Child Sponsorship
Since 2010, we have supported the H.O.P.E. Sponsorship Program in partnership with SHAPEthiopia. Currently, we assist over 400 students in this program, and it has been a privilege to watch these children grow up. Our current priority is to cover the higher education costs for these students, many of whom are in high school. In the 2024-2025 school year, we anticipate that over 60 students will undergo vocational training or pursue higher education at colleges and universities. If you would like to make a one-time or monthly donation to this cause, please visit give2pwe.org and designate your donation to higher education.
In 2020, we established a new partnership with I Care Ethiopia. They assist mothers who are begging on the streets to survive. The program aims to provide hope, facilitate healing, and restore dignity by breaking the cycle of poverty affecting mothers and their children.
Each mother in the program can register one child for long-term sponsorship. The funds will assist the mother in receiving training and support to find a job. In the long term, this support will ensure the child is sponsored and keep the family connected to I Care Ethiopia. Visit sponsor.give2pwe.org to learn more about the program and sign up to sponsor a child.
Women's Empowerment
Since 2011, we have funded several women's empowerment projects, providing over 450 women with opportunities to transform their lives. The approach focuses on offering a one-time "hand-up" instead of continuous "hand-outs." The projects we've supported have included initiatives in sewing and handicrafts, livestock husbandry, crop cultivation, and urban small businesses.
Our biggest success story is Alemitu. In 2011, we funded our second women's empowerment project through SHAPEthiopia. Alemitu, a struggling widow, was one of several women who attended sewing school and received financial training to help her start a small business. By 2019, through years of hard work, saving, and commitment, Alemitu successfully owned a small restaurant and grocery store in Shanto, Ethiopia, and employed over fifteen people. She serves as a role model for women in challenging circumstances. Visit ICE.give2pwe.org to donate or learn more about supporting women's empowerment.
Community Development
We are thrilled that the first community development project we funded, the Shanto Community Library and Learning Center, was completed in 2018. This project provided over 100,000 people with their first access to a library. Please visit our Community Development page (coming soon) for more information about this project and updates.
We do have three additional add-on projects. First, the library compound needs a fence and gate. Second, we would like to add exterior latrines with water access. Finally, the library still needs electricity. If you have an interest in donating to or fundraising for these final three aspects of this overall library project, please email Ingrid@partnerswithethiopia.org.