When children lose their parents in Ethiopia and become orphaned, there are no government programs to help them in any way. There is no welfare, no foster care, no assistance or food stamps. The children are left alone to beg for food and have very little hope for any type of future. These children are truly the poorest of the poor.
Please join us in caring for these children who have no one. Together, we will make a difference - one child at a time!
The children of Ethiopia struggle with the basics of life in ways that are difficult to imagine until you've seen it first-hand.
My name is Natnael, and I live in Ethiopia. When I was 5 years old, my parents passed away. Someone put me on a bus to Debre Zeyit, where I wandered the streets for 20 days before Blessing the Children found me crying, scared and very hungry.
After being rescued from the streets, I was taken for a routine physical where it was discovered that I had a serious heart condition. Blessing the Children raised over $4,000 to cover the cost of treatment in India. They saved my life!
I am lucky to be alive because 2 out of every 10 children born in the huts around my village die before they reach the age of five. I have lost many friends to things like malnutrition, colds, diarrhea, and AIDS. There are 4.6 million orphans like me in Ethiopia. That's 1 out of every 10 kids living in my country!
Without sponsorship, kids like me have to work whenever we can so people will give us something to eat, and sleep wherever someone lets us. Many of my friends can't attend school because they don't have money for books and tuition. Since so many people in Ethiopia don't go to school, only about half of the dads can read and write, and even fewer moms.
You may be thinking, "That is so many orphans - what difference could I make?" You could make a really big difference to a child just like me! Won't you please consider sponsoring just one of us? Meet the Children
There are 4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia
2 out of every 5 children in Ethiopia are stunted due to malnutrition
Only 38% of children age 7 are attending school
We are meeting the immediate needs of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care with our Child Sponsorship program.
We are shaping the future by providing a quality education at the BCI Academy.
We are spreading hope and love to the community of Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia by sending Missionaries and Interns from around the world.
We are helping widows support their families with skill training and Income for Life programs.
Blessing the Children International began work in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia in 2008, in response to pleas from local churches who lacked the resources to provide care for the abundance of orphaned and impoverished children in the area. We now provide care to hundreds of children, addressing their physical, spiritual and emotional needs. We are paving the way to bright futures and breaking the cycle of poverty - one child at a time!
We support cognitive development, social and emotional skills, and communication in our nursery and preschool programs.
We partner with local Ethiopian churches to meet our children's spiritual needs through weekly devotions.
We provide our children with healthy, well-balanced meals to help them stay strong and focused in school. In addition, they receive grain support at home to continue their healthy eating habits after school hours.
We equip our children with a quality education through the BCI Academy, a school of excellence we opened in 2009. A good education provides the best opportunity for self-sustainability.
We provide health and wellness care, yearly checkups, vitamins, and access to vaccines to increase our children's quality of life and longevity.
Less than a dollar a day - just $30 per month - will make the difference between life and death for an orphaned child.