Our Staff, A Collective Story
We receive regular updates from our staff on the ground in Korah. This year has looked vastly different than any we have encountered. Thus, our updates from our Staff have looked different as well. When we received this report from our entire staff recently, it drew tears from our eyes.
The email we received read as follows:
“Hello, Dear All,
I hope all is well with you. Today, I am here to give you a little update on what the OA staff and parents’ committee did to support families in dire need. We have always wanted to keep the vision OA has for the Korah community in all ways possible. Now, we are here with a little contribution to show our love, compassion, and empathy for the people who have no one to support them.
When you did great fundraising in August to give emergency food support for our families, we asked ourselves, “what can we do?” So, we came up with this plan, and it came true with everyone’s collaborative effort.
This may not be too much, but I can assure you it is a small gift with great compassion. We did this because we wanted to be the change we wish to see in our community. Most of all, we wanted to create the spirit of sharing what they have among our beneficiary families while they have their empty pots. I hope this would be just the beginning.
Next Wednesday, when you guys share a ‘Why we do it?’ story, I hope you would proudly say ‘because we have committed staff and parents who would share from their lack than just waiting from us!’
Kind Regards,
Tigist”
Brief Report on COVID Intervention Through Staff Contribution
We all remember the most touching, remarkable food support we did in August 2020 as an emergency intervention for the crisis and famine caused by Covid-19. This food support was neither among our regular activities nor our 2020 plan. However, the local staff who see our families’ challenging situation proposed an idea to our donors to do urgent fundraising for emergency food support amidst the Covid-19 crisis.
Consequently, our passionate, concerned U.S. team gave us a prompt response and conducted a successful fundraiser, which made them raise sixfold of the original plan and two-fold of the revised fundraising goal. As a result, all of our children’s families received three months of food support they were grateful for. During the time we facilitated the Covid emergency food support and our parents’ committee, we discussed how we, the local staff, and the parents’ committee of OA, can contribute to support families who are in dire need.
Everyone took the initiation to contribute what we can afford to be the solution we wanted to see. As a result, all staff members and the parents’ committee of OA contributed some money. Then, a committee which was formulated from staff and parents’ committee worked on the recruitment of families to be supported and purchase of groceries under the leadership of the Development and Education Coordinator.
The staff and especially the parents have their holes in life, but we all decided to share what we have for people in worse situations than sit back and see what comes from our donors and other projects. We selected eight single mothers who live in Korah, proven to be financially needy, and have no project support. Each family received one month of grocery, which is composed of 5 kg. of rice, 5 kg. of macaroni, 5 kg. of wheat flour, 5 pcs. of pasta, 3 liters of oil, and five pcs. of laundry soap, worth 850 ETB.
We visited each family’s house while we delivered the groceries. The depth of their problem touched us. We believe these families were the most deserving ones.
Both OA staff and parents committee members are so happy to support these families during this trying time. The families were delighted and grateful to get this support, which they count as an unexpected blessing. Our fantastic staff pooled their OWN money and sought out the people in Korah who did not have any other family to help see them through this tough time.
The Bible says:
“True spirituality that is pure in the eyes of our Father God is to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, and widows in their troubles, and to refuse to be corrupted by the world’s values.” – James 1:27 (TPT)
We are so grateful for the staff who do not just show up to do a “job,” but who honestly, genuinely, and out of a place of deep conviction go out of their way to love the people of Korah.
Many Blessings,
From the OA Staff
