Ethiopia Family Receptions

Ethiopia Family Receptions

We're pleased to announce that Dr. Tsegaye Berhe's visit and our Ethiopia Family Receptions were tremendously successful this year. We would like to extend our thanks to all who made this trip so memorable. Dr. Tsegaye was received with many warm welcomes and the families really enjoyed getting to socialize with each other.

On August 17th, over 25 families (70 people) gathered for an evening at our Main Office to welcome Dr. Tsegaye Berhe, our in-country representative from Ethiopia. Many children who once lived at Horizon House were able to re-connect with Dr. Tsegaye and one another. Seeing the connection these children still have with each other and with Dr. Tsegaye was amazing. Prospective parents and their children also attended the reception. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to meet Dr. Tsegaye and children who have already come home. Many of these in-process families commented on how re-affirming it was to see children home and it made them feel like the process is real, and works! Here's what one family had to say "We thought the reception was an awesome experience. It was so wonderful to meet the families that have already adopted from Ethiopia and to see how many of them were adopting for a second time! That speaks volumes about the Ethiopia program."

On August 20th, almost 40 families (140+ people) came together for a party at Wiseacres Farm in Millis, MA. A delicious feast of Ethiopian Food was enjoyed by all and families had fun swimming in the pool, playing on the swing set and the kids even got to go on pony rides (yes, the ponies had Ethiopian Flag color decorations too!). Families traveled from all over New England to see each other and Dr. Tsegaye. There were also families from New York and even one who drove all the way from Michigan! Many special reunions took place, including the meeting of a brother and sister who are both now home with their forever families but who hadn't seen each other since they were at Horizon House over a year ago! After Dr. Tsegaye addressed the families, they all huddled for a group photo by the pool. It was amazing to see how large the group has become and it is a testament to how successful this program has become.

Also during his trip, Dr. Tsegaye was able to attend family parties in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont. On this "whirl wind family tour"; he was re-united with more than 80 of the 240 children who have come home from Horizon House.

Wide Horizons For Children would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Fouad and Eugenie for hosting a large gathering in Rhode Island (80 people or more!), Gabriel and Ellie for hosting the dinner party in Vermont, Cynthia for hosting a dinner in MA and Nick & Drucilla for the big bash at their farm in Millis, MA. Thanks also go out to Bill and Michelle, who hosted Dr. Tsegaye in CT the last weekend of August. We are also grateful to all the families who participated in these events. It's important that we show Ethiopia how well our adopted children are doing. So thank you for making time in your busy summer schedules to attend and show off your beautiful children. While we are disappointed that government officials from Ethiopia were not able to attend this year, Dr. Tsegaye has assured us that he will be reporting back about his trip. In the hopes of providing the best information possible, one waiting family, Natalie and Mark, made the effort to video tape the various events. That footage will be sent back to Ethiopia, for Dr. Tsegaye to show to the government officials. This is very important for the growth and development of this program, so many thanks to Mark and Natalie for all their efforts.

Overall, this visit would not have been as successful without all of your help and support!! These events were so meaningful for Dr. Tsegaye and our families; so thanks a million to all of you for your role in this visit!

http://www.whfc.org/events/archive/EventView.htm?EventId=119