Hope grows in Ethiopia: One family’s journey from hunger to health

SHASHEMENE, Ethiopia — Eleven-year-old Mensur grips his little brother Nuredin’s hand tightly as they walk through their family’s flourishing vegetable garden. He loves his brother with a fierce and fatherly type of love. Together, they admire the deep green rows — a stark change from the dry and barren soil that was previously there.

It was that fruitless ground that had once nearly claimed Nuredin’s life.

Three years ago, the brothers’ lives were thrown into chaos when their father abandoned the family, selling their land and leaving Mensur, then 8, his mother, Hindiya, and 4-month-old Nuredin homeless and destitute.

Hindiya moved her boys into a single room in her parents’ compound and tried to make ends meet by selling grain from a small stall. But the meager income wasn’t enough to buy food, let alone pay for the nutritious diet her infant son desperately needed.

“We breastfeed our children for up to two years, but in my case, my breast did not have any milk because I did not eat enough food,” Hindiya recalled. “Every time I went out for business, I was scared of losing Nuredin.”

As Nuredin’s health deteriorated due to severe malnutrition, Mensur stepped in to help free their mother to work. But then his own health and education began to suffer, too.

“My little brother was critically sick and there was a time when he was close to dying. I used to be scared of losing him forever,” Mensur said. “There were times I had to miss class to take care of him.”

The turn-around

Just as hope seemed to be slipping away, World Vision staff knocked on their door. They introduced Hindiya to their child sponsorship program, offering Mensur the chance to join. For the family, it was an answer to their prayers. The support of sponsors not only impacted Mensur, but the entire family.

Through the program, Hindiya was equipped with seeds, chickens, and training to start a vegetable garden and a poultry business. She learned how to provide nutritious meals for her boys, and soon her garden and business began to thrive.

“World Vision [was] like a mother to me,” said Hindiya. “Now I earn a living by farming vegetable seeds given to me by World Vision. I feed my children through breeding poultry.”

Today, Mensur is excelling in his studies and dreams of becoming a doctor to help others in his community. “The support of the sponsors has taken us out of the worst challenge of life,” said Mensur.

Mensur’s community has since graduated from World Vision’s child sponsorship program, as they are now able to support themselves. Sponsorship has helped equip the community to create lasting change, making a brighter future possible.

Sponsorship fuels change

Hilaire waiting 45 days
Sponsor a Child

Around the world, many other families like Mensur’s have similar stories and struggles. But sponsoring a child for just $39 a month helps equip families and communities with essentials like food, healthcare, education, and more, so that kids can reach their God-given potential and their communities can be transformed.

World Vision’s sponsorship programs reach more than 3 million children in over 1,000 communities around the world. And families like Mensur’s are proof of the transformative power of sponsorship. “As a result of World Vision support, our livelihood has begun to improve,” Mensur said.

Become a Child Sponsor Today

As the hands and feet of Jesus, we can leave an indelible legacy in this world by doing good. Scripture tells us “[to] encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT). Help protect the most vulnerable children from the impacts of poverty.