Who We Are
The mission of Project Ethiopia is to empower rural villagers to implement and sustain improvements in health, education, and local economic activity. We envision a future where rural villagers throughout Ethiopia are engaged at the grassroots level to create positive change in their communities.
Project Ethiopia serves rural villages in the Dangla woreda (or district) that centers around the town of Dangla (population approximately 40,000). Dangla woreda is comprised of 33 rural kebeles (the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia) with an estimated population of about 279,000 people.
What We Do
Project Ethiopia is a volunteer organization that, with active village engagement, helps rural Ethiopian villagers access primary education, clean water, sanitation facilities, sustainable farming support and healthy housing. We work in a remote, rural area of northwest Ethiopia where other aid money often does not reach.
Project Ethiopia does not operate as a traditional non-governmental organization (NGO), but rather utilizes a model in which we work side-by-side with the community, developing camaraderie and earning the trust of our village partners. Our projects empower villagers to work cooperatively to improve the community as a whole; addressing big challenges through the energy and commitment of many hands and hearts.
Since the beginning, our projects have been guided by the priorities set forth in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015 related to education, clean water, sanitation, adequate housing, and sustainable economic activity. The newly adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, which embodies the Millennium priorities and more, now serve as our framework. With so many pressing community needs, this helps Project Ethiopia to prioritize and focus on what we do best.
Project Ethiopia operates fully at the grassroots level and all projects originate and are guided by the villagers themselves. Our projects address three key areas: Access to Education, Healthy Villages, and Economic Opportunities.
Access to Education:
- Building and improving rural primary schools through grade 8.
- Providing clean water and sanitation facilities at the schools.
- Providing support packages to high school graduates to ease the transition from village to university.
Healthy Villages:
- Supporting housing improvements such as new roofing and cleanable floors.
- Distributing solar lanterns in areas without access to the electrical grid.
- Installing family composting latrines.
Economic Opportunities:
- Forming Farmers’ Associations to help farmers increase yield, lower family malnutrition, and strengthen economic resilience.
- Offering low-interest micro loans to rural villagers, especially women, who cannot access other sources of credit.
Details
| (206) 717-4300 | |
| info@project-ethiopia.org | |
| Sue Wilkes | |
| Executive Director | |
| http://www.project-ethiopia.org/ |
