Email from Kyle:
The first place we went was called Yezelalem Minch ("Eternal Spring"). The service approximately 315 children. The majority are orphans with extended families. However, they currently have 16 children that are living under foster care. They are separated boys from girls. They live in a house each with 2 foster mothers. It's a much much healthier environment than the institutional orphanage. However, it does place some limits on the number of and ages of the children they take in. Still, they were very impressive and have a very strong Christian emphasis. While they are largely supported by Help International Ministries and World Vision Ethiopia, they are completely run by Ethiopians. Again, a very positive thing for the well-being of the children.
The next place that we went was called "My Sisters". It's been around for 20 something years and is a Danish Evangelical Mission. It primarily provides services of all kinds to women who live in the Mekenesa area of Addis and who have nobody to provide for them. Logically, many of these women have children and a large percentage of the women are HIV positive. However, the availability of ARV's to these positive women means that in many instances My Sisters is able to provide help without necessarily having children in need of adoption. They currently have only about 8 children that they have been unable to place, although they are currently servicing between 200 and 300 children.
The last place we went was Layla House. Yes, it was "the" Layla House. We actually got the tour from Merrily Ripely's son, Nate. It is a very impressive place. They currently have about 150 children ranging from several months to 13 years of age. There are countless agencies that adopt from them. The Ethiopian guys and I went back out to see some of the kids from the first organization returning home from school; just so that we could give them their crocs and play a little soccer with them.
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