The United States Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia awards grants to four local civil society and community based organizations in Ethiopia through the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program managed by U.S. Embassy’s Community Grants Office.
The projects will be implemented over the next year, directly impacting the lives of over 500 people in need of assistance including children, internally displaced people, youth, people with disabilities, and local communities at large.
The U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor presided over the ceremony. The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program is a grass-roots level effort to empower the communities to be self-reliant and enable them to meet their immediate and long-term needs. Recipients receive a one-time grant of up to $25,000 based on a competitive selection process.
Ambassador Raynor told the 2018 recipients, “you’ve identified an opportunity to make your community a better place. You understand that the process of building a bright future for Ethiopia needs to happen from the ground up as much as it does from the top down. I applaud your commitment to making a difference and through your efforts you will not only have an impact through your program, but through the example you set for others.”
The four winning proposals for the 2018 Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program are:
· Link Ethiopia is receiving funding to improve access to early education for children by constructing classrooms in Saina Sabia village in Gondar.
· El-Derash Children and Family Development Organization will help 65 internally displaced households to generate income through fattening livestock and poultry production in Bishoftu.
· The Orphans and Girls Assistance Association will support the establishment of a nursery to raise 200,000 tree and fruit seedlings for reforestation and will create job opportunities for 50 youth in Tulu Bolo.
· Addis Guzo will provide mobility aid materials and maintenance training for 100 people with disabilities in Adama, Bishoftu, Sebeta, Ambo and Fiche