Tonight, six million small, dark bodies will curl up to sleep without tucking-in rituals, hugs, or kisses[1]. They are Ethiopia’s parentless: survivors of HIV/AIDS-engulfed families, hunger, and poverty. Last summer I spent three weeks in Addis Ababa working among such children. The daily assault of disease, want, and death jolted my indolent brain from passivity into an aggressive pursuit of the fundamental problems causing Ethiopia’s escalating orphan population. Inspired, I have determined to share with my community this pressing reality in the form of a documentary exploring the Ethiopian orphans’ plight and sustainable solution practices.
The UN expects that by 2014 Ethiopia’s present number of HIV/AIDS orphans will have tripled,[2] equaling 2,400,000. This statistic does not account for the inevitable increase of the other 86% of non-HIV/AIDS orphans. Because Ethiopia’s governmental finances cannot sustain the burden, NGOs and religious organizations steadily furnish both monetary and physical aid. Alas, need still surpasses facility.
Aided by demonstrative on-site footage, my documentary will capture typical orphan situations and associated establishments including children’s homes, orphanages, extended family, and the Addis Ababa streets. I plan to film interviews with orphans, caretakers, social workers, adoption agencies, concerned citizens, and Ethiopian government officials (I am in contact with UNICEF’s Ethiopia office to secure these appointments) to gather personal stories, facts, and opinions.
Using the resultant body of information and perspective to establish a framework, I will A) track underlying issues effecting the rapid increase of orphans and B) examine both potential and existing practices designed to equip these children to emerge as part of a sustainable solution. Additionally, I intend to parallel the situations of two contemporaries, my adopted brother Weyessa and his friend Arfasa (still in Ethiopia). Five to seven years hence I will follow up with an inquiry reviewing each boy’s circumstances.
Already familiar with the city’s culture, I feel prepared to undertake the hardship of asking difficult questions, witnessing suffering, and digging for information amidst bureaucracy; it is a part of practicing my Mount Holyoke education. Leaders use their resources and abilities to help others. I am Mount Holyoke; I am a leader. My knowledge and experience now urges me forward to a life of active service. My future does not lie in the United States. MHC has shown me that my community is the world. Working vis-à-vis third-world reality is the next step towards my greater goal: to teach self-reliance and responsibility to the women and orphans of Africa by first understanding what is hurting them most. I want to empower them with the knowledge to realize their hopes and choose their paths as much as they are able through sustainable solutions for self-sufficiency.
How many times last summer did I wish to capture a moment and transport it home so that others might experience the same raw refreshment of tearing away from themselves! I have found that pouring myself out brings me more fulfillment than hoarding and withholding ever could. By becoming a sieve I am made full.
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