Joni

Yohannes (nicknamed "Joni") is the boy that typically blends into a group initially....but his joyful laugh always shines through and catches the interest of all those around him! He seems shy upon your first meeting with him; however, he soon becomes the one that is cuddling up to you and wanting your attention just through a hug or a smile. He has a special love for photography and actually has quite a knack for it!  Joni LOVES food. Probably more than any other person you've ever seen. When rarely given the opportunity to eat as much as he wants, he is teased by all the other boys because even they can't compete with the amount of food he inhales. So much, in fact, that he typically becomes ill afterwards! He also enjoys soccer like most Ethiopian boys and can be often found on the soccer field, challenging his many Kolfe brothers to a game. His only biological brother, Daniel, is a few years older and definitely a role model for Joni. Joni is constantly doing pushups and other physical exercises so that "his muscles will look like Daniel's." Although their personalities are different in many ways, their physical features and mannerisms prove their blood relation.

Joni was born in 1995 (rough estimate) and became an orphan when he was very young. His birth father was a soldier in the Ethiopian military and was killed in the line of duty. He does not remember his birth mother but relies on Daniel's few memories to form a picture of her. He has lived at Kolfe Orphanage for 8 years and thankfully, been able to stay together with his brother throughout everything. Joni will enter into grade 9 in September and is excited to begin this new challenge of high school. More than anything, Joni longs to be with his WHOLE family on a consistent basis and be afforded the opportunities that so many of us take for granted every day.