An Unlikely Family

Voices of Ethiopian and American youth who turn tragedy into hope

Price: $24.95 +$4.95 S&H Casebound with Jacket 104 Pages ISBN: 978-0-9759264-1-3 To order, please call 802-299-2220 or An Unlikely Family is the inspiring and uplifting story of those whose lives have been changed by the Selamta Children's Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A courageous and thoughtful group of Ethiopian orphans, along with the young Americans who have bonded with them, tell their remarkable stories through moving and heart warming conversations. Vibrant photographs and colorful graphics make the children's voices come alive. The heart-wrenching descriptions of the despair they have faced, the extraordinary challenges they have overcome, and the remarkable love they have found in their new families is a story of hope and survival that will resonate with every reader.

No statistics can adequately capture the human tragedy that over a million orphans now face in Ethiopia. When AIDS takes a parent, it takes a childhood as well. These parentless children are often impoverished, uneducated and unprotected. AIDS orphans are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, illness, abuse, child labor and sexual exploitation. The stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS due to an illness they did not ask for condemns them to isolation and disdain. Many become street children. At Selamta, they have a new beginning, an experience that, under the watchful eye of the HCF is a far cry form the ordinary orphanage. Orphans are joined with well-trained, caring women who become their new "mothers" and "aunties." With room to grow, surrounded by love, in a stable, reliable environment, and given proper nutrition, health care and educational opportunities, the children blossom. When American students, Ethiopian professionals, generous sponsors, friends and advisors are added, an unlikely family is born. Like any family, what we get is often more than what we give.
 

2009 Independant Publisher's Award Bronze Medal Winner Recognizing the work of publishers who exhibit the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground, and bring about change, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society.	2009 Moonbeam Book Award Gold Medal Winner Multicultural Non-Fiction Recognizing exemplary children's books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.	2009 Living Now Book Award Silver Medal Winner Honoring the year's best books that promote social change and help readers attain healthier, more fulfilling, and productive lives	2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Four Categories Social Change, Inspirational, Best Overall Design, Multicultural Non-Fiction

About the Authors

Ben Beisswenger and Zoe Dmitrovsky are seniors at Dartmouth College. Christopher Beisswenger and Margaret Eldred, recent Humanitarian Award recipients, and are first year students at University of Virginia, and Meron Foster attends college in England. After many years as a dean at Dartmouth College, Carolynne Krusi is now focusing helping young people tell their stories through books. All the authors have had their lives inexorably changed by the time they have spent working with orphans at Selamta Children's Home in Ethiopia.