Features / #BristolCharityAdvent
Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2018, day 8: For-ethiopia
For-ethiopia is a small charity with its headquarters in Fishponds, providing sustainable development projects to people in Ethiopia. It was formally established in 2004, 20 years after the BBC first brought the story of the famine in Ethiopia to the British public’s attention.
The charity works to relieve poverty and sickness, to preserve and protect health, and to advance education. This is done through small but sustainable development projects in Ethiopia that increase education and employment opportunities and bring communities together to create a better quality of life.
This year, the charity chose to focus on maternity services and the care of newborn children. They were prompted by the terrible maternal mortality rate in the four maternity units in the area they work in – a county around 50km west of the capital, Addis Ababa.
is needed now More than ever
Through fundraising efforts, including a presence at Cotham Hill Street Party that turned the front garden of Sue Thomas, their chair and medical director, into an Ethiopian coffee house this summer, they have upgraded one of the maternity units with running water, a washing machine and screens for privacy. They are currently working on updating the second of the four units.
The charity also runs a hostel in Addis Alem, paid for by a donor from Bath, which supports girls from outlying villages through secondary education, allowing them to stay at the hostel and continue going to school. One major success this year was their first student getting into medical school: she was someone who wouldn’t otherwise have finished her secondary education.
The team of trustees in Bristol is dedicated to their fundraising efforts, working with a small paid team on the ground in Ethiopia to put the proceeds to the best possible use. By keeping overheads low, the charity is able to put more of the money they raise directly into projects to benefit those who need it.
Find out more about the charity and its forthcoming fundraising events at www.for-ethiopia.com
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