Ethiopia ( Life on the Street )

Imagine a life where you have no parents because they died from HIV/AIDS when you were a little boy. There you are all alone, no roof over your head and no food on the table; in fact, not even a table when you have food. This is reality for little boys like this one. The only thing he has in the whole world is what he has on his back, and as you can see in the photo, that's not much. As I traveled throughout the country of Ethiopia, I began to realize how well off I actually had it in life. Here I am, an American who is able to travel around the world to other countries. I might be doing it for a good cause, but many Americans travel just because they can. We have so many holidays throughout the year and we own so many possessions from multiple cars to having our homes (which are mansions in comparison) packed full of objects that we could really do without. In America in 2005, we spent over 287 billion dollars as a nation on gifts for each other for Christmas. Now let me ask you, is that the reason for the season? These children need us! They are dieing from sickness that could easily be cured and prevented. It's time for us to take a stand for the sick and weary.


As I walked the streets, I saw many sleeping on the medians, which are not even wide enough for them to fit on. Many will die by simply rolling in their sleep and getting run over by a car. I looked closer and saw some children come up from the ground. I wondered where were they coming from? I wanted to find out and I did. They were living in a part of the sewer; small holes in the ground just big enough for them to sleep in. I was able to go in a few and take some photos. In the photo to the right are seven of the thirteen people who sleep here at night. It's hard to believe that thirteen people live in a space smaller than most American closets, but it's true. As I took this photo, they all gathered around eating the left over food that they got from restaurants. Without the restaurants that give them food, they would be forced to steal, beg for food, or not eat at all.