Supporting Zemzem

In 2009 and 2010, Zemzem was in the first group of Ethiopian therapists to be trained in EMDR. She is also trained in Client Centered Play Therapy and Sand Tray Therapy, and is so gentle and quiet that her deep understanding of children can surprise you.

From 2009-2011, Zemzem worked with HFC-sponsored children. Then, in 2011, HFC, in response to requests from several schools, moved Zemzem into a school in a very poor area of Addis. 

Zemzem has a small cabinet to lock up her supplies in, two sand trays, and a small section of a "Special Needs" room for her therapy. On the day that I visited her there, I was able to meet many of the children that she has been helping, and it was plain to see that they all look forward to their time with her each week.

Zemzem also keeps detailed records for each child, including a file of their drawings, Pre and a Post tests to assess a child's improvement, and details of whether they received Play Therapy or EMDR or both.

In 2009 Hope for Children employed 6 Play Therapists. All of them learned EMDR and worked with the 800+ children that the organization sponsored. Today, however, due to inflation and grant completions, Zemzem is the only one who is still employed for HFC. In January, Woiny told me that even Zemzem would have to be let go in February, due to a lack of funds for her wages. 

At that point, I promised that I and my friends would find a way to collect the $200 a month needed to keep Zemzem woking in the schools that have come to depend on her interventions. If you would like to contribute to this monthly goal, it would be greatly appreciated. All donations are tax deductible and go directly to HFC for wages and therapy supplies. There are no administration fees taken out.

If we raise more than $200/month, HFC can re-hire some of the therapists who have been let go. Before I leave Ethiopia, I will purchase paper, markers, pencils and erasers for Zemzem, as she is out of all of them.

If you would like to help, you can contact me or donate directly to Hope For Children, US and specify the money is to go to support Zemzem and psychotherapy at HFC. Thanks so much for anything that you can do!