Looking Back in Order to Look Forward - Part IV

If you have been following along the past few days, you are aware that I am looking back at the posts from the 2010 Ordinary Hero trip to Ethiopia. I will be taking this same trip in 2011 and I just wanted to spend some time looking back as I look forward.

On Day 5, the team split up and made several stops.

• There was a group that returned to Korah.
• A visit was made to an orphanage with waiting children. "Waiting Children" are the children in the orphanage who, for whatever reason (age, special need, sibling groups, etc.) are harder to place. In Kelly's travel to Ethiopia, she determined that though you can not place pictures of waiting children on a public website, you can send their pictures out in an email. In 2009, while traveling with her sister to pick up her newly adopted niece, Kelly took pictures of 8 children in this same orphanage. After speaking up and speaking out for these children, all 8 were adopted. From this, Ordinary Hero's "Speak Up" newsletter/email was born. You may sign up to be on the "Speak Up" email list on Ordinary Hero's site. Since that initial email, OH has been highly successful placing more and more children in this manner.
• Some went to a transition home for the agency, Celebrate Children International. A transition home is, well, just what it sounds like. It is a home where children who have been matched with families go to stay until the adoption is complete.
• There was a stop at the Mother Teresa HIV Orphanage, and......
• An impromptu game of soccer with some street children.

A full day indeed.