Hope for Korah

We hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to what lies ahead in 2015. In Korah, we are nearing the end of another remarkable year where we have seen a stronghold of extreme poverty in one area of an urban slum begin to break and in turn, give way to hope for tomorrow. As relationships and community are being built and basic needs are being met, isolation and fear are losing grip and transformation in the lives of many poor and needy children, widows, orphans and elderly lepers is taking place. When HFK began 3 ½ years ago we never imagined how God would answer our prayers through

HFK Summer News/Update Click BELOW  EXCITING HAPPENINGS IN KORAH!   Exciting times ahead for the children & families we serve!  

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!   On August 12th Mark and Tammy Brandsma, along with their three children Malaya, Sam and Ben will be moving to Ethiopia for 9 months to serve with HFK !! This is not a decision they have made lightly, but it has come af ter much prayer for God's direction in a calling they felt many years ago. We are thrilled that God has led them to Hope for Korah and it is pretty incredible that their skill sets and talents are just what we need at this point in our ministry. As many of you know, HFK's main focus is family sponsorship and we endeavor to have a holistic approach in working with each family - spiritually, physically and emotionally. Our prayer is to give our families an opportunity to heal from the many traumas and years of

We are so happy to share with you some very exciting news!! As has happened many times over the last few years, God has blessed us above and beyond what we could imagine or think. After much prayer and doors opening; Hope for Korah has been given the opportunity to lease an incredible NEW COMPOUND that will allow us to bring together the INCOME GENERATION PROGRAM, DAYCARE, KINDERGARTEN, HFK STORE and OFFICE in one location. As we project forward into the upcoming years this is a well-suited place for growth and is a big step forward in our ministry to the children and families of Korah; it is large, hygienic, has running water, numbers of bathrooms, electric power, proper walls, floors and structure.  As you will see in the attached photographs our old compounds are not even comparable to where we are now moving. Our rent has increased, but the end benefits are greatly

It is with deep sadness that we share with you,  the passing of one of our dear HFK family members,  Mzreshe Zwede age 45.    Mzreshe was the matriarch of one of our first sponsored families  and was the mother of six and grandmother to seven.  She will be missed by many and especially by her 4 grandchildren  who loved her deeply and depended on her for their daily needs and care.   Mzreshe's feisty spirit, strength and determination

Last month when I was in Korah, in an obscure moment I briefly met Fantanesh and her twin 18 month old daughters.  It was one of those moments in Korah that sticks with me, one that covers me with a heaviness and leaves me with feelings of inadequacy and of being overwhelmed.    Having just left another desperate situation of someone living in a home made of garbage with young children, it was hard to be greeted by so many others with equally compelling stories.  In the small crowd that gathered around I couldn't help feeling overcome when meeting Fantanesh barefoot, standing in the

Rahema lives with her family in one small room in an empty building that is under construction. Her mother Meskerem has numerous health issues requiring regular medical care and follow up.  Her father  Tesfaye is a temporary guard and is committed to his family.  Their life is hard and they are in need of a new sponsor so they can remain in the family sponsorship program. The whole family has suffered due to

  Over the course of the last three years, God has put a place in the center of my heart -- Korah, a neglected & poverty stricken community outside of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. For me, Korah is more than just an urban slum on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital city. Korah is the epicenter of my most meaningful relationships and the beginning of my spiritual journey. I began my first short-term missions trip with mountains of ambition and the goal to improve the lives of the people of Korah, who suffer from extreme poverty and dangerous living conditions. As I reminisce and write this post years later, I can tell you that my ambition is still unbeatable and that I have had experiences that will affect my life forever. I have learned so much by

OUR PRAYERS FOR NETSANET HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!! OUR HOPE IS IN A LIVING GOD!!! This morning Netsanet returned to the oncologist for results from her biopsy.  A few weeks ago he told her that she likely had breast cancer and only had a little longer to live... but so many prayed and God intervened... Here is what Netsanet wrote to me this morning...

PLEASE PRAY FOR NETSANET Post written by David Pohl I first met Netsanet as she was teaching. Netsanet is our Hope for Korah (HFK) Kindergarten teacher and teaches the HFK children at our Daycare Compound. She is 22 years old. I was immediately impressed by her sweet spirit and witnessed a genuine love from her for the children. I think many Ethiopians have an innocence and gentleness in their face and Netsanet was no exception. I also had no idea that she was in a great deal of pain from breast cancer symptoms.  The second time I met her, Netsanet walked up to us in the Daycare Compound. She had just returned from a Doctor visit regarding her possible breast cancer. I was standing next to Rahel Tamerit of KGHC and Tammy Brandsma an ER Nurse from my home town. Tammy introduced herself to Netsanet and explained that she was a nurse. Tammy asked her to explain what her

Sponsorship changes lives! It was a life changing moment - Peter and Teri from Canada, joined our Hope for Korah (HFK) team for a few days and together we met Harigwah in her tattered little Korah home. A widow for 10 years, Harigwah shared how she has been going daily to the garbage dump; taking an entire day or longer (because of lots of grabbing & competition from others) to forage through the trash looking for plastic in order to fill one large sack for a resale value of 15 Ethiopian Birr (75 cents).  What determination and strength to do this day after day....  Eating a piece of bread in the morning and only once more after that, she also rents her one room dilapidated shack for 400 Ethiopian Birr per month... If you do the math, you  realize there is next to nothing left over for food, hygiene, education, clothing or medical. Unsurprisingly,  Harigwah shared she was 2 months behind on her rent... she said her landlord is kind, he has not evicted her yet.   Harig

This Sunday is ‘World Leprosy Day’.   Every year this day is acknowledged globally to increase awareness and help those who by societies’ standards could very easily be considered the “Least of These.”   Although this disease has seen a great decline due to medical breakthroughs with Multiple Drug Therapies in the 1980s, there are still pockets around the world where people continue to suffer the physical and great emotional abuse of this disease.  Korah, Ethiopia is one of those places. Personally, some of the most disturbing experiences I have had in Korah were during my visits inside the hovels of the elderly lepers.  These men are completely alone, without support and often living in the most horrendous circumstances.   Their debilitating disease leaves many of  them crippled and unable to feed or care for themselves.  I have been in the homes where they sleep on dirt floors or dilapidated beds and in horrendous conditions that are inhumane; corners of make-shift shac

"Korah" - Taking Action and Bringing Hope for Korah.  Newly Released Video - Hear first hand from the families, widows, children and elderly lepers whose lives are being changed by those who have supported Hope for Korah.  These personal testimonies and video footage show our holistic approach to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty in Korah. Featuring the Hope for Korah Family Sponsorship Program, Income Generation Program, Berta Breakfast Program, Daycare, Kindergarten and Elderly Home for the Lepers. In this video you will see that  "Together WE CAN make a difference!!"   Please join us in 2014 and Stand With Korah.   For more information on how you can join us  to make a difference please read previous post  Stand With Korah