After you sign up we will touch base via email to match you with a child. Due to safety concerns we are not putting the children's photos and details online.
Our partner, I Care Ethiopia, helps mothers who beg on the streets to survive. Their three-step program (listed below) is designed to give hope, promote healing, and restore dignity by breaking the cycle of poverty, which not only impacts the women but their children as well.
Each mother in the program can register one child for long-term sponsorship. The funding provided will help the mother with everything listed in the three-step program (see below). Long-term it will keep her child sponsored and the family connected to I Care Ethiopia. If you have any questions please contact Ingrid@partnerswithethiopia.org.
- $68 supports one child for one month. We offer full ($68 per month) and half ($34 per month) sponsorships. Up to two sponsors at the half level can be assigned to one child. We do accept one-time donations but those donors will not be assigned a child. (Also, we have a few people who donate monthly to this program, but they have requested not to be matched with a child. If that appeals to you, let us know.)
- Your assigned child and their family will also receive information about you. We will facilitate communication, which includes letter writing and sharing photos between you and your assigned child twice a year. You will also receive general updates about I Care Ethiopia’s work throughout the year.
Three-step Program
Step one gives hope by providing immediate aid in the form of monthly rent and food support. This gets the women and their children off the streets and stops the begging.
Step two promotes healing by providing a support system. The trained staff at I Care Ethiopia is there to listen, counsel, and provide encouragement. Also, the women meet frequently. The fellowship and support of their peers is invaluable. In December 2021, I Care Ethiopia opened their preschool and childcare drop-in program. This safe place provides meals, medical care, and love to the children while their mothers are working.
Step three restores dignity by providing training and support in finding meaningful work which leads to an increased income and the ability to provide for themselves without begging.
This program is a hand up, not a handout. The aid is short-term with the long-term goal of seeing these women provide better for themselves and their children. The long-term sponsorship of one child per family is so important in that it will provide the funding needed for this overall program. It will also ensure these families have access to the support needed to not fall back into the trap of extreme poverty.
If you have any questions please contact Ingrid@partnerswithethiopia.org.
IMPACT STORY
Two years ago Workitu, and her daughter Hana, spent their days on the streets begging in order to survive. Our partner, I Care Ethiopia, came into their life and helped Workitu start a small business of selling charcoal. The charcoal business took off, and Workitu, the entrepreneur, ended up hiring another mother to run the business for her. She then took a job cooking lunch at a local school. Therefore, she has two income sources. Hana spends her days at I Care Ethiopia’s day care and is thriving! Hana is sponsored by the Henry family in Houston which pays the day care fee. That means Hana gets three meals a day, early childhood education, and lots of love. That sponsorship support is also helping Workitu, because she doesn’t have to worry about finding day care for her daughter. With our financial support, I Care Ethiopia is making a huge difference in the lives of so many vulnerable moms and their children. We love supporting them! Our year-end fundraising is so crucial to help I Care Ethiopia continue strong in 2023. They currently have over 50 women on a waiting list to join their program.
Workitu and Hana - November 2022
Partners With Ethiopia and I Care Ethiopia are faith-based initiatives, following the example and directive of Jesus to “care for the least of these,” “love orphans and widows in their distress,” and to see God’s “Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.”
As we focus on serving and building lasting relationships, we use that as a platform to share the good news of Jesus. However, we realize that faith is a personal choice that each individual must make for themselves.
Regardless of their faith, we serve all children and do not require any child to adhere to the Christian faith in order to receive our services. In the same way, we encourage you to join us (regardless of your faith) in the life-giving journey of loving and helping to care for others.