Lifesong – Ethiopia

Working closely with Ethiopian leaders and veteran missionary staff Lifesong for Orphans & Gobena Coffee are partnering to serve the Ziway, Ethiopia community through these priority projects:

1. Implement a Feeding Program
   • Provide nutritious breakfast and lunch for each of the 300+ students before and during school
2. Develop Christian School
   • Add two additional classes per year (for next five years)
   • After Year 1: 450
   • After Year 2: 600
   • After Year 3: 750
   • After Year 4: 900
   • After Year 5: 1,050
   • Involves additional building facilities, educational materials, and teaching staff
3. Complete Church construction
4. Build & Operate a Group Home
   • A Christian home environment for 12 double orphan children with Ethiopian “houseparents.”
5. Create a sustainable business for vocational/entrepreneurship training
   • A block-making business where 50% of profits can help fund the school
   • Develop career skills to have sustainable careers and break cycle of extreme poverty

Leadership

Gary & Peggy
Gary & Peggy have been missionaries in Ethiopia for over nine years, most of that time serving as administrators in language translation organizations, hospitals and clinics, most recently Administrator and Dietician of the Myungsung Christian Medical Center (Korean Hospital) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Christian School Project

Lifesong is committed provide a Christian School to 300+ children in the Ziway, Ethiopia community who have very limited access to education.

The current school system provides education up to 3rd grade only. After 3rd grade, the children are very limited in their opportunities to gain knowledge and job skills. As the children grow into adulthood, they find it very difficult to support a family and children. In some cases, children are abandoned and left to care for themselves because of the intense pressure the parents have to provide without an education or job skills.

The children and caregivers want a good education; however, there is not a good facility for them to learn in. The current classes through 3rd grade are conducted in a mud school building with up to 75 students per classroom. Due to the lack of funds it is difficult to attract good teachers. Also, the lack of funds, make it very difficult to provide textbooks and basic student materials. However, the students eagerly attend classes as they know that any education they receive will help them in their future. Students that attend the school currently, often are very hungry and only have one meal per day, or less. The students will be better equipped to learn if they are given more access to nutritious food before class.

Estimated Cost: ($15,000 will help provide 1 complete classroom) / $250,000 total

Complete Church Construction

Lifesong is working with the Meserete Kristos (in Amharic, it means Foundation of Christ) in the town of Ziway. The church has been very focused on evangelism, outreach and the initial school. The rapidly growing congregation is currently meeting in a mud building, which they have outgrown. They are in process of building a large facility to accommodate the entire congregation.

Current church/meeting facility:

New Church being constructed:

Evangelistic outreach to Muslims:

Build & Operate a Group Home

An Ethiopian Christian couple will care for 12 double orphans (both parents are dead). Children in these homes receive three healthy meals a day, appropriate and comfortable beds and living conditions. Temesgin & his family (would be first set of Houseparents after Group Home is built)

Ethiopia Job Needs

About Ethiopia

Location
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Capital City
Addis Ababa

Area
1,104,300 sq km (slightly less than twice the size of Texas)

Population
85,237,338

Languages
Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)

Religion
Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 census)

**data from www.cia.gov