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Tigabu Says Thank You!

Posted on August 11, 2025 Updated on August 19, 2025

Children in Holt’s child sponsorship program love to thank their sponsors with letters and drawings. Here’s a drawing of gratitude from a little boy in Ethiopia.

Tigabu is a 7-year-old boy who lives in a rural area of Ethiopia. He shares his home with two brothers, a sister, his mother and grandparents, who are subsistence farmers.

Sponsored child Tigabu in Ethiopia smiling in a bright green shirt.

Tigabu is a friendly and playful child who loves to help out around the house. He particularly enjoys fetching water and looking after the family’s cattle. Tigabu also loves going to school, where he attends class regularly each day — thanks to the generosity of his sponsors! Now in first grade, Tigabu is learning his numbers and how to read and write in English. Because of his sponsors, he is also learning about personal hygiene and receives regular health services.

In addition to providing Tigabu with the resources he needs to attend school, Holt sponsors and donors provide direct assistance to Tigabu’s school. With your help, the school has built four additional classrooms and rebuilt its playground to accommodate more children. Each year on their birthdays, the children are excited to receive personalized birthday cards from their sponsors in the U.S.

When not in school, Tigabu likes to play soccer and hopscotch with his friends. In September, he and his family will celebrate Enkutatash, the Ethiopian new year, and Meskel, a religious celebration that occurs at the end of the rainy season.

Tigabu is grateful for the support that he and his family receive from Holt sponsors, and to thank them, he created this drawing.

Tigabu sponsored child drawing of his hand

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