Kevin Morley and his Ethiopian wife Rebka met whilst Kevin was working in Eritrea as a voluntary services overseas (VSO) teacher.
After seeing first hand the plight of poverty stricken children and families in Ethiopia they set up Saltergate Children's Home in 2015, a safeplace for orphans who would otherwise be fending for themselves on the streets of Addis Ababa.
With war raging, crop failure and COVID-19 spreading Ethiopia has more challenges than usual. Despite this or because of this? Saltergate Children’s Home has grown both in terms of the number of children cared for (64) and the support we receive from our kind and loyal donors. Not only children, but young adults have had support through secondary school, to university and employment.
"Official statistics state there have been just over 250,000 cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia with 4,000 deaths, relatively low when compared with the UK, however there are clearly questions about the reliability of the data with few figures collected outside the capital where there is little access to healthcare. The phrase ‘everyone on the street is coughing’ has been used many times over the past year when calling Tsege, Mahraig and Dibabe who oversee the operation in Ethiopia," says Kevin.
"The political situation in Ethiopia remains unstable following years of disagreement between the leaders of the Tigray region of Ethiopia (TPLF) and the federal government which has resulted in military conflict."
"Since founding in 2015 we have provided food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare and access to education for a growing number of children. Further, we have supported children’s guardians – usually widowed mothers – to self-sufficiency. We are now seeking to extend our remit and focus on a critical consideration that needs to be addressed before any of these steps to independence can take place – that of a child’s safety, in particular in a war-zone. If you would like to hear more about our work in Ethiopia, please get in touch."
Kevin Morley
T: 07789 975460
e: kevinjosephmorley@yahoo.co.uk
Trustee
Saltergate Children’s Home, Ethiopia
Reg. Charity No. 1175880
Chesterfield's Jo Heath, who readers met in a previous edition of S40 Local in an article about Milestone Financial Planning, will be running the London Marathon in October this year to help raise funds for Saltergate Children's Home.
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