Helping Families Thrive in Ethiopia

Although Ethiopia closed its doors to international adoption in 2018, the urgent need to protect children remains. Children still become orphans due to political unrest, disease, and extreme poverty. Therefore, we are committed to continuing our work in this beautiful country.

Over ten years ago, we started the Ethiopia Family Empowerment Project in partnership with the local government in Addis Ababa. Our shared goal was to allow families in extreme poverty to keep their children in their homes rather than giving them up to live in the government orphanage.

Just $45 a month provides one family with basic:

• Food
• Shelter
• Clothing
• Medication

In addition, generous special initiative donors provide funds to help families move from surviving to thriving. For example, we host events and training programs throughout the year to teach valuable skills and promote a sense of community. Below are some photos from a parent training we held for our families in 2023.

Also, we provide support for things like tuition or emergency medical care as these needs arise, and we are starting a micro-loan program for specific families who are able to start businesses so they can begin supporting themselves. One-time donations make all these special initiatives possible.

Our local staff works closely with the Addis government, which connects us with people who qualify for support, such as:

• A single mom with an 11-year-old daughter who is blind and whose left hand has been amputated due to cancer.
• An exceptional teenage boy with a mother who cannot work and a father in an elderly care facility. He is studying Computer Science at the university.
• A woman who didn’t know she had HIV until her husband passed away from the disease. Now, she struggles to support her children by herself.
• A young girl who lives with an aunt because her parents and grandmother all died of HIV.

Our in-country staff recently met with local government officials, who expressed how pleased they were with the program. We started by supporting 25 families, and now we have 37. We have made these increases even though our costs have risen due to the high inflation in the country.

So, to continue this work, we need more supporters!

Would you give $45 a month so vulnerable children can stay with their biological families? For less than $1.50 per day, you can change a family’s life and provide hope.

If you cannot commit to monthly support, you can choose to make a one-time gift on our special initiatives giving page to help fund special events, tuition assistance, medical care, and micro-loans. If you have questions about the costs of specific needs that are close to your heart, contact Ethiopia Project Coordinator Melinda Sallé at melinda.salle@awaa.org.

However you choose to give, we are so grateful for your partnership, and we pray God will refresh you as you refresh others! By caring for these precious people, you are caring for our Savior.

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

– Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)

By the way, don’t just take our word about how amazing this program is! Go on one of our mission trips to Ethiopia to meet some of the people yourself. Their stories will change you forever. Below are photos of teams spending time with the project families.