As a high school student Werku met and “fell in love” with an Ethiopian soldier who convinced her to leave her family and move to a new city with him. Soon after, he left her stranded, not knowing what to do and with a baby on the way. Anger and despair controlled her life as she turned to prostitution thinking that was the answer. As the despair controlled her life to a greater degree, she even considered throwing her baby away… literally. Eventually a friend told her about the Renewed Life program. She went to the church and there God replaced the anger and despair with peace, joy, and a desire to help other women find salvation in Jesus.
When Rahel was young her father died and left her and her mother with no means of support. Wanting to help, she turned to prostitution only to discover the pain that it brought, which then pushed her to alcohol and drugs in attempt to dull the misery. In time, the despair caused her to try to hang herself to end her life, and get rid of the endless misery. Not knowing where else to turn, she went to a church one Sunday looking for answers, and was surprised to find people who accepted her, loved her, and taught her about God. She soon found the freedom that only Jesus can give, had her life truly renewed, and now works for Samaritan’s Purse.
Selam was happily married for 20 years with one child. When the recent civil war broke out, her husband enlisted and was killed in the fighting. Not knowing what to do, she turned to prostitution to provide for herself and her daughter. However, the pain it inflicted caused her to turn to drugs, and she soon became addicted. Her sadness was evident to everyone who knew her, so a neighbor invited her to church. It was there that she learned of God’s redemptive story, and in faith received forgiveness and salvation. After going through the Renewed Life program she said the greatest thing she received was peace in her heart, which she had not felt since the moment she heard that her husband had been killed.
We Need Your Support to free women of Ethiopia from Prostitution.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
$125 a month
will provide everything for a woman and her children while they transition from prostitution to a job that will provide for her.
One time $350 gift
will purchase the items she needs to begin her new business.
Any gift will help rescue these women and is greatly appreciated!
How it all began
Tirhas
Tirhas is a hairdresser and worked in a salon in the city of Shire in Northern Ethiopia. Periodically prostitutes would come into her shop to have their hair done and while she worked on them she always shared the gospel. Her husband, Temesgen, was the pastor of their church and, of course, she had the church praying for these women. Eventually one of the women got saved, started coming to church and needed help to change her life. The church loved her, gave her biblical counseling and financially helped her while she transitioned from prostitution to working in a hair salon. Her life was truly renewed. Word spread among the women working the streets and more and more started coming to the church, embracing Jesus as Savior and wanting help. Out of necessity the church developed a 3-6 month program to help these women with the many issues confronting them. In time 125+ women were receiving help from a church that was stretched financially but determined to sacrificially love and help these women. Then two things happened that slashed the giving in the church; Covid and a civil war. Pastor Temesgen contacted us and asked if we could help raise money to not just maintain this program, but see it expand and spread across Northern Ethiopia. He resigned from his church and began sharing the vision with other churches. Five from different Christian denominations quickly began the same outreach in the capital city of Mekele and interest is spreading as many women are being rescued from a life of desperation. Poverty, lack of education and a third world economy make so many of these women feel like they're trapped and have no other way to provide for themselves and their children.
Purpose statement:
Renewed Life exists to help rescue women from prostitution in Ethiopia.
Working with local Ethiopian churches, counseling, job training and biblical instruction are given to help begin their new life.
How it works:
After leaving prostitution, financial assistance is needed until they can start a new job. The money Renewed Life raises here in America covers those basic needs for 3-6 months so they can focus on new life skills and habits. $125 a month provides room and board for the women and their children.
When women enter the Renewed Life program they are asked to consider and then write down what kind of job they would like to have in order to provide for themselves and their children. The church then helps them get the skills and resources that are necessary to achieve that goal. Bear in mind that many, if not most, of these women have little or no education. Some of their jobs now include: housekeeping, cooking/bakery, computer skills, hair stylist/barber, selling coffee or food, small food stand, baby sitting/daycare, seamstress, janitorial service, laundry service.
When their training is finished seed money will often be provided to help them get started. A one time $350 gift enables a woman to start her new business. For example, a new washing machine was purchased for a woman wanting to have a laundry service. A refrigerator was purchased to sell cold drinks and a sewing machine was purchased for a woman wanting to be a seamstress. This is only a loan and is repaid at the rate of 200 Birr ($3.50) per month along with a commitment to save 200 Birr each month.
Would you consider helping a woman in Ethiopia?
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me." Matthew 25:40
Local Churches
Jesus said, "I will build my church." His church is the most important organization in the world. All of the training in Renewed Life is conducted through local evangelical churches by pastors and leaders.
Prayer
Jesus said “without Me you can do nothing.” One of the main ways we express that is through our prayers to Him. If you are interested in praying for Renewed Life, please refer to the Prayer Request page.
Training for Women
As women leave behind a life of prostitution there is much to learn about how to live a meaningful and productive life. In addition to classroom training, each women will be mentored by a former prostitute.
Donations
Every dollar goes a long way to enable this ministry help and change lives. The governing board is comprised of all volunteers who have agreed to donate all of their time and services.
“As a teenager I was dependent upon prostitution to survive. But something happened to change my life. I was rescued. I was set free. My life was renewed.”
Meet Genet. She is one of the first women to get saved at the beginning of the Renewed Life ministry. She was born into a family where her father was an Orthodox Priest and her mother died when she was just 11 years old. At age 14 her father remarried and her new mother didn’t want her in the family so her father kicked her out to fend for herself. At first she found a job washing dishes in a bar but it didn’t take long for the men to take advantage of her vulnerability. Life on the streets was obviously hard and led to drugs and alcohol to try to deaden the pain.
In her late teens she began going to a hairdresser named Tirhas to have her hair done. Tirhas, a Christian, began to lovingly share the gospel message with her…a message that she’d never heard in her Orthodox family or church. When Tirhas’ husband would come to the salon to witness to her, she’d show her contempt by blowing the smoke from her cigarette in his face. Throughout the two years of faithful witness, Tirhas’ church was praying for Genet and other women who came to her salon.
Unexpectedly one Sunday morning Genet showed up at a church service and when the invitation was given to accept Jesus she came forward with tears streaming down her face. The church readily took her in, loved her, gave her counseling and started teaching her the Bible message. Asking what kind of job she would like to have to pay her own way, she said she wanted to be a hairdresser like Tirhas. So the church paid to send her to hairdressing school and lent her the money to open her own salon. Today she teaches and counsels other women wanting to escape prostitution and is married to an evangelist.