It was a difficult time for the whole family. Not only did they struggle to put food on the table, but their hunger impacted other parts of their life. Even Metadel’s performance at school deteriorated.

In 2010, however, life took a turn for the better. Metadel enrolled in the Brightening the Future of Orphan & Vulnerable Children project implemented by Food for the Hungry/Ethiopia in partnership with World Renew and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

This project is providing food support, medical treatment and community training workshops for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in three districts (Lay Gayint, Tach Gayint and Simada) of Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Since being enrolled, Metadel finished 1st in his grade nine class and has been renewed by hope.

For households like Metadel’s, chronic food insecurity is the most predominant problem, and the burden falls most heavily on orphans, who have lost parents from HIV/AIDS and other causes. From October 2014 – September 2015, 1,500 OVC were enrolled in the program. Each child received monthly food support that included 15kg wheat, 1.5kg peas and 0.5kg oil. Of those enrolled, 326 children were identified to have major health problems (HIV/AIDs and/or malnutrition) and received an additional 4.5kg of supplementary food (Famix) each month.

"The support provided through this program helped me to become a visionary and fruitful person."

Beyond the substantial health and nutrition benefits, this food support has become invaluable in enabling children to continue their education without struggling to find food each day. It  protects children from being exposed to child labor. It also provides stability in both the home and the school environment as the child and caregivers do not have to keep changing locations, looking for that elusive job to provide for their basic needs.

Over the last year, this project has also:

  • Helped to provide medical care for health problems including skin infections, upper respiratory tract infections, intestinal parasites, eye infections, Goiter, and other opportunistic infections related to HIV/AIDS

  • Delivered educational workshops critical to the long-term progress of the communities. These workshops include sessions on personal hygiene, sanitation, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, food/water handling, basic entrepreneurship skills, financial management and urban gardening

  • Improved student school performance; 96.2% of OVC were promoted to the next grade

  • Contributed to an increase in annual income of households with an OVC by 62.5%

  • Provided 2662 children (OVC and their siblings) with bi-annual de-worming treatment and medical care for other reasons to 51% of OVC

  • Ensured gender does not become a barrier to support – OVC are 50.9% male and 49.1% male

Over the next year your support will help provide monthly food and medical care to the 1500 OVC. Your donation also helps to incorporate sustainability in this project by focusing on involving members of the community in the protection and support of households with OVC.

Through your support, you are fulfilling this calling to care for orphans and other vulnerable children like Metadel.

In James 1:27, it says that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” Through your support, you are fulfilling this calling to care for orphans and other vulnerable children like Metadel. Thank you for your generosity and continued support of our work in Ethiopia.

“The support provided through this program helped me to become a visionary and fruitful person. I would not have improved my educational performance if not enrolled in this program. Now my hope was renewed and I am dreaming to be a doctor in the future and to establish charity organization that support poor people like me. Glory to God and I would like to say thank you to all those who have been supporting me and my families thus far.”– Metadel Andarige