As we wrap up the remaining work for 2019, we also take the time to identify our next projects and make plans for 2020. Next year we are excited to continue our community-led projects in all three impact areas – Access to Education, Healthy Homes, and Economic Opportunities. This will include...

Sometimes all it takes is a strong, clear vision and a tarp.At least that was case for Zagray Primary School located in a hilly, rocky area approximately 8 km from Dangla town. In 2008, local parents started an alternative school (a school that teaches only reading and writing and does not have grade levels) under some trees at the current site of Zagray Primary. They started with a strong desire to give their children an education and a study tarp strung between the trees to provide cover from the sun and rain.

Mekedis is a single mother of five children who lives and farms in the Dengeshta community. She is also one of 14 recipients in her community to receive a recent micro loan from Project Ethiopia. This year we established a second micro loan fund that will benefit residents of Dengeshta.

We all have dreams. They breathe life into what we do, inspire us to think big, and allow our heart to guide the way. For Zelalem Beyene, his dream was to attend university to study medicine and become a doctor.

Bags packed? Check! Passport in hand? Check! It was finally time to leave for the airport.I’ll admit, I was feeling anxious as I boarded the plane for my first trip to Ethiopia. I knew that two weeks was not going to be enough and in my head I was already planning my second trip. But wait -- I had not even left Seattle yet! “Stay present,” I had to tell myself. “Enjoy every single moment on this trip.”

Are you familiar with the tiny, gluten-free and super nutritious grain called Teff?  A relatively new introduction to U.S. grocery stores, teff is believed to have been cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea before 1000 BC! The word teff originates from the Amharic word “teffa” which translates as “lost”, due to its very tiny size. Three thousand grains weigh just one gram (1/28 of 1 ounce!), or 150 teff grains equal 1 kernel of wheat!

With a desire and vision to share his farming knowledge and experience with others in the community, our Project Leader, Workineh Genetu, formed the first Project Ethiopia Farmers’ Association in 2007. The goal was simple from the beginning: By training a core group of farmers in each village to improve their practices and increase yield, knowledge would spread naturally among families and neighbors to eventually impact an entire community.

Thank you to our guests, donors, and sponsors for another successful Empowering Villagers, Transforming Lives fundraising dinner in April! We are excited to report that we raised $51,000 for community-led projects which will include...

Expanding access to a primary school education has been a core component of Project Ethiopia’s mission from the very beginning. Our work started with the kebeles and villages closest to Dangla town and has been expanding in ever-widening concentric circles over the years. In that time, we have built 23 new primary school buildings and improved 25 existing buildings for a total of 152 classrooms; creating access to primary education and a pathway to high school for thousands.