Our Blog
Here you'll find our stories, thoughts and successes since we began in 2011. Enjoy.
Say hello to Astir Lire, a married woman from Hosanna. She had been pregnant nine times and seven of her children are living. She had had severe prolapse for three years and has now successfully undergone surgery!
Since Dr. Mark was taking pictures of Astir, her husband asked if he would take a picture of both them together. So cute! Thanks for making such a huge difference in this family’s life.
Our generous donors are inspired to support Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia projects for all kinds of reasons - a connection to the country, a desire to contribute to sustainable change, the hope of making life better for women and children in Ethiopia.
And sometimes, the ties are more personal.
For one of our donors - we're calling her Grace to protect her privacy - hearing about our WRAPS project (washable, reusable, affordable pads) brought her right back to an awful day in her past.
She calls it "the story of the yellow skirt."
Her family was at the Western Fair in London, Ont. and Grace was wearing her very own yellow dirndl skirt. She had sewn it herself, and she can still remember the simple pattern and round button.
"I was sitting there and all of a sudden, Niagara Falls hits," Grace recalled. Her period had arrived suddenly. When she told her mother, she scolded her for not being prepared.
Grace was just a girl, and she didn't carry a purse, so she didn't have any menstrual products with her. She resorted to washing out her special yellow skirt in the toilet in a public washroom.
"With toilet paper and brown paper towels, I tried to pack myself so I could go back and sit down," she said. She was wet, she was uncomfortable, and she felt ashamed.
"I had to lay over my mother's lap on the way home so I wouldn't get the seat wet. When I got home, I was so sore and scalded by brown paper towels. It was just awful. I'll never forget it."
When Grace read about the young women in Ethiopia who receive a WRAPS kit (those packages include eight washable, reusable pads, a few pairs of underwear, and a lined wet bag for carrying it all) she thought about that day at the fair.
In Ethiopia, many young women are forced to stay home from school when they have their periods. Products like disposable pads are incredibly expensive and can be hard to find, so some girls and women use dirty rags or even leaves instead.
"I could relate to those girls not having sanitary napkins. That's when I thought, I can surely give enough for a couple of girls to get the kits," Grace said. "I think it's great to be able to help. I've always been for the underdog, I guess."
She makes a contribution - enough to purchase several WRAPS kits - as a monthly donor for Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia.
"Most people my age can afford $15 a month. Some can afford $30, or even $60!" Grace said.
We're so grateful to Grace for turning her bad day into a reason to help other girls avoid shame and embarrassment around their periods. If only she had known as a little girl that the Story of the Yellow Skirt would help dozens of young women in Ethiopia.
We are so grateful for all of the people who make our signature fundraiser such a success! There is truly nothing like Gems & Java. There's such a palpable spirit of inspiration and generosity in the room, and of course, it's just plain fun! Even some nasty weather this year couldn't keep our guests away.
So many ladies are hooked after the first time they experience Gems & Java, so we have lots of veteran guests. But every year, there are also new faces to meet! That's how we like it. And there's nothing better than seeing the smiles and hugs as old friends run into each other!
Gems & Java is the perfect mother-daughter date, a time to reunite with your girlfriends, or a chance to have some fun with your coworkers outside the office.
And after talking with first-time guest Amy Westwood, we have another suggestion, too - what makes a better birthday present than a ticket to Gems & Java? That's what brought Amy to Gems & Java and we're so grateful to her friend for the fabulous idea.
Experiences are always better than getting more "stuff," right?
"It’s been great fun. Just how many people are helped by it, that’s the best part," Amy said.
She even found the perfect bracelet to take home as her complimentary piece of jewellery.
And over in the Bags & Baubles, we ran into another rookie guest having a blast.
Julia Fox, who's nine, discovered a lovely necklace with an orange pendant. But she kept adding more great finds to her bag, too!
"The shopping is my favourite part. It’s like a treasure hunt!"
Of course, many people in Woodstock are veteran guests at Gems & Java. Usually our returning supporters bring new friends to experience the magic!
"I just think the whole organization and this night is so professional, so phenomenal," Bonnie Hartley said.
She's been coming to Gems & Java for years, since it was held at Innerkip Presbyterian Church. We've grown quite a bit since then! Bonnie said she loves coming to see what we've added or tweaked each year.
And it's a fabulous place to make a donation, Bonnie said.
"I love it because you know exactly where the money is going," she said. "Your $200 or $300 here goes ten times further in Ethiopia. The number of people’s lives you can impact is really huge."
We hope you'll come celebrate with us!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
