ABOUT ETHIOPIA AND MEKELLE

The Children's Initiative is fortunate to partner with Gebre ("Gabe") Beyene's Hope Community Services, an Ethiopian-based, government-approved social service organization based in Mekelle. HCS enjoys tremendous respect from the regional government, local physicians, and educators. Recently, the first ten of an anticipated 200 orphans began living at a newly built home and farm that will provide a safe and caring environment for these needy children. Additionally, the Blind Boarding School, where 80 children receive schooling in Braille, is a major focus of TCI and Gabe's work.

Ethiopia has the world's third largest HIV-positive population. Of the estimated 14 million children orphaned by AIDS in the world, almost one million are Ethiopian. Tens of thousands of these children are themselves infected by the disease. It is projected by UNAIDS that the numbers will double within the next five years. Despite the shocking statistics and enormity of the task ahead, The Children's Initiative is dedicated to helping children wherever and however we can.

In addition to the devastation caused by AIDS and the crushing poverty, Ethiopia is a nation ravaged by years of internal strife and war. Nowhere is this more evident than in the dry northern province of Tigrai which borders Eritrea. In the 1980s, Tigrai was the seat of armed resistance against the socialist regime in Addis Ababa. Mekelle, the provincial capital, suffered aerial bombardment and military incursion. When the war of Eritrean Independence broke out, Tigrai was the scene of massive military camps, much fighting, and more aerial bombardment (this time from Eritea).  In 2000, another border war with Eritea broke out, and Tigrai was invaded. Many children have been orphaned in all this unrest, and the constant military presence has resulted in an epidemic of AIDS, fueled by the risky behavior of soldiers (mostly teenagers) aware that they soon may die.

Prior to 2004, the prognosis for HIV-positive children was an almost-certain early death, and the limited care was focused on making their short lives less miserable. However, with the availability of antiretroviral drugs, there is now the capability to prolong lives, improve health, and allow these children to attend school and plan for a future. TCI is active in the proper administration of antiretroviral drug therapies to children.

There is also a remarkable effort to prevent HIV infection through education, supported by Hope Community Services and The Children's Initiative. In small villages in Tigrai, local people are being taught health stories that will empower them to protect themselves and their families from AIDS. This requires paying teachers to go house-to-house and share this life-saving information. With sufficient funding, this program will reduce the impact of AIDS while boosting the knowledge and health skills of children, their families, and entire communities.

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