Ministries
Only in Addis Ababa about 60.000 - 100,000 people are living on the street. There are different reasons for this. Some people are from the countryside and try their fortune in the city with over 4 million inhabitants. Some left their family in Addis Ababa because of economical and social problems. Some lost their parents due to HIV-AIDS or due to other reasons.
We go to the places where the street people are. We greet them, tell them who we are and ask them if we can sit down and talk with them. An informal conversation starts, in which we ask them about their daily life and history. At the end of the conversation we say that we will come back the next day if they like.
If we find them waiting for us the next day, this is a good sign for further cooperation. Then we invite them over to our various activities at the Rest Center.
There we are trying to help these people in various ways:
- Bible and social-life-teaching for 120 street people daily
- Social activities for street people
- Provision of a temporary shelter
- Counseling for street people in the streets and at our center
- Reconciliation program for the children who have parents
- Sending those who still have parents in the countryside back to their homes
- Helping to start academic schooling
- Giving food and shower service
- Providing medical treatment
- Sport activities
Kids Ministry / Prevention Streetism Program
We have established a so-called "Prevention streetism program".
Because of social, and economical problems about 100,000 children are at the risk to become street children in Ethiopia.
1. The social problem is: many of the parents die due to HIV-AIDS. Therefore the children have to survive on their own. If they do not have anyone to help them, they cannot go to school. Because of that they often become street children.
2.The economic problem is: most people get many children. In average there are about 7-8 children in one family in Ethiopia. Because of this the parents cannot afford to send their children to school. Instead, they give them hard work at home or for the economic support of the family. The children, disliking this, run away from home and start to live on their own - meaning in the street.
We are trying to help the children who have become victims of these phenomena.
In our prevention program we have 400 kids who are between 4-16 years old. We have two centers and we are teaching them reading and writing Amharic (our local language), English and math. When they are ready to start 1st grade we send them to elementary school and pay all school expense for the school year.
Spiritual ministries
Outreach
We go out to the street and approach the street people, commercial sex worker and juvenile delinquents. We read and tell stories of the Bible and sing songs together. We give spiritual counseling for the street people, commercial sex worker and juvenile delinquents.
Prayer
We have a Prayer Band, which goes out to the streets and prays for the street people, commercial sex worker and juvenile delinquents and for their ministers. They prepare the mountain prayer (2 times a year), evening prayer (twice a week), fasting prayer (twice a week) and 24-hours-prayer (3 days a month).
Worship
We have a Worship Band, which organizes the worship for the ministers. Street people, commercial sex worker, juvenile delinquents and the poorest kids. The Worship Band also serves by leading the worship program in some churches.