Tuesday, September 29, 2009

This weeks update from Ethiopia

The Ethiopia team is thrilled to have offered 5 referrals on this week and placed another special needs referral on CHIFamilyNet, who is already being reviewed. The break down of referrals is: 3 boys - 3 ½ months, 4 months and 5 months old; one 5 month old girl (special needs) and a sibling set of an 8 ½ month old girl and a 7 yr old boy. All of the families waited just about 11 ½ months to be matched, however the family with the 5 month old boy waited 10 ½ months.

We also placed 3 of our waiting children. One who is Heb B+ and an older sibling set of 2 boys.

Congratulations to all of the families and children

give away

another great give away at geartegang.blogspot.com
http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/09/marie-madeline-studio-giveaway.html?showComment=1254249005448#c5017224974474091186
at the geartegang web site this is doing an awesome give away . check it out.
http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/09/labyrinth-balance-board-reviewgiveaway.html?showComment=1254248437939#c4606694698923561970

Friday, September 11, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)

September 11th Ethiopia welcomes in the New Year ! The year 2002!!

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days and 6 days in the leap year.

The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8. Enkutatash means the “gift of jewels”. When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early time, and as the rains come to their abrupt end dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside; but Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today’s Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal New Year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu of traditional bouquets of flowers. It is a time to express hopes and dreams for the future. Meskerem (September) is seen as a month of transition from the old year to the new

This weeks update

The Ethiopia team is happy to announce the referral of two children this week. The children are both boys, ages 8 months and 11 months. The families waited 12 months and 11 ½ months respectively to be matched. Congratulations to them all.