"You Are not Alone" Campaign
Just in time for the Ethiopian Christmas that was celebrated on Jan 7, FICDO’s volunteers distributed gifts to the most impoverished members of our Fitche community. By doing so, we were saying "you are not alone" to our compatriots. We would like to thank our supporters and friends for enabling us to serve our community.
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Christmas Celebrations
We celebrated Orthodox Christmas on Jan 7 in style, with our community (the young people that we serve and their guardians). Our guests started the event by blessing and slicing of bread, followed by meals and Ethiopian coffee. The children entertained the guests with drama and poetry. It was a remarkable community event.
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'Timkat' Celebrations
January 19 was Timkat - the Orthodox Christian celebration of Epiphany - one of the biggest annual religious festivals in Ethiopia. Tesfaye Nigussie, a member of FICDO's leadership team held a luncheon party for over two hundred homeless and vulnerable people. For those who could not attend, FICDO's volunteers went door-to-door to drop meals as well as cash donated by Tesfaye. We are grateful and proud to have Tesfaye in our leadership team.
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We Had Guests
On Jan 22, FICDO's Board members Ayele Deneke and Abera Lemma accompanied author and philanthropist Adel Ben Harhhara to Fitche to visit our volunteers and community. As usual, our community welcomed the guests with excitement.
Adel, who currently lives in Canada, has written three-volume memoir of his colorful life in three continents. The first volume, To Have Nothing, is now translated in Amharic. Adel has pledged to donate proceeds from the sale of the Amharic version to FICDO. The English copy of To Have Nothing can be ordered from Amazon. Thank you Adel.
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"We Are Connected"
FICDO's field office in Fitche is now connected to the Internet, thanks to Andex Ayele our supporter from Virginia who covered the cost of the installation plus unlimited data for a year. Sponsors can now meet and connect with the young person they are supporting, albeit virtually, in the presence of FICDO's staff. They can build relationship, guide, mentor and encourage the young person. We have had our first successful long distance call last week. It was an exciting moment for all of us to connect one of our supporters in Seattle/US with our volunteers and the young person in Fitche that he sponsors. At FICDO, we strive to build bridges and connect people and communities. Afterall, we are connected.
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#Everylittlehelps #Communitysupport #Womenempowerment
FICDO's Women Self Help Group bake and sell Injera (a staple flat bread central to Ethiopian meal) to improve their income. The festive season created a huge market opportunity for the women as our supporters purchased thousands of Injera. FICDO also ordered hundreds of injera for our community events.
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Want to Take Part in Enabling a Young Person?
Are you one of those people who want the very best for children? Does news of deprivation and the extreme poverty of millions of children in our world trouble you? We won't promise to 'fix' world poverty. However, here is an opportunity to enable a young person...Just 20 USD a month can turnaround the life of a young person trapped in extreme poverty. For just 20 USD, FICDO provides the necessities for the young person to stay in School, including daily meals, school uniform, school materials, and after school and community support. If you wish to take part, please contact us at info@ficdo.org and we will send you the handbook that contains details of our program including the profiles of the young persons.
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Meet Abinet Terefe - Volunteer of the Month
Abinet is Lecturer and Researcher in Salale University, Fitche, where FICDO operates. Abinet regularly volunteers with FICDO as a coach/mentor for the teenage girls under FICDO's care. Such mentoring/counselling services are primarily aimed to minimise school drop outs, early marriage and gender-based violence. However, we are also determined to encourage the girls to dream, and give them the necessary tools to realise their dreams. Thank you, Abinet, for your inspiring work.
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About FICDO
FICDO - Fikir Integrated Community Development Organisation is a local non-profit modelling love in action through serving the poor and marginalised. It is board-led and volunteer-run and registered (reg. # 4207) in Ethiopia in June 2019 in accordance with the Civil Society Organisations proclamation no. 1113/2019.
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