One Heart Wholeness Centre

27/10/2025

Huge thank you to the Lulit Sisters who through their kindness and generosity have managed to save the OHWC again. I look forward to the day when I can meet these beautiful women and hug them. I know its not much but a hug is all I have to give to show them what is in my heart. I have so much love for each and everyone of you Queens and I know that God will continue to bless all of your lives. Sitting from left to right: Elsie, Meskie, Hanna, Serk. Standing L to R Meron, Hirut, me, Tseday, Helen, Ruth, and Lily. Blen lives in Addis and not in the picture.

24/10/2025

Elsa supporting Weynshet to walk using special equipment that allows the children to be securely strapped to the carers body so that their muscles can experience the feeling of walking. Working on the premise that muscles have memory the idea is that her muscles will learn what it feels like to walk and improve their mobility

24/10/2025

We work in partnership with an excellent physiotherapist who has volunteered with us from the early days of the project. Gebre is now providing a free service to these children who will benefit from casting. For children with cerebral palsy this course of treatment can help improve their gait, strengthen and straighten their bones and improve their mobility

24/10/2025

Our new manager has created a safe space for the mothers of the children at OHWC to meet and share their experiences. Part of that programme is also to visit the mothers at home and teach them basic techniques that they can do with their children when they are at home

22/04/2025

Blessed greetings OHWC family, I know it's late in the day but I would like to wish you all a wonderful Easter, Melkam Fasika. I trust that you are all safe, well, happy and not eating too much 😘
I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to one of my boys, Solomon. I met Solly when he was working cleaning shoes and living on the streets trying to raise enough money to go to school, bless him. So i decided to take him home. I already had Elsa n Yonas, my twins. Getahun and now Solly, the family that God promised me was growing.It took a little while for him to accept that he was staying but soon he was part of the family. Settling into school was difficult for Sol because of his age. I admired how willing he was at 15 years old ,to sit with KG1&2 because he was desperate to learn. But he never really caught up , it would seem that academia wasn't Sollys strength. So he decided to try womens hairdressing and he found his niche. He really took to it, which did surprise me to be honest but he did really well and graduated . I was unfortunately in Europe when he graduated but I was so proud to see him in his cap and gown, he had come a long way. So while I was in Europe I bought him enough equipment to offer a mobile hairdressing service. Here in Bahir Dar things are difficult at the moment and Solly was finding it hard to find work. We agreed that maybe he should try Addis. He could do Hen parties, Wedding hair, birthday party's, gender reveal parties and any celebration where women gather to have fun but need their hair done. What he needs is a place to stay in Addis for a trial period of 3 months after which time he would either set off on his own or return to Bahir Dar. Does anyone know of anyone who may be able to help us. All he needs is a chance. He made this video for you all. I have no idea what he's saying as its in Amharic but I expect he is saying pretty much what I just said. Please message me if you can help us. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

06/02/2025

15/12/2024

Blessed greetings beloved family. I am now back in Bahir Dar and facing many issues due to the untimely passing of Belay. Due to the vast amount of donations received and still being received I want to keep donations and running costs for the project separate. As an organisation, we are facing lengthy processes to have the new manager legally recognised as a signator on the bank account with CBE but thankfully Dashen Bank have opened a new checking account for the organisation which we will use for donations only. We will keep the CBE account open from which we will pay all running costs of the project. This will give us a clearer view of amounts donated and enable us to make better use of this money.
Here is our Dashen account details. One Heart Wholeness Centre, account number 5433732412011 Dashen Bank. Please use this account for any future donations. Thank you all so much for your patience. May God continue to bless your lives 🙏🏿.

15/11/2024

Blessed greetings, dear OHWC family.

By now, many of you will have heard the sad news that Belay, my friend and manager at the project, has transitioned and is now resting in eternal peace with our Father. He has returned home to God.

I will deeply miss him. When I met Belay, we became firm friends immediately. He loved the children and was deeply committed to making their lives better. He was a good man.

Under Belay's guidance and support, we grew the project from six children to twenty-six within two years. Belay was firm but always fair. Every decision he made—whether about the staff or the children—was always made with love. I have seen him tear up during the initial assessments of a child, always telling me, "We have to help this child."

Belay always had my back. I trusted him and enjoyed working with him. He was funny and kind, an amazing father to his three boys, and a proud husband to his wife. He loved his family and the OHWC family.

I am so grateful to God for bringing Belay into my life. His presence enriched it immeasurably.

Mena Okugbeni

21/10/2024

Blessed greetings OHWC family, here's an update on Astedemariam, doesn't she look great. So, the doctors were wrong when they said that we were wasting our money and that even after her shunt was fitted she would still be a vegetable...how wrong they were, she has even spoken her first word....she called Kanubish MAMA what a miracle, God is great 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.

25/09/2024

Dear family

It is with a sad and so very heavy heart that I have to tell you that 2 of our children have sadly passed away. They were 2 of the new children I had taken on because they were so malnourished and poorly that I couldn't say no. Bereket had microcephalus and was extremely unwell, he passed away, reason currently unknown on Saturday when I was in Paris. Berhanu died on Monday. He had cerebral palsy and was extremely malnourished but I thought he had turned a corner. He had become very smiley and interactive, smiling broadly whenever I talked to him. He was gaining weight so I thought he would be fine. But rainy season is very hard for all of our children but especially so for Berhanus mother who was homeless and living in the church grounds. I wish I had just taken her in but she has 2 other children and I didn't want that responsibility, shame on me. They always seem to pass when I am in UK, last year it was Rediet, the year before was Mikias, the year before that Tadesse. I never get to say goodbye or be a part of the mourning for them. By the time I see them the crying period has passed and they want to move on, I never get to cry with their mother's, who I know well, for the children that we both loved, it is so painful. Please pray for the people who loved them and will miss them, for my nurses who had grown attached to these little boys and had hoped that their efforts would make a difference only to lose them, it's hard for them, they are only young girls. It's unfortunate also that I am in uk and poor Belay is in hospital as you know so there is no one there to guide them. This is the first time they would have lost a child much less 2 children in such a short period of time. I have messaged the staff expressing my deep sorrow and sadness that I cannot be there with them to support them through this. But I wanted them to know that they love and care they had shown these children over the past 9 months made the end of their lives a little more joyful and they felt a little more loved. Now they are no longer suffering. They are with our father in the best place possible where they are free and loved unconditionally. I imagine that they build a family there, that all my babies are with each other, playing football laughing running playing and all in the sight of our loving father, they are in bliss but I will miss them.

Mena

03/09/2024