GVN - Ethiopia Volunteer Program

I taught for one month at the Mercy Ministry Happy Children's home in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The kids were such a joy, and put a smile on my face every single day. They were very love-able, active and adorable! Every day in the classroom was an adventure, teaching these children was far from easy. Since they are not used to structured schooling, it was difficult at times to keep them focused, however it challenged us to come up with fun and exciting ways of teaching. The home is far from luxurious so don't expect a flushing toilet or running water, but I am sure if you are interested in this program you know that finding a flushing toilet or shower anywhere in Addis Ababa is quite task! The home was cozy, and we spent most of our evenings in a small lounge/room where we would play cards, talk, lesson plan and just have fun. Tuesdays and Thursdays were spent working at the feeding center in the city. That was one of my favourite things to do. You meet some very wonderful and inspiring people, many of whom barely get one meal every few days to eat, however they continuously would smile and joke around with us, and appreciate every thing you did for them. It was really heart-warming to be able to help hand out meals to less fortunate people. I did lots of fundraising and was able to give out over 1000 feeding tickets to those who could not afford them or weren't able to get one. Tickets are 1 birr each, which is equivalent to 6 cents Canadian, so fundraising is definitely worth your while and the money goes a long way.

Overall, Ethiopia is a beautiful place that is not given enough credit or publicity! Being able to teach children who had come from such broken homes was truly a dream come true for me. They changed my life and I am hoping I inspired them in some way or another. This place is a great place for volunteering. I always felt safe, and it was amazing to meet such amazing people. The only bad part about my volunteer trip was the fact that I could not help out every family/child I met. It is very difficult to see people in need and not be able to help them significantly. But you get used to seeing all the poverty and begin to understand that a smile and some money, water, and food is all you can do.