Please meet Belaynesh Bekalu from Bucama. She has been pregnant eight times and delivered seven children all of whom are living at this time. She is separated from her husband and has had prolapse for five years. She is grateful to have this problem taken care of. Thanks for helping her!
Surgical Success Story - #151
We would like to introduce to you Hogore Hankamo, an 80-year-old widow who has suffered from prolapse for five years. She is from Hosanna and has nine children. She is very, very grateful to have her surgery.
Surgical Success Stories - #148, #149, #150
Thank you for helping us to change the lives of these women!
This is Bekelech Gensa, a widow who has had severe prolapse for one year. She has delivered six children but sadly, none are still living. She is so relieved to have had her surgery sponsored by MWAHFE.
This is Tadelech Tensa, a mom of seven children who has had severe prolapse for 7 years. She had a repair for this condition at another hospital five years ago but it was not successful. She is very grateful to Dr. Mark and the team at Soddo Christian Hospital and for being helped by our generous donors!
This is Adanech Gedebo, a widow with two children. She has had prolapse for seven years. She had been seen at the hospital a month earlier but had pneumonia and could not be operated on at that time. She is better now and is thrilled to have had her surgery!
Surgical Success Story - #147
Please meet Aberash Abera. She is married, has 7 children and has suffered from prolapse for more than 3 years. She had severe ulcers which prevented her from having surgery earlier but her ulcers have improved allowing Dr. Mark and his team to do her surgery! She has been very anxious to get this problem taken care of. Thank you for making this possible.
Surgical Success Stories - #144, #145, #146
Please meet Almaz Oche who has had prolapse for two years. She is married and has five children. She was very anxious to get her prolapse repaired. Thank you for helping to make it happen.
This lovely lady is married and has delivered ten children. Her name is Burkinesh Wana. She has prolapse for two years. She was so excited to have her surgery!
Please meet Tarafe Tone, a widow and mom of five who has suffered from severe prolapse for four years. She also has hyperthyroidism, which has made it challenging to perform her surgery. Her medications were able to be covered by our MWAHFE donors. She was very happy to have surgery. Thank you so very much.
Surgical Success Story - #143
Please meet Bizunesh who is from Bucama who has two children. She has a history of prolapse that is longer than eight years. She was thrilled to have underwent surgery in mid-March. Thank you so very much for helping her restore her dignity.
Surgical Success Stories - #132 to #142
Please meet Tewabe Shito. She is a widow and has had third-degree prolapse for over three years. She was pregnant eight times and has four living children. She is very grateful for you helping give her a new lease on life.
This is Mulunesh Deboc. She is married and has ten children and was very anxious to have her prolapse corrected which she had suffered for three years. She is very grateful for your assistance.
Malala Mega has been a widow for 20 years. She has delivered 10 children and five are living. She has suffered from prolapse for four years and also is very grateful for your assistance.
Amarach Himbabo is married and has been pregnant nine times. Five of her children are living. She has suffered from prolapse for four years. Thank you for helping to restore her dignity.
This is Bezonesh Watagu who is married and has delivered 10 children. She was discovered to have a heart condition and is being evaluated by our internist. Hopefully she will be cleared for surgery very soon!
This is Omboshe Adebo who has delivered six children and has suffered from severe prolapse for six years. She is very grateful for her surgery.
This is Tadelech Arne. She is married and has six children. Dr. Mark and his team were able to remove cervical cancer in addition to correcting her prolapse.
This is Gamine Tema, She is a widow and mom of three who has had a prolapse for three years. She is very grateful for her surgery and to have her problem corrected.
This is Abaynesh Gideon who has seven children. She is married and has had severe prolapse for three years. Thank you for helping us help Abaynesh!
This is Askelech Angino, a wife and mother of four. She has suffered from severe prolapse for four years and had marked ulcerations associated with her prolapse. Thanks to you she is on the road to recovery.
This is Ayelech Sedebo, a mother of seven. She is living with her family because her husband left her when she developed prolapse. Now you have helped to restore her dignity and she is so grateful.
Surgical Success Stories - #130 & #131
This is Amanesh Doda. She has delivered nine children and heartbreakingly, none are still living. She is married and has suffered from 3rd° prolapse for three years. Your support has provided her with life-chaning surgery and transportation to the hospital.
UPDATE: Just after Christmas, Dr. Mark was able to perform successful surgery to correct Sara's prolapse. Yeah!
Say hi to Okose Undo. She is a widow and has delivered 10 children, seven of whom are living. She has suffered from prolapse for three years. Thank you for funding her surgery and transportation to the hospital!
Surgical Success Stories - #128 & #129
Say hello to Sara Falatamo. She is very poor partially because her husband is handicapped. She has delivered 11 children and seven are still living. She has suffered from prolapse for three years. Her surgery had to be postponed because she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Dr. Mark is hopeful that she will be ready for surgery in a couple of weeks. Thank you so much for helping this patient. She is very anxious to get her surgery done and you have made it possible for her!
UPDATE: Just after Christmas, Dr. Mark was able to perform successful surgery to correct Sara's prolapse. Yeah!
Please meet Elfenesh Ocha, a 30-year-old mother of six children with a history of severe prolapse for one year. Her youngest child is also one year old. Thank you so very much for helping this lovely woman.
Christmas in January?
For many of us, this month is about hustle and bustle as the holidays approach. But let’s cast our minds 12,000 kilometres across the Atlantic. How do Ethiopians celebrate Christmas?
Turns out, Ethiopia’s countdown is a little bit different. When Christmas isn’t until January, there’s a little more time to prepare.
Ethiopia runs on the Julian calendar, with traditional Christmas holidays in January. That would certainly be a way to break up the cold and dark winter month that’s generally such a downer here in Canada, eh?
First comes Christmas Day, or Ganna, on Jan. 7.
It's so interesting to see how the same holidays are celebrated in such different ways! Ethiopians save their Christmas festivities for January, when Christians celebrate Ganna and Timkat.
With a strong religious foundation, Ethiopians concentrate on the history and meaning behind the holiday. It’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus, not a gift giving frenzy. If any presents are given to Ethiopian children, it’s likely to be a small gift of clothing. For many, going to church is the key focus of Christmas Day – and the main mass is at 4 a.m.!
There’s some Canadian spirit during this holiday, too. Men typically play a hockey-style game with a wooden stick and ball. The goal is to get the ball into small hole in the ground.
Fasting is another part of the Orthodox Christianity practiced in many parts of Ethiopia. Many people choose to eat a diet free of meat and dairy the day before Christmas.
But, just like Canadians, Ethiopians use food to help celebrate the holiday. Christmas Day is about spending time with friends and family and eating a meal together. Traditional Ethiopian food includes injera – a spongy flatbread made from teff – and wat – various kinds of stew that you “scoop up” using pieces of injera.
Twelve days after Christmas, on Jan. 19, the second traditional holiday begins. Timkat is a uniquely Ethiopian tradition that celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ. Ethiopians attend church over the course of this three-day festival. Families walk to church in a festive procession with instruments tapping out a beat and children in brightly-coloured clothes.
It’s so interesting to see how holiday traditions translate in different countries and cultures. We wish all of you a safe, happy and healthy Christmas season!