An Interview with Belgenesh Wolde Michael
Ethiopia Country Director

For Belgenesh, our Ethiopia Project Manager, ministry isn’t theoretical—it’s personal. When she guides caregivers through financial hardship, family instability, and the challenges of single motherhood, she does so with the deep empathy of someone who has walked the same path. Belgi’s journey took her from being a top physics graduate and teacher to facing profound personal loss and uncertainty. Yet, it was in her moments of greatest vulnerability that she discovered an unshakeable hope. Today, she uses that resilience to empower women and children in Ethiopia, ensuring they too can find strength and a future in God’s promises. We sat down with Belgi to learn more about her incredible story of faith and perseverance.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Belgenesh Wolde Michael. I am the seventh child in my family of nine children. My father was a soldier and my mother was a housewife. Even though my parents did not study, they sent us all to school to learn. I was a top student in every class through primary and secondary school. Then I passed the entrance exam, so I entered Addis Ababa University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. When I graduated, there was a shortage of physics teachers in secondary schools, so we were all assigned to be teachers. Since I was the only female among 41 graduates, they allowed me to go to the closest place to work. That place was Sheno. 

Since there were no Christians in Sheno, I started going to Addis Ababa on weekends to worship God. Then I decided to stay in Sheno and talk about Jesus. People were accepting the Lord, and teachers who knew Jesus from other places were coming, so the number of believers was increasing. During this time, I was teaching the foundation class of salvation to those who accepted the Lord and they would go to the church of their choice to be baptized. I met a man who had accepted the Lord and we got married and I gave birth to our first child in Sheno. Then we moved to the camp at his working place about 8 km away.

What was one of your challenges?

After I gave birth to my second child, my husband stopped following Jesus. As my children grew up, both went to school and stayed with my mother in Addis Ababa. My husband went to South Africa for his master degree, and I was still working in Sheno. Since it was difficult for me to live apart from my children, I began to pray earnestly for the Lord to let me be with them. The Lord spoke to me in a clear and appropriate way to quit my job and be with my children. Although I believe that a woman should not be dependent on her husband and should work, I was convinced that it was the Lord’s will for me to quit my job. So I informed my husband, quit my job, and moved to Addis Ababa. 

My husband and I had some disagreements after he stopped following Jesus, but I never thought that he would make the decision to divorce me. Since I had no job, life became very difficult for me and my children. My life was filled with sadness and disappointment. I struggled to survive on the little money he gave me for the children, so I began to pray fervently for God to give me a job. At that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart to forgive my husband. I called him and forgave him, hoping that God would help and provide for us. Indeed, with God’s grace we began to survive on that little money. I realized that God would protect and bless me during those days, so I was filled with hope. I know that God is my only hope for the rest of my life. I stopped grieving over what had happened to me and started moving forward, forgetting what was behind me. I had been raising my children alone while serving the Lord. So I understand the feelings of mothers who are raising their children alone. That is why I advise and train them to have hope in the Lord.

When did you come to know God and how has that relationship given you hope?

I met the Lord when I was in 8th grade, at the program in my neighborhood. When I was a child, I overheard my mother and her friends talking about how God torments people by throwing them into fire and ice. When I realized that there was no escape from God, I started going to the Orthodox Church, thinking that going would save me. However, I could not find any hope for salvation. I had a lovely godmother who accepted Jesus and took me to church when I was young. One day a few years later, as I was passing by a house in our neighborhood, I heard a song that I had heard before in the church when I was with my godmother. Without thinking twice, I pushed the door and entered. Without understanding the love and salvation of the Lord, I just attended to be saved from God’s punishment. When the preacher asked us to stand to receive Jesus, I would stand up every time. I did this not alone, but with three of my friends. Not only did we say we received Jesus so many times, but we also disturbed the congregation a lot. But one day, a minister from another place preached that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be” (Matthew 6:21). After two years, my heart was opened and I listened to him, not about being saved from God’s punishment, but about following the Lord who died for me. It was a day of salvation for me. When the program ended, I told my friends that I had truly accepted Jesus. I found new friends with whom I spent time studying the Bible and praying. So I realized that God not only gave me eternal life, but I knew that he was my only hope for life on earth. I saw the Lord intervene in every step of my life, reaching out to me in my troubles faster than anyone else, and interceding for me. He is with me today and is my hope forever.

How did you become a part of World Orphans?

After I quit my job and returned to Addis Ababa, I started serving in children’s ministry in the church. At this time, I had the opportunity to receive many trainings about children and women. My biggest burden was serving children, but to make an impact on children, I turned my ministry focus to mothers and began serving women in the church. After serving for years in the women’s ministry, I returned to my local church. Then with two of my church friends, I began to help the poor and women who were raising their children alone. It was at this time that World Orphans came to Ethiopia and we were trained by them.

How have you seen the church and the gospel give hope to the caregiver?

World Orphans serves extremely needy and orphaned children and their families with funds sent from US churches. 75% of the caregivers in the program come from different faiths, while only 25% are believers. This is because our vision is not only to lift people out of poverty, but also to preach the gospel to unbelievers. By hearing the gospel, many of the caregivers have found salvation with eternal hope.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to train and prepare women to be workers in God’s Kingdom, and to see the World Orphans vision being implemented in many churches. I hope that many will come to the Lord for help with their needs and share in the hope of eternal inheritance.

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Belgi is a special part of the World Orphans family, and we thank God for her life of wisdom and faithfulness!