Together, we can provide hope for those children who are truly lost - physically, emotionally, spiritually: the double orphans, the sick, the exploited, the ones, sadly, no one really wants.


We offer an opportunity to gain the fruit that Paul writes about in Phil 4:17 - the fruit that comes from obeying God: Loving God and our neighbors, and caring for orphans, widows, the poor.

Welcome to Ethiopia Hope Village

A Desperate Situation

   “Money, money … okay give me bread, bread!” The calls come to all who walk the roads of the City of Butajira. Young street kids beg and play all day on the roads … sometimes selling soft tissue or chewing gum, or hawking for shoeshine boys. And at night they just “disappear” as older, bad looking dudes stroll the dark streets.

    The United Nations describes Africa as a “continent of orphans.” HIV/AIDS alone caused there to be over 20 million orphans by 2010. In Ethiopia, 11 percent of all children are already orphans.

    Currently, in the City of Butajira, Ethiopia, alone (41,411 population), there is an official list of 893 children at risk, and 97 registered orphans. Over 1,000 people receive ARV medicines at the Butajira hospital. There are no orphanages in the City. The statistics do not include the Meskan District, which is the vast “suburb/rural” area that surrounds the city.


A Strong Partnership

    A partnership has formed to provide hope for these children of Butajira. The partnership includes the local community, a national Ethiopian Church (Emmanuel United Church), New Mission Systems International, the Butajira Town government as well as the Welkite regional office, and citizens of the world who care about children.


Community-Born

The partners are working to establish community based and designed programs to help children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The community will identify the priorities, and work to implement them.

  1. A Youth Center is one known priority, identified through a Community  Needs Assessment Plan (Peace Corp, 2009). This will include a medical clinic, dining hall, library, multi-purpose rooms, and sports fields.

  2. For the most vulnerable, a “village” of Group Homes will be established, with an extended family philosophy. Each house will have a “house parent” with strong morals/ethics and leadership ability. The first home will be rented as we raise funds to build.

  3. Throughout the region, Hope Village will join in community health projects, focusing on youth.

  4. Programs will be created which will mentor children, helping to create a moral and more productive citizen.

Orphans will be referred by the City’s Womens and Children’s Affairs department.


Empowering

  1. •To give
    hope, one must give power and ownership to be people involved. Every action taken has to be analyzed in the context of empowerment. We know that sometimes, it is easier just to do it ourselves. That can be a destructive decision. In our effort to empower the Butajira community, we have:

  2. •Built a local church committee that is responsible for the Village

  3. •Begun outreach talks with other community members to ensure community participation

  4. •Mandated financial contributions to evolve over time for both operations and capital expenses. The Town - which is extremely poor - will try to raise 10% of the capital costs, with much of that coming from donated labor and materials (ie; a brick buying program).


Self-Sustainable

Our goal is to be as self-sustainable as possible within 10 years for all staffing and program expenses. An essential part of the village is income-producing ventures such as:

  1. •Chicken Ranch for eggs, meat and income

  2. •Dairy Farm for milk, cheese and income

  3. •Vegetable gardens and fruit tree orchards, for nutrition and income

  4. •Bee-hives for honey and income

  5. •Movie House in the Youth Center

  6. •Internet Cafe, Copy & Office Center, with a coffee house

  7. •Grocery for our fresh farm products




 

A Desperate Situation

A Strong Partnership

Community-Born

Empowering

Self-Sustainable