We began as three moms who saw needs in Ethiopia and wanted to respond. Now we are a team of over 100 volunteers supporting women, children and education in that beautiful East African country.
From our founder: Shelley Green
For 15 years my heart longed to adopt a little girl internationally. Over that time, another prayer was for God to show me what He wanted me to do to serve Him. My two prayers were answered in June 2010 when my mom and I travelled to Ethiopia to meet and bring home my little girl!
During our two week stay in my daughter’s birth country, we were forever impacted and changed by the abject poverty we saw 360 degrees around us. We quickly learned that over 65,000 people live on the streets in the capital city, Addis Ababa. Many of those people are children living on the streets without parents or any adult to care for them, protect them, or show them love.
The generosity of friends and family back in Canada allowed us to reach out to over 25 children living on the streets and offer meals, clothing, blankets, plastic tarps and shoe shine kits (to provide an opportunity to earn a living). Six boys were sent to boarding school and were off the streets. Right before our eyes, my mom and I saw how the resources we have in Canada can make life changing differences in the lives of the Ethiopians who have so very, very little.
Ethiopia is beautiful and the people are warm, welcoming, strong - and wanting a better tomorrow. In Canada, we are so blessed to have access to medical care, clean water, education, transportation, income-generating jobs, affordable food to eat, homes to keep us dry and comfortable, and government programs to care for our most vulnerable. In Ethiopia, none of the comforts and privileges we so easily take for granted are a certainty. In fact, their reality is very different from ours.
Hearts for Ethiopia was born out of a desire to help others better understand how they can make a difference in the lives of women and children in Ethiopia. We want to show care and love to women and children through the financial support of programs that will improve quality of life and provide hope.
Our work is a life long journey that has just begun and the blessing of helping women and children in Ethiopia (my daughter’s birthplace) is more than I could ever have imagined.
Will you journey with us?
