make arrangements for adoptees to see extended family while in country. An add-on excursion is available through Susan Parr Travel to Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela. It includes airfare, 3 nights, four days including transfers, hotels, guide and transportation to historical sites. The cost is $459.00 per person.
To make a reservation, call Kathy DeBenedette at Susan Parr Travel (1-800-455-7277). A non-refundable deposit of $500 will be due by February 1 to secure your spot. We reserve the right to cancel if we do not have enough participants (minimum 20, maximum 40, a second guide will be added if there are more than 25 participants). The tour guide will be Susan Poisson-Dollar, AAI Director of Development. She has led several volunteer trips to Ethiopia and is an adoptive parent herself. If you have any questions or need clarification, you can e-mail her at susanpd@adoptionadvocates.org .
2010 Return To Ethiopia Tour Details
DATES—JUNE 19—27 (includes leave date from Dulles airport)
Included: * lodging/breakfast at mid-range hotel in Addis and Nazret for entire stay * all transportation for group activities * some dinners and lunches (other dinners free for participants to explore local restaurants or meet friends)
SATURDAY--Leave from Dulles Airport on Ethiopian Air direct flight to Addis SUNDAY June 20th arrival in evening on ET Air flight/transport to King's hotel
MONDAY—JUNE 21 Breakfast 7-9am City tour and orientation 10—2 (w/group lunch and visit to university) 2-5 Orphanage visit to deliver donations/compound tour (or return to hotel for rest option if needed) 6-7 pm group dinner with Merrily, Susan Poisson-Dollar and other AAI staff members
TUESDAY—JUNE 22 Breakfast 8am
9- 12 pm *“Official Day” TBA by Temesgen/Gail---- ½ day program of meeting government officials involved in adoption work, informal reception
2-5pm ½ day volunteer opportunity or visit to a local site of interest
Dinner on own
WEDNESDAY 9am—leave for day of orphanage volunteering at various sites or other TBA volunteer experience
Dinner at Cultural Restaurant for traditional food and dancing
THURSDAY—FRIDAY Overnight excursion to Nazret
* visit local sites followed group lunch at local restaurant. Overnight at Safari Lodge Motel with group dinner and opportunity to swim/relax. Friday morning---Drive to Awash National Park, spend day there, return to Addis late afternoon
Friday evening--- dinner on own at hotel or local restaurant SATURDAY Volunteer/or Shopping Excursion Day Farewell party at Layla compound Group Dinner at informal local restaurant
SUNDAY June 27 Official end to trip after breakfast (pool at safari lodge)
