Back in 2009, when we were in Ethiopia adopting Biniyam, we stayed at a guest house run by Birtukan and Nesibu, who founded and run Yezelalem Minch, an Ethiopian non-profit community based program that cares for orphans and widows in and around Addis Ababa.  During our week with them we had the privilege of listening to Birtukan tell the story of her vision for the children of Ethiopia. Here's the story to the best of my recollection.

Birtukan grew up as a World Vision sponsor child.  Once she aged out of the sponsorship program she began working for World Vision.  One day she was translating a letter from a sponsor in the US.  In the letter the sponsor had written that he was crippled and on disability, but that it brought him great joy to be sponsoring this child.  This was a huge eye opener for Birtukan, as she had imagined that all US sponsors were wealthy. She began thinking about how if someone who is not wealthy in the US can sponsor a child then she too can help the children of Ethiopia.
During this time Birtukan had 2 marriage proposals and she asked each of the men (and this is the part of the story I love because she makes such a serious face) "Do you share my vision for the children of Ethiopia?" and neither of them did ... and neither of them received her hand in marriage.  Then Nesibu came along and asked Birtukan to marry him.  "Do you share my vision for the children of Ethiopia?"
"Yes, Yes, I share your vision, it is a very good vision"  and that's how this couple, who pour themselves out daily for the orphans and widows of Ethiopia came to be.

They started by taking orphaned street kids into their home and after awhile they rented a house and hired a house mother to care for the children in an orphanage that was more like a home.
They founded Yezelalem Minch (which means "Everlasting Spring", a reference to Isaiah 58)

through which they now care for over 1200 children who have lost one or both parents, providing them with a sponsor, with health care and health education, and by inviting them to a feeding program every Saturday.   We have visited the feeding programs on each of our visits to Ethiopia, it is an experience unparalleled to any other.  I would love to post pictures of all the beautiful children with their huge smiles, but the government of Ethiopia is sensitive about pictures of orphans and poverty (not that they read my blog, but just to be safe I won't post any).  I can post one of us serving, which was an experience that flooded me with an emotion that I guess I'd say was humility as well as gratitude to be able to serve, grounded in the reality that I had no control over where I was born. 

The last part of Birtukan's vision that she told us about back in 2009 was to build a vocational school for older sponsor children and widows.  Birtukan and Nesibu have been working on getting land donated for over 2 years with no progress, meanwhile the rent in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia, has increased exponentially as foreign nations begin investing in and building up land.  The cost of rent is stressing the means of YM.

A group of families in the US have joined together to form the Future Hope Campaign to raise money for Yezelalem Minch to purchase land.  The land would be used for their offices, the orphanage, the saturday feeding program, community showers, and a training facility so that orphans and widows can learn a trade (coffee roasting, sewing, hand crafts etc.) and break the cycle of poverty.

This Saturday, July 16th Greg and I are throwing a fundraiser here in Washington:
$20/ticket for 2 drinks, dessert, a DJ and art exhibits by local artists.
220 West Champion street, suite 200, Bellingham, WA (North West Plaza building)
from 7-9pm
If you are local to Bellingham I hope you will join us, If you are not local but want to support a great cause please consider visiting the future hope web site  and making a tax deductible donation (95% of donations go directly to YM) or purchasing a YM t-shirt (designed by our talented friend Shiloh).
This is an organization we are deeply passionate about and truly believe is working for the good of the destitute in Ethiopia, keeping children out of orphanages and with their families.