Project Ethiopia Board

Sally Jo Gilbert de Vargas
Judy Sanderman
Mary Ann Hagen
Carol Watson
David Heitmiller
Dennis Wilkins

How It All Began

Sometimes a trip changes everything...
On their first trip to Ethiopia in 2002, Judy & Dennis found the rural farm children very bright and very eager to learn, but many were so poor the family could not afford the cost of the school uniform or the pencil and note book required.

$300 Returning home, Judy & Dennis resolved to do something to change the situation in Ethiopia.  It started with $300 sent to the one person they thought they could trust to oversee what they wanted done - Awoke, their guide for two days in Gondar, and a former high school teacher.  Awoke had impressed the couple with his passion for education and interest in all the children's education.

The results from that $300 in 2003:

• 25 school uniforms
  
• 86 books for students
  
• exercise books for students and paper and other supplies for staff
• every penny was used: the tiny bit left over from the above paid for bus fare for the students to go to the nearest town for fittings for their uniforms, and tea and bread for the families of the students who received the uniforms and school supplies.
  

Awoke was interviewed by local radio to discover who had been so generous.  Regional school officials came for the ceremony to present the students with uniforms and staff with supplies.  And Awoke sent receipts to Judy & Dennis showing where every penny of the $300 had gone.

When spiders unite they can tie up a lion

- Ethiopian proverb

Who We Are

Project Ethiopia is a group of four individuals who had a vision of how to give Ethiopian children the same opportunities as North American children.  Recently, Project Ethiopia has joined forces with Interfaith Community Church in Seattle and offer tax receipts for US donations.

They are:

Judy: a retired mathematics professor from Seattle.

 

Dennis: a retired manager from a telecommunications company in Vancouver, B.C.

 

Awoke: a former history teacher, now tour operator in Addis Ababa.

 

Workineh: Awoke's brother, a progressive organic farmer and beekeeper in Dangla.  Workineh was awarded Ethiopia's 1999 Farmer of the Year, and A Millennium Man in 2000 (Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, so these years are 2006 & 2007 in the Gregorian calendar that North America uses).

100% of donations benefit Ehtiopian children and their families

Project Ethiopia has 501(c)(3) status

Judy & Dennis pay for all administrative and travel costs.

We buy local & hire local to benefit local economy

How We Work

• 100% of your donation goes to the projects.
• Judy & Dennis pay for all administrative and travel costs
• Our greatest resource is community support
• We give money to NO ONE - we buy all materials and implement all projects
• We buy local, we hire local when possible to build local economy
• We hire at Ethiopian wages or villagers volunteer labor since they will benefit  more

For as little as 7 pennies, you can help!

• $4.70 for a school uniform
• $1.63 for school supplies for a year
• $0.07 for a bar of soap
• $1 for a reading book
• $35 for a triple desk
• $10 for a bench
• $2,300 for school well
• $365 for piped water for a school well
• $0.40 for drinking bottle
• $12,000 for school latrine
• $15 for soccer ball
• $1 for jump rope
• $17.50 for a white cane
• $4.50 for a ream of Braille paper
• $35 for a beehive
• $2 for a sickle for the women or child to weed and harvest
• $78 for a family latrine
• $400 for a concrete floor
• $2,100 for a village well

Project Ethiopia  c/o Interfaith Community Church 1763 NW 62nd Street, Seattle, WA 98107

Project Ethiopia has 501(c)3 status so US donations are tax deductible.