Bill with Yohannes, Abu, and Mareg on an outing by boat to visit a monastery in Lake Tana near Bahar Dar.
ETHIOPIA:
Yohannes, Abu, and Mareg are boys who lived on the streets of Lalibela for almost 10 years. Their families lived in the remote countryside where getting a good education was impossible, so they chose to move to Lalibela, sleep on the streets, shine shoes, and learn English in school. After I met them, they were able to enroll in a school in Bahar Dar where they are taking a 3-year course in Travel and Tourism. They live in one room with no plumbing or running water and no furniture unless you count a mattress on the floor and a small rickety table. Yet they are pursuing their studies. For about $1500 per young man, you can provide them with sufficient funds to stay in school and graduate in the spring of 2017.