A young boy who ended up living on the streets after being exploited by two family members has scored grades that rank him second in his class at school.
His proud father shared the child’s glowing report card, positive behavioural progress and expressed deep gratitude for the role Hope for Justice played in changing his life.
Just two years ago, Abel* was living on the streets of Bahir Dar, one of Ethiopia’s major cities. He had been neglected and exploited by his mother and stepfather. Abel received inadequate childcare. He was forced to abandon his education and flee to the streets.
Atinkut Zewdu, who works as Safeguarding, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Manager for Hope for Justice in Ethiopia, said: “This child was struggling to survive when our outreach workers found him. We brought him to our shelter and enrolled him in our restoration programme. Over time, we saw him regain hope and motivation.”
Abel was brought to one of our Lighthouses in Ethiopia – a safe haven offering short-term accommodation, counselling, catch-up education and life skills training. Our social workers traced his extended family to the Amhara Region but found that Abel’s child custody arrangement, following his parents’ divorce, was especially complex. The team organised several meetings to collaborate with relatives and the government Women and Children Affairs (WCA) office. With Abel’s father living in another country, his grandmother agreed to full custody. Following reintegration, Abel resumed his education, and with the support of family members, has seen huge improvements in his overall wellbeing as well as academic successes.
A boy writing in class. Photo, Robin Hammond/Panos
One year after being reintegrated, Abel is a hard-working student in the third grade at primary school. He recently achieved an outstanding 94.5% overall score, ranking him second in his class.
Bamlaku Tibebu, a former member of Hope for Justice staff contacted our team to share this update. He told us: “I received this wonderful news from the family of a child who I once helped to reintegrate whilst working with Hope for Justice. His journey is one of resilience and transformation.
“His story is a testament to the power of compassion, dedication and holistic support. His journey from the streets to academic excellence reaffirms why we do what we do – giving children like him a second chance at a brighter future.”
Bamlaku Tibebu, former Hope for Justice Case Worker
*Name and image changed to protect identity of the survivor
