Mekedonia Home for Elderly and Disabled Addis Ethiopia

There Are 4 Mekedonia

Villages. This One Has 400

Residents.We Are

Welcomed At The Gate.

Ephrem Giving Allan A Little Orientation

First We Are Shown A Video Of Volunteers Rescuing People From The Streets Including Before and After Pictures And Stories.

This Man Was Living Here.They Brought Him to Makedonia.

After A Few Weeks, Here He Is Below

Before Living On The Street He Is Now Helping Keep The Books At Mekedonia

Before and After Pictures. They Gave Us A Number To Call If We

See Someone On The Street In Real Need Of Help.

Things They Need Donated But Their Greatest Need Right Now Is For Adult

Diapers.

All People Who Work Here Are Volunteers. Ephrem Gave Us His Phone Number In Case We Saw Someone To be Picked Up.

Here Ephrem Is Reviewing Before And After Success Stories.

Behind Where Ephrem Was Telling Us About The Stories Of The

People Being Rescued From The Street A Rescued Lady Is Making Ethiopian Coffee On A Little Charcoal Stove

Allan Took This Picture After Talking With Her.

Don’t Know If She Understood But She

Nodded OK.

We Make Our Way In To Shake Hands With This Man Who Is Very

Sick. He Could Barely Keep His

Eyes Open.

There Are 400 Rescued People Living at Mekedonia.

This Man Is Sitting Beside

His Wheelchair. He had to have brain and spinal

surgery following a

car accident.

He shook our hand and asked us to

pray for him.

A Number

Are Blind.

Ephrem Now Takes Us To A Different Area of Makedonia.

Here I Observed A Number of Mentally Ill

Patients Rocking

Constantly

These Patients Are Bed Ridden. Note The

Wet Floor. They Are

Given Bed Baths In

Bed.

This Man Is 109 Years Old. Notice His White Shoes

Under His Bed. He Squeezed My Hand With Great

Strength But Didn’t Speak.

His Hat Could Tell Many Stories!

Wood Is Donated By Construction Companies And Split Up For the Fire

Inside This Building To Prepare Meals for 400

People.

Chopping Cabbage

On the Left

Soup Smells So

Good.

Injera For 400 Ready To Serve With The Soup

We Paid Our Taxi Driver 500 Birr For The Morning. $30.00 Canadian.He Donated Over Half of What He Earned For The Morning.

Our Guide Donated Half of His Day’s Pay. We Gave All We Had With Us And Will Be Going To The Bank To Donate Directly To Their Bank Account.

Negist Our Guide Worked In Media And Had Done Work Here Before So Knew We Might Like To see Mekedonia.He is completing a Masters now in Psychology.

http://www.volunteerlinkethiopia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=126

MEKEDONIA - Home for the Elderly and Mentally DisabledFounder: Ato. Biniam BeleteHistoryMekedonia- Home for the Elderly and Mentally Disabled People is a non-profit organization founded by Ato Biniyam Belete in September 2011 with the mission of alleviating the plight of destitute elderly people and people with mental disabilities by providing food, clothing, housing and medical care. Mekedonia primarily focuses on providing care for the most helpless and frail elderly people and people with mental illnesses, as they are the most vulnerable segment of the population in Ethiopia. Mekedonia is a registered organization with a license number 0170.What We Do And How We Do ItThe residents of Mekedonia- Home for the Elderly and Mentally Disabled are only a small fraction of the millions of destitute elderly and mentally-ill people living on the streets of Ethiopia. We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve others but we are continuously striving to help more people and improve the quality of care provided to residents of Mekedonia.Mekedonia which began its services helping 35 people is now home for over 250 elderly people and people with severe mental health problems. All residents are provided with secure and loving home where everyone lives together as one big happy family. Our most dedicated volunteers and caring staff members provide unreserved compassionate palliative care to all residents of Mekedonia regardless of sex, religion, ethnicity, etcBefore enrolling into Mekedonia, most residents were homeless with a very limited opportunity to survive.  Mekedonia welcomes such kinds of people in need with an open heart, to share God’s love together as a family. People who were once hungry are now fed; once naked are now clothed; once physically and emotionally abused are now in peace   and once hopeless are now living   a life filled with good memories and hopes for a bright future. Since many of our residents are bed-ridden and terminally ill, they are also provided with assistance in toileting, mobility, bathing and other daily activities.