Hope for Korah

Guest post by Karissa Schat  "I’ll send you a text." In an era of quick & convenient communication tools, letter-writing is long forgotten. A quick text or email does the trick most of the time, and if it’s longer than three sentences, we keep it in our inbox as ‘unread’. Forever. But have we lost the JOY, the intentionality of writing to those we care about? Is the art of letter-writing long forgotten? In the rare case that I receive one myself, I practically SQUEAL with delight. Out loud. They took the time to write me this, I think to myself as I eagerly scour the contents . And THAT is something worth reading. In Korah this past June, I was able to see that joy & anticipation first-hand. I was in a room with hundreds of exuberant, energized children who were waiting for their mail from their Brother Sister Friend. Most were there because they knew what it was all about: but many were just curious... they wanted in on this, too. Pe

A child's capacity to learn is significantly altered by malnutrition and therefore HFK's Berta Breakfast program not only matters today, but also impacts the future of every child we feed. Working with public schools to target their most vulnerable students whose lack of nutrition has a direct effect on their ability to learn, is an important and exciting step we are taking by expanding Berta Breakfast  to 100 children at Abune Basilios Government School near the trash dump in Addis Ababa.   In February, when we met these children for the first time, it was evident that they live in dire conditions.   Many arrived to our intake assessment with uniforms that were tattered and in shreds. Some holes were larger or equal to the remaining worn-out cloth which was threadbare, stitched, pinned and barely held together.  The children's skin tone, hair and slight frames were evidence of how very undernourished they are. Our HFK nurses and staff were on hand measuring e

Congratulations to Jacqueline Strating RSW MSW, HFK's Sponsorship & Programs Manager for presenting her Masters of Social Work thesis at U.F.V. today! Jacqueline's research study which took place in Korah, was on: "Understanding the Context of Poverty and Investigating Culturally Relevant Strategies and Resources to Promote Health and Mental Health for Women Experiencing Poverty in Korah, Ethiopia." Jacqueline's hard work and dedication to investigating a much neglected and unexplored area of study is so very relevant and important to our work in Korah. Jacqueline's findings and resulting implications for policy, practice and future research will have a direct impact on our families as we strive to better understand and serve our women in this critical area. All of us at HFK are very grateful and blessed to have Jacqueline on our team, both here in Canada and in Ethiopia. Her commitment to excellence, compassion and ability to reach out to others wit

GROUND BREAKING NEWS!!! We are expanding our Berta Breakfast Program to a second location in Korah!! We have started building our new kitchen at Abune Basilios School, located next to the trash dump. The foundation, outside walls and cement floor are almost done. We’re so grateful to be partnering with this school who has identified 100 of their most neediest children and provided a permanent space to work out of.  In just a few weeks, between our two locations, every morning before school we will be serving 375 kids a nutritious breakfast especially designed for malnourished children! If you'd like to help fight malnutrition, change lives and feed hungry kids please  GIVE TO BERTA - HERE Designed for malnourished individuals - Berta changes lives!!  DONATE HERE Keep posted for more exciting updates!

One of our favorite moments in Korah this year... It brought tears to the eyes of all of us who were there. These are kids who used to live on the trash dump, many were hungry and living in makeshift homes - some begging and not in school, some orphaned and alone... So thankful for how their lives are being transformed. We love, love, love these kids!! They have such talent, creativity and potential! God is giving them a hope and a future!! HFK students from our After-school Tutoring program showcase their amazing creativity, potential and future promise in their Arts & Science Show.

Some faces tell a story. The story of a type of beauty and depth that is created when hardship and courage meet. To me, the faces of each of our HFK Elders tells that story. Each time I have visited with these sweet gentlemen, I am compelled by their rich understanding of what it means to be thankful. Seeing how these men live with such joy in the face of the rejection and pain that they have lived is truly remarkable. We have so much to learn from our older generation! In addition to having a daily caregiver who looks after their needs, the HFK Elders also have a specific social worker that meets with them weekly to plan and facilitate activities with them. This time often involves having coffee, playing games, and socializing. Sometimes they will even have another community member come in to teach the men a new skill such as knitting! The Elders especially enjoy singing, dancing, and going on their monthly field trips - these men are SO full of life! To make a differenc

Are you looking for ways to empower not just one life, but an entire family? Hope for Korah currently has 10 families waiting to be matched with another sponsor!   The heart of the HFK Family Empowerment Program is to take action towards breaking the cycle of extreme poverty for families living in Korah. This is done using a holistic approach that acknowledges the biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and environmental factors influencing each individual.  Meet our new families below: Senayet is a resilient mother of four. Her family begs on the street and outside a local church in order to be able to eat one or two meals per day. Senayet lives in a small mud home with her four children, elderly mother, and her adult sister who has significant physical disabilities. Senayet worked for several years as a daily laborer, carrying heavy materials for a marginal wage. After the birth of their two children, her first husband passed away. She has since remarried and had two m