Ethiopia
Your Impact in Ethiopia
916
Family Businesses Launched to Date
500
Educational Scholarships Awarded Each Year
16
Children Adopted or Reunified in 2024
27,600
Nutritious Meals Served in 2024
Local Leadership & Team
Dr. Aschalew Abebe
Aschalew and his team serve many communities across Ethiopia, primarily focusing on Gunchire, Wolaita Sodo, and Debre Zeit. Collectively, these communities are home to over 969,036 Ethiopians, many of whom are widely affected by extreme poverty. For over 20 years, Aschalew has been walking alongside families in these communities, building multiple groundbreaking sustainable development programs. He led the way in the original development of the Family Business Program and pioneered a shift in Ethiopian culture to include domestic adoption.
Wondimu Begashaw
Ethiopia Program Director
Deneke Daricho
Sodo Empowerment Manager
Debebe Regassa
Debre Zeit Empowerment Manager
Zembalachew Kifetew
Gunchire Empowerment Manager
Initiatives
Education
We support 500 students in Gunchire, providing resources for their education. Our Education Support Program offers monthly mentorship, ethics training, school supplies, uniforms, and supplemental food and healthcare as needed. To enhance the local education system, our Education Quality Improvement Program equips classrooms with furniture, supplies, reference books, and essential learning tools, ensuring a higher standard of education for students.
Entrepreneurship
Ethiopia is the birthplace of our Family Business Program, which began in 2014 and has since become the foundation of our model for empowering families through entrepreneurship. What started as a local initiative has grown into a transformative program that equips families with the training, resources, and mentorship needed to achieve long-term financial independence.
Today, our Ethiopian team continues to lead the way, expanding this model to other partner countries, ensuring families across the globe have the opportunity to build sustainable livelihoods. The program now supports 916 families in Gunchire, Wolaita Sodo, and Debre Zeit, helping them establish businesses that provide stability, dignity, and a brighter future for their children.
Restorative Community Care
Through our Local Adoption Program, we advocate for ethical, in-country adoption, ensuring children grow up in stable, nurturing homes. We support adoptive families with training, support groups, and community education, working to normalize adoption within Ethiopian culture. Additionally, our Community Education Program raises awareness on orphan care, trafficking prevention, and family preservation in Gunchire, Wolaita Sodo, Debre Zeit, and Addis Ababa.
Each year, we host the Annual Seed Adoption Conference in Addis Ababa, bringing together NGOs, church leaders, government officials, and adoptive families to strengthen Ethiopia’s adoption culture and advocate for government-supported adoption programs.