As we launch out into a new calendar year and experience some new beginnings, we are also looking back and reflecting on our origin story.
Many of you know the genesis of Addis Jemari, but for those of you who don’t, we wanted to share a brief summary along with the “why” behind the work of AJ.
Over several years and multiple short-term mission trips to Ethiopia, we worked in orphanages in the capital city of Addis Ababa. As our hearts grew for the people of Ethiopia, we learned that there are over 4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia. 70 percent of these children have been orphaned as a result of poverty.
Through relationships with local leaders and learning more about sustainable solutions to extreme poverty, a vision for multi-faceted programs was born, with a desire to come alongside orphaned and vulnerable children and families to see them move from a place of merely surviving to a place of thriving.
In May of 2016, Addis Jemari was officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Raleigh, NC, with the mission to empower orphans, vulnerable children, and their families to end generational poverty.
Keeping families together became the heartbeat of our work, which leads us to our “why.”
We believe that every Ethiopian family deserves to thrive.
This is what gets us up in the morning to do this work each day. This is what motivates us to raise awareness, plan events, raise funds, sell products from Ethiopia, and share stories of impact with you.
Throughout 2022, we will be sharing more about the heart of our work. Over the course of the year we pray that God will unite our hearts and expand this community of supporters to walk alongside the children and families we serve in Ethiopia so they can truly thrive.