The Yirgaalem Appeal Trust - Give a Child an Education

In December 1998 Rose and Terry Casey were asked  to offer foster places to two unaccompanied children from Ethiopia.The family had already looked after over sixty foster children but never had they even met anyone from Ethiopia let alone tried to meet their needs as foster carers. Little did they know that caring for Sarah and Lee Lee would begin a love affair between the Casey family, the carers and staff at The Homefinding and Fostering Agency and the people of Ethiopia.  It soon became clear that the difficulties faced by these two children could only be resolved if they could be placed within a family who could understand their cultural,religious and emotional needs.

This brought the Casey family into contact with members of the Ethiopian community based in London and in particular a  man by the name of Dereje Geleta. What impressed everyone who came into contact with Dereje was that he was prepared to help the Caseys and the girls because he was a humanitarian and for no other reason. All the Ethiopian community showed understanding and warmth because many of them had been refugees themselves.

 Within three years The Homefinding and Fostering Agency had registered and approved over seventy families from Ethiopia and Eritrea and there were over eighty refugee children in placement from this part of The Horn of Africa. It meant that all the refugee children that came to England from Ethiopia and Ertrea would have the chance to live within a family that would be able to sympathise with their predicament.

As the numbers of children entering the country reduced the staff and management of the agency felt that they wanted to continue the close links with Ethiopia and Dereje Geleta asked if we would like to help to support twenty children in his home town of Yirgaalem. In  May 2005  the Homefinding and Fostering agency sent the first delegation of five people comprsing of three social  workers and agricultural expert. Numerous delegations  have travelled  to Yirgaalem since then working to give the children of the town a chance to escape poverty by supporting them off the streets and into education.