Friday, July 13, 2007

My Ethiopian Friend


While in Ethiopia I met this very dear man - Sintayehu. He was hired by the adoption agency to take my daughter and I to the orphange to pick up Gabriella. On our drive home we found out that his name was the same as Gabriella's birth name Sintayhu. He also generously offered us the use of his cell phone until we left Addis Ababa. This generous offer most definately started a friendship for me. He did so much for us, helped carry our water, took me shopping, was my translator, offered to be our guard wherever we went, even going so far as to check on Gabriella when we had to come home and leave her in the care of a nanny for a few extra weeks. This picture shows him holding Gabriella.

Sintayehu expressed to me a strong desire to come to Canada. He is a hardworker driving many, many hours as a taxi cab driver as well as going to school part time to study nursing.

I have spent quite a lot of time researching how to help him get here, but am having trouble coming up with how he could migrate. I have been reading about coming over as a student, but I am not sure that he would qualify for a nursing program here in Canada as it is now a Bachelor of Science degree to become a Registered Nurse. From what he told me I don't believe he completed a standard high school diploma but a 2 year course following public school. My daughter recently told me about some of the families she is in contact with hiring immigrants from Ethiopia as caregivers. I think that this might be the easiest and quickest way to bring Sinta here. Once he was established here he could start looking for work or pursue completing his education.

It is amazing how difficult it is to immigrate to Canada. With the strong multi cultural influence we enjoy in this country and given these difficulties I keep encountering, I wonder how do these new Canadians manage to make it here? Is there something I am missing, do they know something I don't?

So I am putting this entry in my blog to ask for help, information, etc... If you have any suggestions or know someone in the GTA who might be looking for home care help, please email me. I have most of the information regarding wages, room & board, etc....


I have started a savings account for Sinta to help him financially when hopefully he can migrate to our country. I would be most grateful for any donations you might feel led to make.

Sinta more than once demonstrated to me that he is honest, hardworking & genuine in his desire to better himself.


If he stays in Ethiopia in his words, "I have no future".............

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