Hope Enterprises Case Study
Ashenafi's Story
Ashenafi's mother is blind. Her only means of providing for her children is through begging on the streets of Addis Ababa. Everyday she tries and scrape together enough money to put food on the table for her four children - but it isn't enough.
As a result, Ashenafi and his three sisters were sent to work on the capital's streets - at just six years old, Ashenafi started work as a shoe shiner. Without money for education and unable to think beyond his next meal, he had no means to create a better and sustainable future for himself and his family. Ashenafi's situation was desperate.
Without the help of the Street Children's Breakfast, run by Hope Enterprises, Ashenafi would have no hope of escaping his poverty.
Ashenafi first visited the Street Children's Breakfast when he was twelve years old after 6 years working on the streets. Every day he receives two bread rolls, a banana and a cup of milky tea. With the certainty of a meal every day, he was able to concentrate on his studies and has now been enrolled into his local neighbourhood school. Hope Enterprises provide him with the school fees and uniform needed and the project staff always remind him to come and eat his breakfast before heading off for a day of classes.
Ashenafi's mother still needs help to support the family and so Hope also give him a new shoeshine box to enable him to continue to work part time. However, his ambition is now to become a doctor.