We first met Selam and her daughter Fasika (names changed) in 2015 when they were living in one of the worst red light districts of Addis Ababa. Selam had been working as a prostitute for over 10 years, selling her body for as little as $1 USD and struggling just to make ends meet.
Fasika was only three years old at this point and they lived in a tiny room that was barely larger than the bed where Selam worked. Fasika would sleep on the pillow while her mom worked on the rest of the bed throughout the night.
It utterly broke our hearts as we realized the deep trauma they were living on a daily basis—not to mention the spiritual oppression in that place and in their lives.
At that time, my wife Ruth and I were in the process of opening Yetesfa Mesk Academy, a completely free school for children of single mothers in the deepest cycles of poverty. We began to build a relationship with Selam and told her that when we opened the school we would have space for Fasika if she’d like to send her. This gave Selam hope and she started to see herself and her life differently.
One day as Ruth was walking by Selam’s house, she stopped in to spend some time with her and other women from the neighborhood. One of the ladies asked if they could hold our son Jeremiah, who was not even one at the time. “Of course,” Ruth said. Ethiopia is a very warm culture and, in most cases, no one asks to pick up a baby; they just do it. The women started to pass Jeremiah around and play with him. Later on, they told Ruth just how significant it was for them that she would let them hold Jeremiah. You see, their children were known as “kids of prostitutes” and the other kids in the neighborhood were not allowed to play with them. These women certainly weren’t allowed to pick up other people’s kids; they were outcasts. The simple act of holding Jeremiah and just being moms together broke down all sorts of walls. It was a real breakthrough and our relationships with the families started getting deeper.
Selam’s daughter Fasika was one of the first students we registered at Yetesfa Mesk Academy when we opened it in 2016. She was clearly exhibiting signs of deep trauma. This was not at all surprising to us since we knew her living conditions.
We prayed for her and found ways to help her with this trauma at school. One time Ruth was leading the students in a kind of art therapy where they were to draw a picture of something that was scary for them. Fasika drew a face and said that she was scared of the men at night. She quickly drew over the face, saying it was actually a spider—that’s what she was scared of. She was only four. It was so sad for us to think about what Fasika was living through each day. We kept praying.
As the weeks went by, Selam began to find the courage to imagine a better life. Selam told us she wanted to stop working as a prostitute and wanted to move out of the red light district! She was also interested in hearing more about our faith. Before long, we were able to help her move into a safer neighborhood.
Around the same time, Selam accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior and the change in her life was radical! When we first met her, she wouldn’t even look people in the eye. Now she confidently greets anyone, no matter their status. Her dignity is being restored!
Selam is now in a weekly Bible study with Ruth and growing deeper in her faith. She is very eager to know Jesus more and often reflects on how much her life has changed since she met him. She’s currently working as a babysitter for our daughter Lydia, who calls her “ma” and absolutely loves spending time with her—often crying when it’s time for Selam to go home.
Fasika graduated from Kindergarten at Yetesfa Mesk Academy last year and is currently in first grade. During the Kindergarten graduation ceremony, she recited a poem. As Selam watched her daughter, she had tears in her eyes. Fasika is a sweet child and absolutely brilliant. We are excited to see her keep growing and learning.
We are thankful that we found this family when we did and grateful to be able to continue in relationship with them. Both Selam and Fasika have passed through unimaginable challenges in their lives and we are sure there is still more trauma to be healed. But it truly does seem that God has done some supernatural healing already. If you met them today, you would never imagine the reality they were living with just a few short years ago.
Selam’s story has been incredibly encouraging to us as we continue this work. It has also shown us just how powerful, radical, and life changing the gospel is!
This story captures the incredible doors to faith and transformation that open as Novo staff engage the needs of their contexts through redemptive initiatives. In 2019 our staff created or worked alongside 728 different redemptive initiatives around the world. Learn more about our ministry impact in 2019 by downloading our Annual Ministry Report.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Butera lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with his wife Ruth and their two children. Dan and Ruth are part of Novo’s order among the poor, InnerCHANGE, and founded Yetesfa Mesk Academy in 2016 to bring hope to single mothers and their children.
If you’d like to support Yetesfa Mesk (Fields of Hope) Academy so that more single mothers and children can find hope for their futures, you can give here. You can learn more about Fields of Hope on their website.