Orphanage update and staffing changes

Blogging has been difficult just recently as the internet and electricity have been temperamental (as usual ….) and I've been busy – my boss was here, then I was in Bahir Dar for work, now my friend A is here. However, I want to update you on the orphanage and the changes that have been happening there.

I went to Addis in January and was really pleased to see Hanna back from America, where she had been speaking to the American charity that supports them (the American equivalent of us, really!). I have said before, Hanna is the driving force behind the orphanage, and when she is away, something changes. We are looking for ways for us to work with this, and to ensure the sustainability of the orphanage, and our vision for this involves training staff and working on building capacity. So Hanna and I have discussed how we can help – starting with paying for computer training and project management/planning training for staff, if wanted. I know it can seem like the money we raise could be better spent directly on clothes or toys for the children, but training staff ensures that the orphanage continues to be a safe, happy and effective place to bring up children, and that the money we raise is used effectively, not wasted through bad management and planning.

Some staff changes have already taken place. S, the project officer, who was in charge of communications with donors and project planning, has left the orphanage and D has taken his place. As much as S and I drove one another crazy, I respect his devotion to the orphanage and will miss him being there.

One of the men from one of the branches of the orphanage has also left – and in slightly less benign circumstances. This man had actually become a particular worry of mine. He encouraged the children to pray for hours, and the Religious Education he provided seemed incredibly intense, something that even my very Religious Ethiopian friends found slightly worrying. He also made a point of telling me that unless I was religious, I should not be helping the children – praying to God is the most important thing. I pointed out that although praying is important, God works through actions and people (pray to catch the bus, then run as fast as you can!). Anyway, my religious beliefs need not concern him – all he needs to know is I love these children and will move mountains to help them.

Before I managed to speak to Hanna about any of this, she discovered that this man was in a dubious relationship with one of the staff at the same orphanage site. Hanna dealt with this with great dignity and professionalism, and he has now been asked to leave. The children there have all been spoken to, and luckily he never mistreated them or harmed them in any way. At the moment, he has not been replaced –instead, staff from the Wollo Seffer branch take it in turns to visit, making sure someone is there every day.

So there have been many staff changes, and I think the focus this year (for us at Hanna's Orphanage) will be on helping to strengthen the administration and organisational systems, to make sure the orphanage works in the best way it can!