I Care Ethiopia Charity

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, affecting women and their children.

Three-step Program

Step one gives hope by providing immediate aid through monthly rent and food support. This gets the women and their children off the streets and stops the begging. The goal for step one is to last no more than six months.

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 its preschool and childcare drop-in program. This safe place provides children meals, medical care, and love while their mothers work.

Step three restores dignity by providing training and support in finding meaningful work, leading 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 essential because it will provide free daycare and after-school care funding. It will also ensure these families have access to the support needed to avoid falling back into the trap of begging to survive.

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 to survive. Our partner, I Care Ethiopia, came into their life and helped Workitu start a small business selling charcoal. The charcoal business took off, and Workitu, the entrepreneur, hired 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 daycare and is thriving! Hana is sponsored by the Henry family in Houston, which pays the daycare fee. That means Hana gets three meals daily, early childhood education, and lots of love. That sponsorship support is also helping Workitu because she doesn’t have to worry about finding daycare for her daughter. With our financial support, I Care Ethiopia is making a massive difference in many vulnerable mothers and their children's lives. We love supporting them!

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 each individual must make.

Regardless of their faith, we serve all children and do not require any child to adhere to the Christian faith 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.