Friday, July 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Finding Yohannes
Finding a small boy in the crowded Cairo is not easy. Yohannes Gabriel, a 9 year old Sudanese boy, is the inspiration for this project. His humor, attitude, and smile first touched me while I was teaching 2nd grade at the Gugu Learning Center. However, it is not easy to stay in touch with a child while you are away for a year. I was nervous that we would not be able to find Yohannes and allow him to experience the center that he inspired. I had a vague idea of where he lived, two streets from the metro station at Hadayek el Maadi. I had no idea which apartment, which building, or any other details. I did, however, remember that his mother was blind in one eye. After speaking to several people involved at the center, including Yohannes’ teacher at his new school (coincidently one of my former adult students), we were able to contact his mother whose name I learned is Rhoda. A mother of a child at the center knew of Yohannes and put us in contact with the family. Finally we had found Yohannes! The little boy, who had now grown tall but maintained that inspirational smile, showed up at the center wearing a pink dress shirt and gray pants. He seemed a little overwhelmed by the center. Unfortunately he showed up at 6 when the center was closing, but he showed up the next day ready to play! I am thankful that the Sudanese community is so well connected to each other that they are able to find one small boy in one of the most crowded cities in the world. Welcome Yohannes and thank you for what you have started!
