PARTNERING FOR CHANGE

Can we have a minute of your time? Now close your eyes for a moment. Imagine that you’re a mum living in a dark, overcrowded dwelling with another family in Debre Birhan in central Ethiopia. You lost your husband last year and you have five children, who mean everything to you. But you lie awake at night wondering how you are going to feed and clothe them and provide them with an education. Sometimes you don’t know how to keep going, but somehow you do. Many of your friends are in the same boat, so you support each other as much as you possibly can, but life is tough….

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NOW imagine that you’re then approached by a local charity and they want to provide your children with a healthy and wholesome breakfast each day, so that they can concentrate at school . They also offer you and your friends some small business training so that you can support your own children. You all feel so relieved because this could be gamechanger…

The above scenario is what two extraordinary sister charities, Partners For Change Ethiopia and JeCCDO have been doing to help families in Ethiopia for 40 years. They “partner for change” and establish friendship links that are not just about fundraising but reciprocal friendship, learning and transformation.

So why are we telling you this? Well, my friend Caroline Field and I were first introduced to PFC Ethiopia 12 years ago and since then, we have witnessed lots of families’ lives being transformed thanks to the generosity of individuals in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Our charity has helped hundreds of families at four primary schools (Gende Tesfa School, Biruf Tesfa School, Basso School and Chole School) in Ethiopia and seen some life-changing, sustainable change.

This year, we are very excited to be working with Tibase M. Primary School in Debre Birhan and we would love YOUR help. We’ like you to become a social changemaker and give a family in Ethiopia a hand-up…

In January this year, we visited Tibase M. School in Debre Birhan and along with Paddington Bear, we delivered some letters from the school children in the UK to the pupils there. It was a very special moment. Amidst the challenges of their lives, there was so much joy and optimism. We also met some local mums, who are hoping to set up their own businesses.

So, this year Caroline and I are hoping to fund small business training for 10 mums and the Breakfast Club for 10 children. We’d be so grateful if you could help us. It costs £60 to offer a mum small business training and £160 to provide a child with breakfast, school clothes, stationery and some TLC for a year. So, if you can, please make a donation now….

“Little by little, a little becomes a lot…” (An African proverb)

Thank you all so much & “Ameseginalehu” from all the families at Tibase M. School