In this post and the next several to follow, I want to introduce you to some of Ethiopia's outcasts. These people have been ousted by all of society due to their perceived threat to its purity. These are people who have fallen victim to HIV/AIDS, orphans, prostitutes, lepers, those with physical ailments, etc. In this post, you will see the Leper Colony and ALERT hospital which serve the 80,000+ who have been ousted by society! These 80,000+ people make up Ethiopia's largest and poorest slum (described by them as the "Super Super Poor") called Kore or, in English, Korah. The wealthy people named the slum Korah which has the Old Testament connotation of "cursed". What these wealthy people don't understand however, is that ailments such as leprosy aren't contagious and they aren't genetic. No, when persons are forced to walk miles on rocky roads with no shoes, carrying heavy loads of water, over time, their feet, legs, backs and hands begin to fall prey to pressure and begin to deform. What you will see in these photos and videos are the handiwork and hospital portions of Korah. Take note that while these facilities are not all that great, compared to the sheet metal shacks these people live in, they are like mansions. As I said before, in the next several posts I will take you into Korah where I went into the shacks, walked through the trash, touched the hands of lepers and HIV victims, saw kids carry rotten foods back from the city's trash dump which holds the waste of over 4 million people! I will also introduce you to someone I've grown close to during my time here and who desperately needs support! In addition, I will take you inside the sheet metal walls of a church that has been set up by a group of young Christian men from this village who want to share the Gospel in all of its facets (spiritual, social, political, educational, etc.) with those who inhabit Korah and even the larger city of Addis. I hope these scenes will begin to create a desire in your heart for the community of Korah and its outcasts & ministries! Click the image-link below to view the photos & videos:
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