I was a World Vision Sponsored Child

We recently met Abubeker Yimam Tadesse (Abu to his friends) when he became a World Vision UK Ambassador, one of a group of people who talk to their local community about the work of World Vision. As soon as he stood up and started speaking, we knew he had an amazing story to tell and that we simply had to share it with you:

I was born and grew up in the rural part of Ethiopia. When I was just 7 months old, my father took me away from my mother and I stayed with my grandparents until I was 7 years old. Then my father took me to his new family far away from my birth place. From the age of 7, I used to look after my father’s cattle in the fields and hillsides of my village and at the same time I was trying to get an education. In my spare time, I walked a long way from home to fetch water from the river and to collect firewood.

A dark time

Every night was a night full of fear for me as a young boy. I didn't have a peaceful sleep for many years. Mosquitoes used to bite me and I was afraid of death. During those early years, I was suffering day and night. Every night I got cold. I had a small blanket that wasn’t enough to cover my whole body, therefore I fell asleep by curling up and hugging my legs to my chest to keep warm. Every night I was wishing there was someone to sleep besides me; someone to keep me warm and to assure me that I was safe. My environment was very dark and scary.

Every year during the rainy season I suffered from malaria. When I got sick, my life was equivalent to being in a coma. I used to end up in the final stage of emergency treatment. I didn't have any hope for a better future. Sometimes I saw an aeroplane flying in the sky and this was my only glimpse of hope. And so during my childhood, I dreamt of being a pilot; to fly away from all suffering I was facing in my village.

Whenever there was a full moon, I used to look up at the shining moon and cry. I asked myself 'what is going to be my future?'. I was scared. My parents did not care about me that much. Even if they had, they couldn’t do much for me. My father was a primary school teacher in the village and he used to wake me up at 5 in the morning and forced me to study in the cold before I was offered a meal. I was unable to focus on my studies since I was listening to the hunger and cold in my body.

My father couldn’t afford to buy exercise books for each of the subjects I studied. I had to use the same exercise book for two subjects for one semester. If I used up that exercise book early, it was hard to ask my father for a new one before the semester ended. If I dared to ask, I would be penalized for my 'extravagant' abuse of resources. My parents used to buy just one piece of clothing for each year. When I washed my clothes in the river, I had to wait naked until they dried. I kept wondering if it was impossible to have a bright future when living in fear of hunger, nakedness, abuse, cold, being barefoot and so on.

World Vision arrive

One day the shining star of World Vision shone its light on the dark part of the village where I lived. Because of that star, because of World Vision, today I am still alive!

After World Vision started operating in my village 20 years ago, I became a sponsored child. I got a blanket to feel warm, a mosquito net to protect me from the nightmare of being bitten by mosquitoes, uniform for school, and exercise books for all my subjects with abundant colourful pencils and pens. No more fear of running out of paper. My hope grew and I was able to write, draw and study as much as I wanted. My interest for education increased dramatically.

Furthermore, I was given nutritious food with the other sponsored children. Free health services were provided in the World Vision compound until they built a health station in my village. Previously, all of my friends and I feared the month of July as that is when the malaria comes. When I got sick, my family couldn’t afford to pay the medical costs but World Vision covered those bills.

Before World Vision came, we couldn’t afford to buy colouring pencils, we couldn’t even find them on the market. When we wanted to draw pictures, we used to make different colour inks from the juice of flowers. Then it all changed. As children we were so happy and longing to receive postcards, colourful pencils and letters from our sponsors, our World Vision father and mother. We treasured everything that we got from our sponsor. It gave us a bright future. I still remember those colourful pencils and how they made me so happy as I was drawing pictures.

My sister and my brothers were also sponsored children. My sister frequently got letters and postcards. We were so happy for her. When she got a letter from her World Vision family, all my family gathered together and my father read the letter loud and interpreted for us.

World Vision also built a high school in my village and this gave me hope for my future. I worked hard to go to high school and I made it. I started hoping that, one day I would go to university and I have now graduated from one of the top university in Ethiopia with a BA degree in Economics.

Giving back

After my graduation, I had a chance to work for World Vision Ethiopia as a development facilitator in one of the World Vision UK funded programmes, Banja ADP. I wanted to give something back to World Vision because they had done so much for my village and they are doing so much for others.

After that I co-founded a national project which focused on university students, aiming to solve the problem of unemployment for new graduates. We wanted to build a creative young future generation for a new Ethiopia. Because of the success of this program in Ethiopian universities, I had the opportunity to represent my country in a global summit and annual conference in London. I could not believe that this is what could happen to me. Thanks to the people who committed to support World Vision.

Moving to the UK

Last year, I got a visa to live and work in the UK. I am now trying to rebuild my life here. My plan is to specialise in international development and humanitarian emergencies.

I currently work for World Vision UK to serve God. Who knows, I might even become a National Director of my own country in the future. Until then, I have decided to become an ambassador for World Vision which will give me a chance to talk to different audiences about my experience of being a World Vision registered child and encourage others to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children like I used to be.

Since I moved to the UK I still couldn’t forget the suffering of children that I had seen. I was thinking a lot about how to contribute something for the great cause of World Vision. I decide to contribute what I have got; my long legs. I signed up to do a sponsored run to raise money for World Vision. On 6th of October 2013 I ran the Cardiff half marathon barefoot. This year, on 5th of May I ran the Milton Keynes Marathon with our Chief Executive, Justin and the World Vision UK Team. I ran the marathon with shoes on! In these two fundraising events I raised around £1,200.71 for World Vision. I am grateful for everyone who sponsored me, thank you.

We hope you are inspired by Abu's story. If you have any questions to him, ask away on our Facebook page and he will get back to you.