The Southwest Voice

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If you have ever been disheartened or concerned that the youth of today do not have the character to take over as leaders of tomorrow, keep reading. I promise to change your mind.

This is a short story that includes many heroes, but I’d like to highlight one young lady, Sarah Springer.

After graduating from USC, where Sarah discovered the power of journalism, she couldn’t help but reflect on her own life experiences, family and privileged life. Her thoughts always drifted back to the rich Ethiopian heritage that is her one true love. She felt privileged to have so much when her own family had so little. Sarah had been Miss Kern County and has always felt a part of our Bakersfield community. But was that truly enough?

The fact is she always knew she would reach out, go to Africa and help people who truly need it. But like so many of us, she continued to think she didn’t have the time, energy or desire to fight for something so many think is a lost cause — until recently.

On June 3, with her close friends Kacie Allen, Vanna Cable, and Shakib Ali, Sarah left for Ethiopia to film a documentary about close family friends, Dr. Abdul Barre and his wife Nejah. The Barres sacrificed everything in order to return to the country that had caused them to flee for their lives more than 20 years ago. They have built a hospital and helped thousands of sick and dying people everyday.

Dr. Barre and Nejah are the owners of Bilal Hospital in Dire Dawa. Bilal is a modern general hospital built on the premise of providing high quality medical care services at an affordable price. The Barres have also undertaken the monumental task of building an orphanage in Dire Dawa. There is one other (government-run) hospital and one small Catholic orphanage that are always over-capacity in the city.

Sarah and her friends spent the summer volunteering in the local mission and clinic while documenting the struggle, persistence and determination of this family, and many others, who give their all to the people of Dire Dawa. Sarah was surprised when she realized the staggering number of doctors who leave Ethiopia to pursue careers in other countries. While a few return, most do not, leaving a huge deficit of quality medical care. Sarah lengthened her trip because she felt there was so much more she had to do before she could leave.

Sarah was fortunate enough to meet with officials from the Ministry of Education, Health, the medical director of the only specialized hospital in Ethiopia, and Dr. Hamlin from the famous Fistula Hospital. This was a very special honor, as these officials seldom grant an audience to “foreigners.”

Through this experience and with God’s guidance, Sarah plans to share their story. She wants to show people that they too can reach out and make a real change in a suffering place like Ethiopia. She believes we are all essentially here to help one another. And although we live in an individualistic society, the love for humanity has not died. Anyone has the ability to save a life; it’s just a matter of when and where.

This writer feels humbled and privileged to be able to share the story of this amazing young woman and her friends who have chosen to act, rather than complain, and have offered the gift of themselves when nothing less would make a difference.

Visit: www.NewHopeOrphans.org to learn how you can help Dr. Barre and Nejah with their work in Dire Dawa. And look for updates in The Southwest Voice on when and where you can see Sarah’s documentary.