Ethiopia | New Life for Unwanted People
Kuchera means “left overs”—a name given to the area because of the rampant sex trade there. Few choose to enter this community, but that’s exactly where the InnerCHANGE team goes.
Right next to Sholla, one of the local markets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, there is an over-crowded community of “Kuchera” (meaning “left overs” or the unwanted part of the community). The name Kuchera was given to that space because it’s populated by commercial sex workers who “lure” unfaithful husbands and young men to adultery and fornication.
Darkness in that space is visible. Though there’s a local church nearby, most ministers avoid the area completely. But Novo’s InnerCHANGE team serves in Kuchera regularly, doing spoken Bible study with some of the women. While many of the women are not yet followers of Jesus, some have become believers through the team’s efforts.
Though there’s a local church nearby, most ministers avoid the area completely. But Novo’s InnerCHANGE team serves in Kuchera regularly
When Hirut met Jesus, she knew she needed to get out. At the Restoration Center, she found healing and hope for her future.
One of those women, Hirut, became a sex worker as a teenager and lived in Sholla for 22 years. Hirut is a single mom who found herself raising her daughter in the same place she was practicing her trade. When she decided to follow Jesus, she knew she needed to relocate and find an alternative means of supporting herself and her daughter.
The InnerCHANGE team just opened a Restoration Center outside of Addis Ababa. It’s a place to help women like Hirut transition out of the sex trade as they start following Jesus, experience some emotional and physical restoration, and learn a new trade to generate income. The team invited Hirut and her daughter to move to the center, and their lives changed dramatically. Hirut has been set free from abusing drugs and alcohol and has even experienced miraculous physical healing. She feels peace knowing her daughter is also safe and happy and shared, “Previously, I was hopeless and even attempted suicide. Now I love life and wish to live longer to see my girl grow and find good direction in life.”
