Day 7 in Africa

If the harsh reality of life for kids on the streets of Addis Ababa had not become painfully apparent to us before, it was now. Meeting the children under the garbage bags and seeing the drunken, strung out adults they were destined to be was painful in a way that challenged prejudices and theories I didn’t know I had. It was with a mix of sadness and anticipation that the rest of the group headed out the next night.

The goal of this midnight venture was to meet and hopefully talk to some of the girls and young women who called the streets home. The night before the children the team had met were just a part of the stories of the streets. We were told that many girls who start off on the streets go into prostitution as a way of supporting themselves. We went out that night in hopes to hear their stories.

Dereje and our LIA driver Teddy, met up with us at the house. We gathered our equipment and Brian, Tony, Brandy, Rebecca and I piled into Teddy’s truck to head into the Merkado. We had been told the night before was eerily quite except for the dogs. Tonight was much different. Barcelona had just beat Manchester United in soccer and everyone in Addis seemed to be celebrating. As crowds of inebriated patrons stumbled out of bars and onto the streets we realized that any chance of not drawing attention tonight was probably out of the question. Suddenly I felt a lot of comfort in having 2 police officers along for the ride.

Dereje had decided it would be best if he talked to the women first, asking their permission to be filmed and then invite us over once they had agreed. We would sit in the truck waiting until given the go ahead. Sitting in the streets of the Merkado in the middle of the night trying not to be noticed was fairly easy as it was so incredibly dark, the only light coming from our headlights and the occasional bar.

The first women we met were 17 and 22. One of them had a small child that was being watched by a neighbor while his mother worked. Their eyes shifted from us to the streets and back again as we asked questions and Dereje interpreted.

They told us about where they had come from, usually a rural town several hours outside Addis. The stories were sadly similar; they had run away because of abuse by a family member. They had come to Addis for work and a better life. Unfortunately what they had found was more sadness. Each girl told us of the difficulty in finding work, being unable to find a sponsor (something Ethiopian law requires of women to be employed) or being passed over for manual labor in favor of a stronger boy. Eventually, in desperation and hunger, they turned to prostitution as a way to survive.

When a girl in Addis sells herself she is able to make up to the equivalent of $5 a night. This money allows her to rent an apartment, get food and potentially pay for childcare. Fear of HIV and disease is very real, but more immediate is the need for food. So each night these girls take the risk.

It is on their faces that you can see the toll this lifestyle. Many of the girls expressed a wish to leave this profession in a couple years, hoping to open a shop were they would sell bakery goods and tea. This seemed a lofty dream as we stood talking in the dirt and grime of the night, but I found myself hoping and praying that it would come true; that these young women would be able to continue to muster up the hope that life would get better.

When we returned to the LIA compound later that night I was reminded again that there are people here who care about these girls and their dreams too, and more importantly a God who cares and loves them more than any of us ever could. In the midst of my sadness for the devastating realities of this world, I felt that we had done something good. We are able to tell the stories of people who otherwise have no voice. Giving faces and stories to statistics and hopefully making a difference in lives that are just as important as yours or mine.

For past posts about our Africa trip, check out the following links: Journey to Africa, Day 1 & 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6.