As another school year begins, and we start to prepare our families for the excitement of back-to-school, we thought it would be a great time to update you on some of the girls The Sparkle Project has helped this year.  It is so exciting when we get updates on the girls.  We have heard some incredible stories of resilience, determination, and gratitude from these beautiful ladies, and want to share them with you- after all, it is because of your generous support that these girls are able to go to school and have a brighter future!

We are lucky enough to partner with Eyes That See.  ETS is a fantastic organization that coordinates the sponsorship program in Ethiopia.  One of the greatest advantages of partnering with ETS, is that they have teams that travel to Ethiopia on a regular basis as well as staff in country that help to support the girls we sponsor.  We have received many updates from them and want to share with you some of the amazing things that are happening in the lives of our girls.

One of the most interesting pieces of information we receive about our girls is an "inventory" of sorts where the girls talk about their favorite things and take some time to ask us for prayer requests.  The information is written in their native language (Amharic) and translated to English.  It is so sweet to read their words (we did not edit their writing, so the translation can be a little off).  One thing that is very clear from their writing is that they are very grateful for sponsorship.  They are also very grateful for the opportunity to attend school!

Hiwot- Age 12

Didya- Age 16

Hiwot:

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor." 

Favorite things:

game- hide and seek

food- peanut butter

school subject- grammar

pet-cat

color-yellow

"All I can say is thank you for your great job. Please pray that God to help me to grow up."

We were also lucky enough to get an update on Hiwot from an adoptive mom (Heidi) who traveled to Ethiopia this year.  During her trip, she posted a picture of a beautiful little girl named Hiwot (a popular name in Ethiopia).  She posted a picture of Hiwot and  wrote: Meet 12-year-old Hiwot. She is brilliant. She speaks perfect English and wants to be a scientist when she grows up. A girl after my own heart. Pray for her. And don't take your daughter's education for granted. Tell her about Hiwot. It turned out to be the Hiwot that we sponsor!  We were able to message Heidi while she was still in Ethiopia, and were able to send our love to Hiwot.  What a blessing to get an extra update about Hiwot.  She is an incredible girl and it will be so exciting to see the great things she does in the future!

Saron:

"When I grow up, I want to be an artist."

Favorite things:

game- volleyball

food- dorowot

school subject- biology

pet-dog

color- pink

"Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.  You are my families.  I love you!"

Saron is such a beautiful little girl.  We are so grateful that we have been able to partner with you to support her.  She will go on to the such amazing things! She also said, "I pray for your blessing and to fulfill your wishes by God."  So sweet!

Didya

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor."

Favorite things:

game-chatting with friends

food-shiro and doro wat

school subject- natural science

pet-cat

color-red

"I just want to say thank you for your support.  May the mighty God pay you back."   Didya said, "Please pray that I can finish my school with a best grade and can help my family."

We received an email about Didya this week!  It was an incredible update and we are so excited to share it with you!!!! 

"When Didiya entered our program, she had average academic scores. However, she loves reading, and she has been working diligently and attending tutoring classes at 10cDabo. Just this year, she was a candidate to take a national examination. She took nine courses and received A's in all of them! Didiya said she feels like her "dreams are coming true." She and her mother are very excited, and they especially want to thank the people at Eyes That See.  We are going to post this story to our website later today, but I thought you might want to be the first to know. Thanks so much for your continued support of Eyes That See through the Sparkle Project!"

It is so exciting to hear the amazing things that are happening in the lives of the girls we are sponsoring.  It is through your support and purchases that these incredible girls have a brighter future!

We thank you so very much and look forward to another successful Sparkle Project fundraiser this fall/winter.  We intend to offer more awesome shirts, bags, and a few new items this year.  Please consider the Sparkle Project when you are starting to do your holiday shopping.  What an awesome gift idea- a gift to give that also gives back!  Through your purchases, you truly make a difference in the lives of girls in Ethiopia.

Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers!