A young man in Ethiopia credits a Christian ministry, supported by Samaritan’s Purse Canada donors like you, for helping him overcome his beginnings as the child of a sex trade worker with little likelihood of success.
Abel, 27, says the Ethiopia Women at Risk (EWAR) organization helped his mother escape prostitution and ensured that he and his half-brother received a good education. EWAR paid the boys’ school tuitions, and gave them school supplies and after-class tutoring.
The ministry, based in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa, also introduced Abel to Jesus as his Savior.
“EWAR helped me in many ways when I was young,” he says, while holding a photo of himself taken at EWAR’s facilities when he was about 12. “I am a Christian because of the impact EWAR had on my life. I learned to pray to God and to trust in Him.”
Abel works at a local printing and publishing firm. He loves the job and hopes to someday start a similar business. Meanwhile, his half-brother is preparing to open an internet-based business.
“It is thanks to my aunt (who primarily raised both of the boys) and to EWAR that I have grown up with confidence,” Abel says. He’s convinced that his past as the son of a former prostitute should not dictate his future.
Yetranet Andarge, who coordinates EWAR’s prevention program that speaks in schools and churches, says her organization started a program for sex trade workers’ children to ensure they don’t follow the same destructive path their mothers took.
Ethiopia is among the world’s poorest nations. Education and employment options for women are painfully scarce. So when their husbands die, or their boyfriends abandon them in pregnancy, or they move to the city for a job that never materializes, prostitution can seem to be the only option.
EWAR offers them escape and hope. Its 12-month rehabilitation program provides Christ-based counseling and vocational training to women wanting to leave prostitution. They learn income-earning skills such as jewelry making, weaving, hair styling, food services, and hotel housekeeping.
Abel says he strongly believes in EWAR’s mission, including its prevention program and public warnings.
“I know very much that life (of prostitution), so I try to warn people,” he says. “My advice to girls and boys is to avoid sex before marriage. And I tell boys that if they make a girl pregnant, they must be responsible and help to raise the child.”
Abel says he also wants men to stop buying sex because “it was not meant for commerce” but is instead a gift from God for married couples.
Please join us as we partner with EWAR and similar Christian anti-trafficking ministries in other countries. You can do so by supporting our Women’s Projects through your donations and prayers.
Across the world, every day, Samaritan’s Purse sees families and individuals who are enduring, or who are vulnerable to violence, exploitation, addiction, gangs, and more. From teaching women about safe migration to protecting children from exploitation and helping men free themselves from the bonds of addiction, your generous gifts can help restore their hope and empower individuals and families in Jesus’ Name.