Child Protection Policy
With the information we’ve learned over the last 3 phases, by signing our Child Protection Policy below, you agree to make the emotional wellbeing and physical safety of our children a priority in every situation.
Questions to think about
Now that you have gone through the training material, read and consider these reflection questions:
What types of activities would I feel comfortable allowing between my own child and unknown visitor? What type of supervision would I want?
How will I explain to others why I am going on this trip? Would calling it a learning, vision or advocate training trip be more helpful? What term best describes this trip?
How will what I am doing on this trip impact the Selamta children, families, staff and community one, five or ten years from now?
If many teams come and do the same things we are doing on this trip, what might the cumulative effect be?
How can I support the staff and primary caregivers on this trip?
What skill set(s) do I have that will benefit the Selamta staff, families, kids and/or community?
Is there anything else I need to know to be prepared to go?
Personal Reflection
Create a self-reflection sheet or start a journal for your trip. Writing during a trip can be a great tool to capture memories, process your thoughts, and share with others once you return.
Start with the following prompts. Be sure to write these down on paper or in your journal, and take time to consider them and provide answers.
Why did I initially want to go to Ethiopia?
Has my thinking changed? How?
What am I hoping to accomplish on this trip?
What am I hoping to learn on this trip?
What do I want to have happen when I get home?
Trip Stories
This is an amazing opportunity that has the possibility of impacting both your life and the people you serve with long term. It is important to remember that 10% of the mission trip happens in Ethiopia and 90% happens after. Here are a few stories of how our volunteers have used their trip to Selamta as a starting point for ongoing support of Selamta as well as serving orphaned and vulnerable children where they live.
Michaela traveled to Selamta from Austria. After learning about the need in Ethiopia as well as the work being done to bring children out of orphanages, she started a fundraising page for Selamta. She also is sharing what she has learned about Selamta, Ethiopia and orphaned and vulnerable children around the world with her network in Austria.
After visiting Ethiopia several times, Kayla decided to make the ultimate commitment and move to Ethiopia, serving Selamta as a long term missionary. She is using her extensive training and experience working with children with special needs to train and support Selamta as well as other organizations across Addis.
Rediate came to serve Selamta for a summer and ended up staying six months through Youth with a Mission (YWAM)’s training program. She continues to advocate for Selamta now that she is back in the states.
Meron was only 16 when she served at Selamta. After coming home her family started sponsoring one of Selamta’s newest kiddos, helping to make it possible for us to bring even more children into forever families. Meron is also looking into how she can take a gap year and eventually leverage her profession to serve orphaned and vulnerable children.
Tami came on a vision trip to Selamta and used her incredible artistic gifts to decorate the community center. She is continuing to use her artistic gifts to serve Selamta from home and is even starting her own etsy shop with proceeds helping orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia.
Kerri continues to be an advocate for Selamta as well as orphaned and vulnerable children right where she lives. She became a leader for her church’s newly founded adoption and foster ministry and works to educate volunteers to support foster and adoptive families.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
