Elias: An Update
August 8th, 2020
From time to time we like to update you on stories, we have shared in the past. Here’s a follow up on how support from donors like you have continued to make a difference in Elias’s life and the life of his family and community.
Elias lives with his family in a small home in Assela, Ethiopia. He is very active and is in constant motion around his house. He enjoys the stimulation of moving his body, tapping objects and feeling the vibrations the objects make.
Elias needs to have someone with him at all times. Thanks to generous donors, Elias has one-to-one support. Elias has learned skills and his family knows there are others to help them care for him. Over the course of a year, Elias became ready to attend school and successfully began to do so. He continues to receive one-to-one support, learning alongside his peers. Elias belongs.
His support needs are met by a group of donors whose monthly donations total $135 USD. In Canada or the USA, that level of funding would not have made much difference at all but in Ethiopia, it has made all the difference.
On December 3rd, at the celebration of the United Nations International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Elias sat with his class and school mates. There he was in the middle of his community, playing with his fidget toy and gently rocking back and forth. His one-on-one support is starting to fade into the background. In the next few months, they may not be necessary at all.
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Thank you for helping Elias find his place in his community.
