Deborah House
Overnight shelter for girls off the street
Aim of project
Project # 92704 Ethiopia. Girls off the street are given a safe place to sleep, Christian love, food, and care.
Background
Deborah House is a shelter house that offers girls off the street a safe place to sleep, Christian love, food, and care. By paying school fees, offering medical care and teaching about HIV and AIDS the girls are showered with the love of Christ and taught about him through Bible studies and compassionate care.
Since 2000, the SIM Urban Ministries program has been reaching out to girls living on the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and offering them shelter, care, and opportunities for a new life. The girls were living on the street for a variety of reasons. Some ran away from home due to abuse, others were living on the street with their mother, making a living by begging, and others were orphans.
With room to house 30 girls, the shelter has almost always been at capacity since it began. As they have experienced the love of God through the staff, many of the girls have changed dramatically and have made commitments to follow Christ.
In order to bring more girls off the streets, the staff at Deborah House are working towards reintegrating some of the girls into the community. This will be done by reuniting some of the girls with their families, by placing others in foster families, and by other methods.
Your gift
Be involved in helping rescuing girls from the street by making a gift to
Deborah House Shelter for Street Girls Project # 92704
Direct Link to Facebook video page:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=128424336963
Shetaye is one girl who has been transformed by the Deborah House and is now successfully living with her mum and her brother. She began her journey outside of Addis in a Muslim family. Her parents sent her to Addis to gain education and be taught about the Koran.
She faced many challenges once she reached Addis, including cruel treatment from those with whom she lived. In order to escape the cruelty she faced as a house servant, at the young age of 11 she was forced to live out on the streets. This life was hard as well—she often had no food, little clothes and no shelter.
She turned to alcohol and smoking in an effort to cope with the harshness of daily life on the streets. By the grace of God, after three years on the streets one of the Deborah House mums brought Shetaye to the House where she began to receive love and care. Even more importantly, about three years ago she accepted Christ. Since then, she has been a changed girl.
Shetaye was re-united with her mother who was at first resistant to faith in God but has now accepted Christ. However the rest of her family have not yet accepted Jesus. Perhaps the Lord has placed her back in her home, so she can be his light to them.
Gifts to SIM Projects are not tax deductible because they provide for the work of evangelism, bible translation, Christian leadership development, theological training etc. These purposes are not accepted by the Australian Tax department for tax deductibility.
For tax deductible projects please see SIMaid projects www.simaid.org.au
