After five months of planning and many volunteer hours, Project Ethiopia hosted its first fundraising dinner – Empowering Villagers, Transforming Lives – this past October at the Ethiopian Community in Seattle.

It was a wonderful evening attended by 150 community supporters including many guests from the local Ethiopian community.  We are excited to report the dinner raised $68,000 to support community-driven improvements in the areas of education, health, and economic opportunities!

The event started with a reception that included five interactive stations highlighting our work in the areas of clean water and sanitation, education, solar lighting, and economic development. Guests were then treated to a buffet of delicious Ethiopian dishes followed by a program featuring special guests and Project Ethiopia founders, Workineh Genetu, Awoke Genetu, and Judy Sanderman. The evening ended with a lively dance performance by the Ethiopian Community in Seattle youth dance group.

As we heard from Workineh during the dinner program:

“The most important elements of the success of Project Ethiopia are trust, responsibility, commitment, and positive, visible change in the community.  Every year we mobilize huge community voluntary labor and I always tell our community volunteers that their contribution will bring a big change in our community.”

Thank you to our guests, donors, and volunteers who are critical partners in supporting these big changes that result in community empowerment and resilience for the rural families and communities we serve.

We look forward to seeing you again next fall for another fun evening of community and celebration!

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