Sponsor a Child Today

Chala lives with his grandfather and his grandmother. At home, duties include carrying water and running errands. His grandfather is sometimes employed as a farmer and his grandmother maintains the home.

As part of Compassion's ministry, Chala participates in church activities. He is also in kindergarten where his performance is average. Soccer and playing group games are his favorite activities.

Your love and support will help Chala to receive the assistance he needs to develop his potential. Please pray for him.

Chala lives in the hillside community of Gojo, home to approximately 15,000 residents. Typical house are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls and tin roofs. The primary ethnic group is Oromo and the most commonly spoken language is Oromifa.

The regional diet consists of teff (local cereal). Common health problems in this area include tuberculosis, intestinal parasites and waterborne diseases. Adults in Gojo work as day laborers and earn the equivalent of $30 per month. This community needs school fees and uniforms, educational materials, employment opportunities, vocational training centers, health centers and recreation centers.

Your sponsorship allows the staff of Gojo Mulu Wongel Child Development Center to provide Chala with Bible teaching, choir training, health screenings, supplementary food, clothing, sports, recreational activities and school supplies. The center staff will also provide opportunities for project involvement for parents or guardians of Chala.

Ethiopia, a republic in northeastern Africa, shares boundaries with five other countries. Most of the country is a high plateau capped by mountains. Lowland deserts surround the plateau. The country is about twice the size of Texas. Mounds of historical treasures have been found in Ethiopia near its Lake Turkana and in the country's Awash River Valley. Ethiopia's population is diverse inhabited by more than 70 ethnic groups. Eighty percent of the people support themselves through subsistence farming in the central plateau region. The people of Ethiopia are besieged by famine and HIV/AIDS. Nearly one million people have HIV/AIDS. Ethiopia has a long history of Christianity dating to the fourth century when the country led a crusade into Saudi Arabia defeating a Jewish king who was said to have slain Christians. The main religions in the country today are Christianity and Islam. Amharic is the country's official language. Compassion works in the western, eastern, southern, northern, and central regions of the country. Ethiopia is the only African country not colonized by European colonial forces. Known as Abyssinia until recently, Ethiopia was ruled by a powerful kingdom in the first centuries. After the 1500s, Ethiopia became a number of small kingdoms, which were reunified in the 1880s. Emperor Haile Selassie took Ethiopia's throne in 1931. Since he was dethroned in 1974, the country has experienced political instability and several forms of government. In 1995, the country became the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.