Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is undergoing a major urban development programme that is displacing people and causing small businesses to close. Many people are left homeless and destitute. High inflation is further exacerbating the situation for those on low or no incomes. 

For years, the Daughters of Charity have been supporting the most vulnerable members of society. 
‘People with disabilities face a particularly harsh reality because they suffer from both disability and poverty: little social protection, very few adapted services and almost no long-term support.’ Sr Lettemariam
Through their regular visits to homes, the sisters listen, observe, advise, and provide moral and spiritual support to families affected by disability. They have identified three situations of extreme urgency where targeted assistance can radically transform lives

Three disabled people, three stories, one urgent need 

These three individuals, aged between 20 and 45, have severe disabilities:

- Frehiwot, a woman paralysed from the waist down, has been bedridden for 14 years without a medical bed and is dependent on her family day and night.

- Efrem is a man with a brain tumour who requires urgent surgery and rehabilitation to prevent irreversible deterioration.

- Wubale, a young man who is almost blind, has no suitable accommodation, no education and no future.

The project: Giving each of these three people a chance to get back on their feet

The sisters spoke with each family, who described the main difficulties and the impact of disability on the whole family.

The project aims to:
- provide a medical bed for Frehiwot, a bedridden mother of four boys, to relieve her pain, facilitate dignified care, and increase her independence

- Fund medical examinations, surgery and medication for Efrem, husband and father of three boys, who has a brain tumour, to enable him to return to work.

- Provide Wubale, who is visually impaired, with accommodation, school supplies and support so that he can study, train and look forward to an independent future.

This targeted assistance will improve the health and living conditions of beneficiaries, as well as the daily lives of their entire families. Disability takes its toll on the whole family, economically, physically and psychologically.

‘The 20 members of their families will also benefit from this project, which will reduce their physical burden, worries and expenses, and in particular enable the children to lead a normal life, return to or stay in school, which is important...’ Sr Lettemariam

Avec Eux, Grâce à Vous

If the project is funded beyond its target, the surplus donations received will be allocated to a similar project.