What would a small business or budding entrepreneur be able to do with a loan of $300 in the U.S.? Likely not very much. However, in rural Ethiopia, a loan this size can make a very significant difference in the life and livelihood of the loan recipient and their family.

Independence is something all humans crave. We all desire the power to make our own decisions, provide for our family, and be financially independent. When we have these things, it instills confidence, security, and joy in us. For many parts of the world a microloan is the start to independence.

First off, I must confess that I’ve never been to Ethiopia. Up until recently, I never really knew or even thought about the country very much. All that changed, however, when I happened to stop at a Project Ethiopia exhibit at volunteer open house I attended two years ago.

Normally, we would gather to celebrate in person; sharing stories of hope and inspiration from Dangla, Ethiopia. Since we started planning the celebration over a year ago, much has changed in our world. Meeting in person to share a dinner together and raise funds to support community-led development work will not be possible this fall so . . . we are going virtual!

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in June, more than 500 women and men spread across the wide grassy area in front of the local Orthodox church. They were there as part of Project Ethiopia’s latest efforts to provide outreach, education, and soap to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable rural families.

It’s 6:28 pm. The sun has set and you must spend the rest of your waking hours in darkness. The only option for lighting your home is an expensive, inefficient kerosene lamp that exposes your family to toxic fumes. This is the reality for the majority of families living in rural Ethiopia.

When students return to Dangla Meskerem Primary School in September, a beautiful, new building for science instruction and learning will greet them on campus. The new lab replaces a dilapidated building lacking electricity and proper storage for lab and teaching materials and will serve students in grades 3 – 8 (nearly 900 in total).

So much has changed in our communities and in our world in a very short time. No matter where we live on the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives and our communities in some way. This is now a worldwide shared experience across geography, culture, and economic condition.

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set forth, for the first time, fundamental human rights that should be universally protected for all people including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.