Le Salam Lidet

Baby Salam turned 2 earlier this month. "Lidet" means birthday in Amharic. Birthdays aren't generally a big deal here, largely because many people don't know their own date of birth. However, since Salam is the baby at Project Mercy, we had a little party to celebrate this milestone.

As you can see in the photos, she was pretty clueless about being the center of attention, but the party hat stayed on. And the cake was miraculously divided into 70 pieces, so everyone got a bite.

Salam and her four brothers.

In some respects I feel like her mother…I've walked her to sleep, punished her when she ate dirt, changed her soiled clothes, and taught her how to say "avocado". She comes to my room periodically to scavenge for any sweets she can find, and is often my shadow in the greenhouse while I'm working. It's pretty special to have this little girl run up to me when I first see her in the morning and throw her arms around my legs.