Solomon(ሰለሞን) Dabe(ዳቤ) Email & Phone Number

I have personally experienced going to bed hungry, lack of medical attention, and living on the streets. This is why I have a passion for physical and spiritual transformation and why I launched A Bright Future for Kids.As the youngest of 9 siblings, my baby sister was a favorite. Unfortunately, my strongest memory is of her health deteriorating. I watched her smiles be replaced with pain and hopelessness.It was hard to get food on the table, let alone cover doctors expenses. Watching my sister with her belly swollen and seeing my mother’s helpless face made me feel frightened and hopeless. I remember begging my mom to do something.My little sister passed away.That was my first experience with death. Never in my life have I felt so devastated, confused and helpless. Days after she was buried, I prayed for one more chance to see her and promised to take care of her.I know now that malnutrition caused my sister’s death, and what my mother went through remains on my heart. I feel called to serve children, specifically the forgotten and helpless, and widows and single parents.Growing up, punishment involved being beaten with sticks or a belt. One evening when I was 13 I was given a choice, to stay for punishment or leave the house.I chose to leave the house. I hoped to return after my mom cooled down. As village lights were being switched off for the night, I decided to go home and ask mom for forgiveness.When I reached my house, I saw the light was off. Everyone was in bed. I knocked on the door. No one responded. I cried and begged mom to open the door. She finally heard me, but her response devastated me.She told me to go back to wherever I had been all evening. I continued crying and pleading. I was afraid of the dark and couldn’t believe she wouldn't let me in.It was close to 11:00 PM when I gave up and walked to a gas station about fifteen minutes away. I met another boy in the same situation. His stepmother had kicked him out of the house. Finding someone else was somehow comforting.We got into the back of a military truck with nothing to protect us from the cold or wind. We were shivering and trying to keep each other warm. From that day on, we were friends.As a street kid, I would look for food, but it really was more about looking for acceptance and love. Love and acceptance that I couldn’t get from my mom.In the past five years, I have learned my mom's parents divorced, and she was kicked out at the age of 12. She has been on her own ever since.This journey has put the call of A Bright Future for Kids on my heart.

Listed skills include Nonprofits, Healthcare, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and 10 others.