Introducing Roman Akafate with yet other Skills Gained from Lake Washington Institute of Technology
I am always a work in progress and always being creative and Innovative to match my skills to what life and time demands
I have not been posting on my blog in recent times that was because I was occupied between my regular jobs, family responsibilities, doing something about child trafficking issues that has shook me from my core for the past two years. Now, being a student at Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
Within the last few years, my time, energy and focus has been invested in creating awareness about child trafficking problems. I am especially concerned about this particular issue because my own mother land, Ethiopia is one of the major target countries for child abductors and child traffickers.
Children are trafficked all over the world in the name of adoption. The traffickers operate under an umbrella hiding their mischiefs within the Christian names they give their Organizations. They call themselves Orphanages, Adoption Agencies and such…but behind the seen their sin is unspeakable.
My country and so many innocent fellow Ethiopians have suffered from loss of their innocent children. So many families have lost so many children to the cruel criminals who prey on their victims by opening shops in poor countries and in poor small scale farm communities who really can’t even read or write.
The criminals cheat and steal children from poor and uneducated people, innocent people who could easily fall for the lies so called Orphanages and Adoption Agencies convincingly tell their victims. Once the child traffickers and child abductors convince the poor to trust them with their children, they turnaround and sell the children for tens of thousands of dollars to the best buyer.
In continuation of their lie, deceit and cheating practices, the criminal agencies call all the children they sell “Orphans”, knowing majority of the children that are being adopted have both parents alive. Those who might have lost parents, they at least have one parent or have an extended families who could take care of them. It is and was Ethiopian tradition for thousands of years that extended families take care of orphans when there is death of parents.
Sadly, the other victims to child trafficking criminals are those who willingly pay these criminals and buy children for tens of thousands of dollars. The buyers come from countries like USA, Canada, Australia Europe, etc…
Obviously, the cruel criminals knew who to target on the other side too. They are selling children to people who wholeheartedly believe they are providing a warm home and a loving heart to real “Orphans“. To child traffickers, people who could afford to pay tens of thousands of dollars per child are their biggest targets in matching the stolen children to those who desperately want to adopt children and are willing to pay whatever it takes, which is why more of the buyers come from countries above where most of the adopting communities have no shortage of money. It is as they say, a perfect storm.
It hurts badly to know that children are being bought and sold on the worldwide market, most of them being bought and sold in the name of adoption.
Sorry for being sidetracked, I am just so touched and hurt by what is happening. It is painful for me especially because I was an Ethiopian orphan growing up and was raised by my extended families. There was no such thing as International Adoption when I grew up.
I am disheartened by what is happening to poor countries orphans and those who are from poor families. It is the worst crime against innocent children and their poor parents who could not defend themselves or their children from multimillion dollar corporate criminal operations.
Back to why I am writing this article, in hopes and plans of reaching out and making a difference in the lives of my people who are suffering in silence, I went ahead and enroll myself to get an education that would give me the skills I need to effectively deliver my messages and create awareness and bring change.
With the skills I am gaining from Lake Washington Institute of Technology, I will be able to use the full potential of cyberspace…to reach millions even billions of people with my messages. I could go distances with websites, books, cds, articles, posters and posting of video/audio speeches etc…
In order to make full use of all of the above, I am in a program studying Multimedia Design and Production. What that means is, when I am done with the two year program, I will have the skills to Graphic Design, Create Websites, and work with Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and Video/Audio editing.
Just in my first quarter, I have learned how to create 2D designs, how to work with Photoshop and gained teamwork skills. As creative individual, it is inevitable that I will be working with other creators, as such it is important that I work well with others. LWIT has thought me a great deal already. With the new set of skills that I am gaining, I have hope and confidence that I will be equipped to see my vision, dream and mission in life come true.
I hope you found my article to be educational, informative and inspiring. Take care of yourself and those you care about. See you with my next article.
