Project Hope
Our mission is to bring healing and hope directly to those who need it most in
Ethiopia and to those who partner with us here in America.
BUILDING HOPE
eradicating leprosy, one family at a time.
HOPE is making a difference!
In an Ethiopian village over 3,500 miles away there are parents who have the same future hope for their children as we do here in America. That village, outside of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, is called Gendetesfa, a village founded as a leper colony many years ago on the edge of the Ethiopian Desert. “Gendetesfa” means “Place of Hope.”
Approximately ninety miles from Somalia, the average worker in the village earns the equivalent of $2 per day, but sadly it costs a family of four an average of $3.50 per day to eat. Project Hope was founded by everyday people and businesses in Richmond, Virginia to help the people of Gendetesfa with the four keys to community transformation and healing: medical care, child sponsorship, education, and microfinance.
Program Updates:
[H] Health Clinic – During 2021 and early 2022, a decision was made to move the clinic to a larger property in the village to accommodate a new pharmacy and provide more clinical services. As a result, we have tripled the size of the clinic and the services offered. In addition to the elimination of active leprosy cases, we have also found that cases of infectious diseases are down by 30%!
[O] Ongoing Child Sponsorship – We currently sponsor over 90 of the most at-risk children thanks to our sponsorship donors! We help provide clothing, food, school fees, and more for these children. We are pleased to see that several former sponsor children are now at national universities!
[P] Primary Education – Our partnership with Gendetesfa’s primary school has seen the advancement of English test scores and the village has asked us to return for more sessions. In 2022 we helped coordinate an Ethiopia-USA sister school program between Gendetesfa’s primary school and Ecoff Elementary Public School in Chesterfield, VA. In 2023 Ecoff donated dozens of laptops and helped Project Hope setup the Gendetesfa’s primary school’s first computer lab!
[E] Economic Development: Microfinance – During 2023 we have seen many growing small businesses among those who received the initial microfinance loans, many of whom are single mothers. In addition to many more new program applicants, we have completed a third round of microfinance loans for thriving participants with the aim for them to employ others!
Please consider partnering with us by donating and aiding Project Hope in fulfilling its mission! You are the hope they need! And as you give hope, we know it will double in your own life!