Two Ethiopian priests paid a visit to a Bethnal Green churchgoer who has been supporting their village.

Abba Solomon and Abba Teum, from Sebeya in northern Ethiopia, were welcomed by volunteers from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) at Romero House in Lambeth yesterday.

Among them was Cate Tuitt, a member of Our Lady of the Assumption church who has been supporting the community for the past year through CAFOD’s Connect2 programme.

She said: “We feel very privileged that Abba Solomon came to visit us.

“We’ve loved receiving letters and photos from our faraway friends so to finally meet him and hear in person about the families we’ve come to know and the struggles they face is amazing.

“Through Connect2 we really feel like we’re getting to know the families from Sebeya and how our support is making a difference to their lives.”

The initiative brings schools and parishes in the UK together with communities in developing countries to gain a mutual understanding of each others’ lives, learn and forge stronger ties.