Dr. Rick Hodes, M.D. received his medical training in Rochester and Baltimore.  He was honored with a Fulbright scholarship to teach in Addis Ababa in 1985 and has spent the last 2 decades in Africa saving lives.   Dr. Rick, as he is affectionately called in Ethiopia, is on staff at hospitals in Addis Ababa and Gondar, however his passion is caring for the severely ill at Mother Theresa’s Mission for the Destitute and Dying as a volunteer saving the lives of children that other people have forgotten.  His specialty is working with children who have severely twisted spines, cancer and heart disease.

August 2013

EFF is helping to support an organization named  Bete – Se’ida in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which has two projects:  we help run an orphanage for children and babies who have  AIDS or are HIV positive and we help young women who are HIV positive and have young children.   This project has two phases: 1) rehabilitating the women in an in-house program for 2 months providing shelter, medical care and food for the women and their children. 2) training the women in a skill so that they can then make money and provide for their family 3)  provide seed funding, so the women can use their training and transform their lives and get back into the community.  It is optimal to try and keep these women with their children.

The Telluride Aids Benefit http://www.aidsbenefit.org/education has named the Ethiopian Family Fund as a beneficiary for the past 3 years.    Read all about their work and their beneficiaries by visiting http://www.aidsbenefit.org/beneficiaries

EFF and MKI returned to the Cardiac Center of Ethiopia (CHFE) run by Dr. Belay Abegaz. CHFE is a free-standing mission building on the grounds of the Black Lion Hospital. This facility is only open when visiting cardiac teams from around the world visit. Headed by lead surgeon, Dr. Gopichand Mannam of Starr Hospital, India, and Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. David Ferry, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

24 open heart surgeries/catherizations were completed over the course of our mission. Your support of EFF and its programs is what allows up to provide the best gift of – the gift of life!

Please check out Mending Kids Blog for day to day activity during the mission.   http://mki-blog.blogspot.com

Read about the Cardiac Center of Ethiopia

For more pictures visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/mendingkidsinternational/

These young teens spent their Christmas and New Years holiday (2012/2013)  in Ethiopia helping the children of Ethiopia.  The teens spent their mornings in the hospital comforting children who were about to receive open heart surgery.  They also had the opportunity to scrub up and see a catherization and an open heart surgery.  They also played with Roman’s girls and brought them gifts from America.  What a wonderful way to give back.  We are proud of you!  Visit mending kids international for updated blogs and pictures….http://www.mendingkids.org

In 2006, the Ethiopian Family Fund (EFF) was established as a 501C3 non-profit agency dedicated to improving the lives of poor children in Ethiopia. One of the ways this is achieved is through Roman’s Girls; a program that has identified 20 little girls who are either orphans living with a guardian or young girls living with families in destitute conditions unable to afford education.  In September 2008, EFF provided financial assistance to all 19 girls thanks to many generous sponsors. Who is Roman? Roman Kifle is an Ethiopian educator living in Ethiopia after her American education.  She is the former Director of the girls’ program at Unity College in Addis Ababa and is our EFF coordinator for all of the little girls known as “Roman’s Girls”. On an ongoing basis, Roman meets with the family and personally spends time with each young girl and her family to be sure she is thriving educationally,emotionally and receiving good nutrition. Imagine the daily challenges of families placed into poverty by a peaceful but poor country; unable to provide education or jobs for its people.  We believe the only way to break the cycle of poverty is to seek out the youngest of its people, the children, and give them the opportunity to become educated. Young girls will become the future mothers and caregivers, hence educating them is vital.  For as little as $500 per year or $40 per month you can sponsor a young girl with everything she needs to learn including hope. Here’s How Can You Help In the Future: Contact Naomi Carona, Director of Roman’s girls, to ask questions or to sponsor a young girl in the future.  EFF will send you a photo and a description of your little girl’s family, her needs and some of her interests. EFF, through Roman, will then enroll your little girl in a predetermined school (we at EFF have picked the schools out personally during our trip in October 2007) and arrange transportation. She will be given a uniform, books, pencils, a lunch box and book bag. Roman will meet with her teacher and relay all information directly to your email address. You’ll then be a proud sponsor! As her sponsor you will receive two annual updates on her progress and you will see her growth in annual photographs.  You will also have the chance to send her cards, letters or small gifts if you choose to do so. She will also have the opportunity to send pictures and letters to you. You will be able to contact Roman directly to ask questions or contact Marla Hodes, Executive Director of EFF,  modes@mac.com or 949-230-1443.  Thank you for considering a sponsorship that will make a tremendous difference in a young girl’s life!  Enjoy this video of the girls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP19eDgkT68

]]> http://www.ethiopianfamilyfund.org/2012/04/28/romans-girls-is-thriving-providing-education-to-poor-young-girls/feed/ 0 http://www.ethiopianfamilyfund.org/2012/04/28/telluride-aids-benefit-names-eff-a-beneficiary-for-the-4th-year/ http://www.ethiopianfamilyfund.org/2012/04/28/telluride-aids-benefit-names-eff-a-beneficiary-for-the-4th-year/#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:01:41 +0000 marla http://www.ethiopianfamilyfund.org/?p=295

A young mother with AIDS and her daughter, Addis Ababa

Telluride Aids Benefit named EFF, for the 4th year in a row, as a beneficiary.  Marla Hodes states “We are so honored that TAB   (Telluride Aids Benefit) has named us once again as a beneficiary.  The money from TAB helps to send two little girls, who families have been affected by AIDS, to school.  The money will also be used to help a project helping mothers and children who are HIV positive.

EFF works with and helps support a program called Project Hopeful. This program helps children and mothers who are HIV positive.  It seeks to alleviate the need for HIV+ mother’s to relinquish their children and was born out of a desire to honor the birth mothers of Project HOPEFUL children (these are children who are HIV+ and have been adopted by families in the United States). The goal of the Project is to provide HOLISTIC and medical care for infected mothers and their families in order to prevent unnecessary loss. These goals will be achieved by emotionally, spiritually and physically supporting families with HIV+ persons (primarily mothers) by providing them access to vital medical care and helping them obtain self –sustainability by providing skill training and job support.  Our goal is that Mothers won’t have to place their children in orphanages because of inability to provide for her family AND to help these mothers become a vital part of the community.

For more information please see www.aidsbenefit.org. AND project hopeful.org

Dean Hodes, age 13, is training hard for his long ride from Laguna Beach, CA to San Diego, CA.  He is asking friends and family to help him achieve his goal of raising enough money to bring an Ethiopian child to the United States for lifesaving spine or heart surgery.  If you would like to contribute, please visit our home page, ethiopianfamilyfund.org and go to payapl to make a donation.

http://gallery.me.com/mhodes/100164 Roman’s Girls

http://www.babyheart.org/about-ichf/medical-mission-trips/

http://mendingkids.org/ Website for Mending Kids International