Mission/Vision
Our vision is to break the cycle of poverty through provision of holistic service to the poorest of the poor through meeting their social, economic, emotional and spiritual needs.
Our orphan children with school uniforms
We want to improve the lives of the orphaned, abandoned, and abused and poor children by providing them protection, care and basic needs and to teach them to become self-reliant, responsible and productive citizens.
Specific Objectives
- Provide full board and education
- Provide for their day to day needs
- Provide a framework of moral training and life skill as a ground for sound development and in context of their cultural heritage which involves sharing the Good News to the poor (Luke 4:18)
- Built an orphanage and other accessories to provide shelter and comfort
- Provide quality education which helps children’s future professional endeavors and provide vocational training to develop their talents
- Provide an environment that will help them become good citizens
Helping with homework
Target Groups
Our intent is to provide for thirty boys and girls. They will range from ten children between the ages of 3 and 12, twenty between the ages of 13 and 18.
Right now we shelter 10 children between age 5 and 12 and 1 child with age 13 in a rented house. We take care of 5 boys and 6 girls.
Celebration of the first half year graduation in school, March 2009
Ethiopia: rich in culture - poor in education
The village Bakka in Sendafa
Ethiopia is a country situated in the Northeastern part of Africa near the Red Sea, which is also known as "The Horn of Africa". It is a country rich in culture, history and is also called "The Cradle of Humanity".
Ethiopia is also one of the least developed countries in the world. War, famine and the problem of AIDS have put the country in a vicious cycle of poverty. The yearly famine which takes the lives of millions shows how bad the supply of food is and how little the health system has developed.
Only one-fifth of the population receives clean drinking water and one out of every five children dies. More than the half of the population cannot read nor write.
Sendafa
Sendafa is located in the Oromia zone, about 25 miles east from Ethiopian's capital, Addis Ababa. Most of the community members are unable to educate and provide the basic needs to their children. Orphan children in Sendafa are forced into child labor. For example relatives have "rented" them out for about twenty dollars per year to watch someone's cattle all day long.
Yaddee is watching someone's cattle before she came to our orphanage
Since Sendafa is near to Addis Ababa, there is a high risk for orphans and other poor children (usually boys) to migrate to the city and join street life. The children in the city will turn to drugs, violence, corruption and theft.
In the absence of protection, these children tend to live, sleep and work on the street. They don't have shelter, food and clothing; won't receive education, medication or sanitation facilities.
Most of these children would become involved later on in child labor as house maids or as commercial sex workers (mainly gilrs). The streets are filled with children and bars are packed with girls as witness to this fact. There is much to be done to save the lives of so many orphan children.
Yaddee in the village Bakka |
 Yaddee in our orphanage now |