Ethiopian Orphan Relief is a network of individuals across the country who have adopted children from Ethiopia. In the course of our work, we’ve met many adoptive parents with a drive to improve the lives of people in their children’s birth country (like Nancy and Kristin), particularly if that birth country happens to be Ethiopia. Maybe it stems from seeing firsthand, when they travel to Ethiopia to bring home their precious new child, the challenges that Ethiopians face everyday. Maybe it is experiencing the warmth and openness of the culture. Maybe it is the thought that something as simple as clean water and a sanitary latrine could have kept the birth family healthy and intact.
Whatever it is, those who adopt Ethiopian kids develop a real heart and passion for Ethiopia, and a drive to do something to alleviate the poverty and preventable diseases that have plagued its good people for so long.
February 2010: Women collecting water from a traditional water source in Kelecho Gerbi.
The most recent example is this generous $10,000 gift from Ethiopian Orphan Relief. Most of Ethiopian Orphan Relief’s efforts are aimed at improving the living conditions and long term prospects for the millions of orphans in Ethiopia. But they also view it as part of their mission to improve living conditions in Ethiopia for all, so that fewer children actually become orphans. Funding water projects is an effective means to achieve that goal.
We are grateful that Ethiopian Orphan Relief has entrusted Water 1st to translate their funding into results. Their $10,000 will go toward the Kelecho Gerbi project that our Ethiopian partner began just two months ago. The Kelecho Gerbi project will provide long-term water supply, sanitation, and hygiene-education services to 4,085 community members by March 2011, improving the health, educational prospects, and economic opportunity of the community.
Thank you Ethiopian Orphan Relief for all your work on behalf of the wonderful people of Ethiopia!
