BEKA
Date project was established – Feb, 2010
Location – Gindo Town, Oromo Province, Ethiopia.
Local Partner – Bright for Every Kid Association
Update - Feb 2010
Benefits to the community – Tuition, books and uniforms for 20 children. One hot meal a day. Supervised afterschool program for children. Access to healthcare and clean water. Access to garden plots and training on gardening for guardians and families.
Project Description: Ethiopia is a country that UNICEF has reported to be home to 6 million orphans. These orphans have the right to access the basic necessities of life such as nutrition, shelter, clothing, and access to education and healthcare. All of these needs are addressed in a sustainable, culturally appropriate way by the BEKA project.
In Ethiopia community is important, and as such, where there are cases in which a family unit breaks down, children are often taken in by aunts, uncle, neighbors or the broader community. Canadian Humanitarian is an advocate of community based foster care approach to childcare. This community based approach respects traditional values and will provide more stable care for the children.
To help support the families that have taken them in, orphaned and vulnerable children are often required to work on the street: shining shoes, selling small items or working at menial labor. As a result, education is not a reality in many of these children’s lives. Through the BEKA program, the orphaned and vulnerable children and their foster families will receive physical, social, and emotional support.
In 2009, BEKA and Canadian Humanitarian together were instrumental in helping the local Kebele identify a serious problem in the water distribution of Gindo Town and rectify this by installing a pump that services the 30,000 residents of Gindo Town. Also in 2009, Canadian Humanitarian travelled to Gindo Town on 3 occasions with medical professionals who, working side by side with local Gindo Town medical clinic staff, have offered free medical clinics to the public. The Kebele has recognized the efforts of BEKA and Canadian Humanitarian and recently offered a plot of land, free of charge, to BEKA on which to establish a garden project for the BEKA program.
Community members have offered to provide the labor to construct a fence around the donated land. The donated land will provide space for small garden plots. These plots will be used to grow food to supplement the nutrition of the children attending the Center as well as their families. Techniques and skills for growing food will be taught to the children enrolled in the Center as well as their guardians.
In February 2010, the Kebele identified the 20 children that are in the greatest need in Gindo Town. These children will be assisted in acquiring the necessary materials (shoes, uniform, books) so they can be enrolled in school. A teacher will be hired to offer remedial education after school to the 20 children. The BEKA center will also offer the children a safe adult supervised place to socialize and become involved in extra curricular activities such as art, music, and sports. The BEKA center will offer the children a supervised and safe alternative to the street for a place to socialize.
The children as well as their guardians (primarily women) are direct beneficiaries of the GTSC. The gardens will supply skill building opportunities as well as nutrition to the children’s guardians and families. It is also planned to incorporate chicken raising at the Center and in the homes of the children and guardians.
Canadian Humanitarian Expands to the US
Kids Hope Ethiopia is the U.S. sister company to Canadian Humanitarian. Kids Hope Ethiopia enables the organization as a whole to better supply the needs of children and parents in its programs.The Return of the blog
Our blog is back up and running, and can be accessed by going to the blog. Chapter leaders now have their own pages, so be sure to check out your nearest chapter and keep in the loop!
