A church in Ethiopia’s ancient northern city of Axum claims to guard the biblical Ark of the Covenant, replicas of which occupy the center sanctum of churches throughout the East African country.
Ethiopia is a deeply religious nation, and people ascribe much of what happens in life to God’s will. So when a child who displays behavioral or developmental differences is diagnosed with autism — assuming the family has access to such a diagnosis — it can be equivalent to learning that a family or parent has been cursed by God for some sin they are assumed to have committed.
That perception, combined with a desperate lack of health services — particularly in rural areas — and limited accommodation for autistic children in schools, can leave parents feeling like they have no way out. Fathers of autistic children often abandon their wives to start over, and mothers often find themselves alone to balance an extremely demanding home life with the need to put food on the table.