Hey there, Socktober Stars! We're over halfway through the Challenge and still learning so much about the lives of children and their families around the world. How are you progressing towards your fundraising target? Below you will find all of this week's activities and resources to check out and work through with your class, and your family at home! Good luck!
This week, we're staying put in Ethiopia, but moving south to the region of Hawassa (also spelled Awasa) on the shores of the lake of the same name (can you find it on the map and track your way there?) In this place, only 3% of the population is Catholic, with over half professing a Protestant faith. This week we will learn about an order of Catholic Sisters who have saved countless lives through their nutrition programs. We'll learn their story and see how one family's life has changed dramatically over the years. As we go, think about how nutrition is important in your daily life.
The Bushulo Health Centre is run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and was there for Yennesh and her young family ten years ago at their hour of need. They took the family in, provided immediate nutritional care, and set them on a path to healthy living, saving the lives of infant siblings Yesh and Girma.
Yennesh and her husband—who is often required to travel for work—were encouraged to join the the centre’s community garden project. Observing local custom, women from the Hawassa region are brought together to support each other and taught how to till the land to grow leafy green vegetables, beetroots, carrots and cabbages. To date, over forty families, including Yennesh and her husband Markos, have successfully participated in the project. The results have been astoundingly positive. Of the forty families who have completed the training, only one family still requires ongoing medical support for their child.
In addition to this life-enriching program, the sisters also provide critical outreach services to local families unable to reach the centre and its garden, providing free treatment and nutritional aid. These initiatives have saved countless lives.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
(Luke 4:18-19)
In the reading from Luke, we hear about Jesus' mission. What do you think mission means? In what ways can you live mission in your home? At school?
Start today and keep a diary of what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. In a week, look back on your diary and consider how it might be different from an Ethiopian child's diary.
