A Journey of Survival, Forgiveness, Giving Back

A Journey of Survival, Forgiveness, Giving Back

Jun 6 , 2026. By Eden Sahle ( Eden Sahle is founder and CEO of Yada Technology Plc. She has studied law with a focus on international economic law. She can be reached at edensah2000@gmail.com. )

After enduring the loss of his mother, legal injustice, and extreme poverty, Belay Teka’s life was transformed through the intervention of a nonprofit organisation. From receiving basic aid to building a professional career abroad, his journey reflects extraordinary resilience. Yet his defining choice was to return to Ethiopia, where he established initiatives focused on supporting orphaned children. His efforts have helped hundreds of children find families, while also promoting forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of personal tragedy.

Some stories arrive without fanfare, yet stay with us long after they are told. They remind us of humanity at its worst and its best, sometimes at the same time. The story of Belay Teka is one of those rare stories. It is a story of devastating loss, unimaginable hardship, remarkable resilience and, above all, the transformative power of human kindness.

Belay’s childhood began with a tragedy that would shatter any family. His mother was killed in front of her loved ones while trying to stop a violent dispute between neighbours. The argument was over just two hundred dollars. As she attempted to intervene and restore peace, she was struck on the head with a glass bottle and died instantly.

In a single moment, six children lost their mother. A husband lost the woman he loved. The family’s world collapsed.

What followed deepened the pain. Though the family sought justice through the courts, they believe corruption denied them that opportunity. The criminal case against those responsible was dismissed, while Belay’s grieving father was imprisoned for six months after accusing the neighbours of killing his wife.

The tragedy broke his spirit. Unable to continue working and weighed down by grief, he could no longer provide for his children as he once had. Poverty tightened its grip on the family.

To many people, the former neighbourhood of Cherkos is known for its dilapidated homes and extreme poverty. To Belay, it meant something entirely different. It was home. It was a modest two-room mud house filled with love, warmth and togetherness. The family had little money, but poverty had never been strong enough to break the bond they shared.

After his mother’s death, life became a daily struggle for survival. Deprivation and uncertainty became constant companions. Yet even in those darkest years, a door of hope eventually opened.

Belay was rescued through the intervention of a nonprofit organisation in Kuriftu. The condition he was in reflected the depth of the hardship he had endured. He recalls that the clothes he wore had become almost attached to his skin because he had worn them for so long. Years of walking barefoot had caused his feet to swell and change shape. When aid workers finally found shoes for him, they could not find a matching pair that fit. They gave him two left shoes.

Receiving mismatched shoes might seem insignificant. For Belay, it was unforgettable. He remembers lying awake that night, unable to sleep because he was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude. For the first time in a long time, he had shoes.

The support he received through the organisation allowed him to continue his education and rebuild his future. Over time, he developed skills, gained confidence and discovered opportunities that once seemed impossible. He eventually became a production manager at a flower farm. Later, he travelled abroad, pursued further studies and secured employment in the United States.

For many people, that would have been the end of the story. It would have been understandable for someone who endured such hardship to focus solely on building a comfortable life. But Belay’s journey took a different path.

Having experienced abandonment, poverty and vulnerability firsthand, he never forgot the countless children still facing those realities. The plight of millions of orphaned and vulnerable children remained close to his heart. Rather than staying abroad, he returned to Ethiopia determined to make a difference.

His mission gave birth to initiatives such as Hope for the Fatherless and Yetesfa Mender. Through these efforts, he has worked tirelessly to promote adoption, foster care, support for young children and community involvement for vulnerable children. Hundreds of children have found families through local adoption programmes and fostering arrangements supported by his organisation.

Belay and his wife chose not merely to advocate for adoption but to live its principles. They adopted two young siblings themselves, demonstrating that genuine leadership begins with personal action.

Equally remarkable as his charitable work is the forgiveness he and his siblings extended to those responsible for their family’s greatest tragedy. Rather than allowing bitterness to define their lives, they chose reconciliation. They rebuilt relationships and even provide support when those individuals are in need.

Belay’s work also challenges common assumptions about philanthropy. He did not return to Ethiopia with wealth or powerful financial backing. One of his earliest supporters was a person who earned a living in the United States through cleaning work and committed to contributing just twenty dollars each month. It was not the size of the donation that mattered. It was the willingness to help. Belay says helping others does not primarily require wealth. It requires a heart.

Ordinary people can transform lives. A former homeless man, Tekeste Getenet, recalled how a carpenter found him and his friends living on the streets and took them in. Though far from wealthy, the man provided them with food, shelter, education and practical skills. Through simple acts of compassion, he changed the course of their lives.

These stories reveal an important truth. Social transformation is rarely the result of a single wealthy donor or a grand institution acting alone. More often, it is the cumulative result of countless ordinary people deciding to help.

At the same conference, generosity took many forms. One person donated a large house, while a young man contributed land he had inherited. Some provided financial support, others volunteered their time and skills, and communities donated clothes and equipment. Families also stepped forward to adopt children.

The need remains enormous. Ethiopia is home to millions of orphaned and vulnerable children. Meeting that challenge requires government institutions, nonprofit organisations, businesses, faith communities and ordinary citizens working together. No single organisation can carry such a responsibility alone.

One observation from Belay captured the deeper reality faced by many orphaned children. He spoke of children in orphan centres spending long hours in cribs, longing simply to be held. It is a heartbreaking image. It reminds us that beyond food, shelter and education, children need love, belonging, a family and a community.

The stories of Belay and others offer reason for hope. They demonstrate that people are not defined by the worst moments of their lives. Trauma does not have to determine destiny. Someone who once needed help can become a source of hope for thousands of others.

Perhaps that is the lesson at the heart of stories like Belay’s. The greatest resource any society possesses is not money. It is people willing to care about one another. Kindness changes lives. Forgiveness heals wounds. Compassion creates futures.

Belay’s journey from a grieving child in poverty to a champion for vulnerable children is proof of that truth. It is also a reminder that when communities come together to invest in people, the returns extend far beyond a single life. They ripple across families and generations.

PUBLISHED ON Jun 06,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1362]