Haymanot is a two-year-old girl from Ethiopia. Her father is a soldier who was called to war when her mom was in the early stages of pregnancy. He left before they knew she was expecting. Her mother earns a living by washing clothes.
Since birth, Haymanot has had an umbilical hernia, where the intestine protrudes through the abdominal muscles at the belly button. This occurs if the muscles don’t fully join together at the midline of the abdominal wall, having a protrusion on the belly button, which is often most noticeable in infants when they cry. Every hospital she visited advised her to take Haymanot to a hospital in Addis Ababa, the capital city, but she didn’t have the money for transportation.
Fortunately, Haymanot and her mother were referred to our medical partner’s care center, Bethany Kids Hospital, which provided them with funding for transportation and accommodations. On September 4th, Haymanot will undergo hernia repair surgery and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $487 to fund the procedure. Once completed, doctors expect that Haymanot will grow up to be a happy and healthy girl.
Haymanot’s mom said, “Now that we have found help, I believe she will become well.”

