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Ethiopia woman finds solace in giving after divorce.
ADDIS ABABA: She walks tall after two years of turmoil. For Maria, and Ethiopian woman in Addis Ababa, life did not have much to look forward to after her husband left her three years ago. But instead of giving up, she turned to charity work to help pass the time.
Instead of giving up and allowing her depression to overtake her, she went to her local priest and asked how she could get involved. That is when she discovered a nationwide church program to help feed street children.
Working daily, she made the rounds in the Ethiopian capital delivering breakfast and dinner to children who called the street home.
“It was very eye-opening and I realized that I did not have a tough life. I had money and was surviving,†she toldBikyamasr.com as she carried three plates of rice and vegetables on Thursday morning. For her, helping was the least she could do.
“It was either be part of society or sit at home and feel sorry for myself. After talking with the priest and other members of the congregation, I realized that I could make a difference in at least a few lives,†she continued.
Her days are simple. She wakes up early, before sunrise and heads to her church, an unassuming little building on the outer edges of the city, gathers a few meals and then takes them to “her children†as she calls them.
“I wish we could get them all to orphanages and help them get new homes, but we don’t have the resources yet for that. This is the next best thing,†she added.
For Mahammad, a 14-year-old boy abandoned by his mother when he was 9-years-old, Maria’s appearance brings a smile to his face.
“I can actually go to school most days because of this,†he said as he takes in each bite. “Because of what they do, I think us children are not having to fight and steal as much.â€
There are thousands of street children in Ethiopia, but the efforts of churches and mosques across the country are helping ease the burden of the youth struggling daily to survive.
“We do what we can,†said Maria, who no longer feels depressed, and by her own admittance, has a new boyfriend.
“We are thinking of getting married and starting an orphanage to help in a more direct way. We’ll see how it goes, but one thing is certain, I don’t want to give up this life of giving. I can’t believe I didn’t do this before.â€
For her, getting divorced was the worst and best thing that ever happened to her.
“I have met amazing people and continue to do so. I look back at when my husband left me and I no longer am angry. Charity is the best medicine,†she argued.
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