Shelly in Ethiopia: HRCC Kids

HRCC: High Risk Children's Center

The kids that stay at the Village of Hope compound are so LOVELY!

I just love these kids! They really are delightful!

They have all been sent to stay here because they are orphans, runaways, or have been in other "high risk" situations, like abuse, etc., so they come to stay here to be "safe".

They live in the domes, go to school, eat together, and have a "mom" that takes care of them. A lot of them came with siblings and a lot of them have been adopted by US families or are waiting to be adopted soon (hopefully).

Their English is pretty good and it was just so fun to play, laugh, color, do bubbles, paint nails, jump rope, and give gifts (like bracelets and bouncy balls)

Some of the girls: Me, Tigist, Tayiba, Iftu, Zematu, & Yubo

Eating dinner on the compounds front porch. (Bonzo the nurse also pictured)

The boys on the top row with the exception of the boy in the white t-shirt have now been adopted. The first boy was adopted, but I'm not sure by whom. The next 3 are Tofik, Mumbarick (siblings...and they have another brother & sister not pictured) & Mesafint were adopted by the same family and Ramatoo in red by a Utah family.

Ramatoo and Yubo (siblings were adopted by Utah family in October 2009) We actually visited with their new family in December 2009 in Utah and it was fun to see them in their new life and doing so well!

Yubo showing me her jump rope skills!

and her brother!

more of Yubo....love this girl :)

She made me lots of drawings! Her soon-to-be adoptive mom is named Shelly, so she thought it was really cool that my name was Shelly too! Her new parents went on expedition in 2008 (with my parents) and met Yubo and Ramatoo and just thought at that time they needed to adopt them. They had two older boys and didn't intend to adopt, but they did!

Coloring with Yubo.

Yubo loved to use my nail polish! Even the boys were into it!

Little Fatiya. The cutest little 3 year old girl! Even in Ethiopia little girls want to wear pretty dresses! She was also adopted along with several of her siblings by a Utah family in October 2009. I remember playing with her one day and we were running around and she fell and scuffed her knee. She didn't know whether to cry or not. She didn't. I picked her up and cleaned up her knee and put a bandaid on it. I could tell she wasn't used to be taken care of like that. I've seen pictures of her since she came to Utah and she looks SO happy!

Carolyn singing with the girls.

Tigist...another one of my favorites...wait am I allowed to have a "favorite"? I seriously love them all! :) She also gave me several drawings. As of now (May 2010), she is still living at the compound, but I've also seen pictures of her too and hear she's doing well in school.

Daniel (I think) or it could be Abraham. He was the one boy that followed me around a bit. He too is still at the compound. Tayiba (Fatiya's sister) is now in Utah.

Zematu (still at the compound as of May 2010), Fatiya, and Emuti who is also still there. Emuti has a family in Utah that's been trying to adopt her for several years. Not sure what the hold up is, something to do with some possible living relatives still in Ethiopia? I do hope she can go to the US soon. She's a sweetie.