I am fundraising for the 2012 Ethiopiaid Team Challenge. A small team of 10 will spend a week in Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital, delivering a carefully designed training programme to Ethiopiaid’s charity partners. By giving them basic language, business skills and IT training - experience of which they have very little - they will be empowered to make a long-term and sustainable difference to the men, women and children they support every day.
 
The event will also raise £10,000 which will go directly to their work.
 
Whilst I know that I will enjoy the experience, this is not a holiday. The team challenge aims to provide a transfer of core skills – ones that we take for granted – that can help to provide a long term benefit for the charities we support. When we leave, we want to have left something meaningful and important.
 
Ethiopiaid:
Ethiopiaid is a small and effective fundraising organisation. We raise funds for trusted community partners based largely in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
 
Our partners are chosen for their expertise, skill and ambition that would otherwise go to waste without all important funding.
 
They fall within three categories - poverty alleviation, healthcare and education. By targeting these areas we can help the poorest to find their way out of unnecessary suffering.
 
Our aid is unrestricted. This means we listen to our partners - those who know best - and mutually agree on the most effective way to contribute our funds. This promotes self-sufficiency and long-term benefits to the community whilst ensuring that your donations are not wasted.
 
Our office space is donated and we only employ three members of staff. We keep things simple and concentrate on making the greatest impact that we possibly can.
 
History
Ethiopiaid was established in London in 1989. Sir Alec Reed - founder of the Reed family of companies as well as the Reed Foundation - upon visiting Ethiopia, sought to make a positive difference by enabling communities to develop independently. Over the last 20 years, more than £25m has been donated and the impact has been widespread.
 
Why Ethiopiaid?
We are a unique charity in many ways.
 
Dedicated to Ethiopia
We dedicate our work to Ethiopia. This allows us to focus our impact. We get to know our partners and fully understand their abilities and capacity. Together we can then work to make the strong impact.
 
Breaking the "colonial" mould
We don't agree that sending ex-pats to development nations is the best way to support them. We raise funds for local, Ethiopian-run charities, who are able to make a big difference with very little.
 
Promoting self-sufficiency
We don't want a quick fix. Ethiopians have the answers to issues being faced today.

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