February 2021 Updates

We have a little phrase we use on any given trip to Ethiopia. If you have ever travelled with us, you know it well. “TIA“.

“TIA” stands for “This is Africa“.

We use this phrase to address changes in schedule and generally anything that we can’t control while on the ground there (which is a lot).

Many of you know we were supposed to have “boots on the ground” in Korah at the end of this month. We were planning to take a small (but mighty) team to Korah to try to get our fingers on the pulse of the things going on in our program since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, assess where the current needs are, and do some intensive meetings with our staff to determine the course of action for our next few months.

Many of you also know that Stacy’s father passed away in the first week of January from complications with COVID-19.

Between that and wise counsel from one of our beloved board members who has been serving on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle, who felt a sense of hesitancy in making the trip this February, we made the hard decision to delay our trip until this Summer.

While we HATE being away from our friends and family in Ethiopia for this long, we also want to be sure that our time and energy will be well spent when we DO go.

What does this mean?

This means a few things:

1) The current deadline to get your Christmas Gifts for your Sponsor Student(s) to us has been extended You now have until June 1st, 2021 to get your gift in our hands.

***Click here to read the rest of the instructions on Christmas Gifts for Korah.

2) It means that we will not have any “first half of the year” updates for you on your Student(s). If possible, we will work with our staff to provide updates the same as we did this past Fall from our missed Summer 2020 trip. Stay tuned for more information regarding that.  

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you may have regarding your Sponsorship.

We continue to be SO thankful for your constant love and support of, not only our program as a whole but each and every one of our Students as well.

We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Blessings,
Kimberly Bass
Sponsorship Coordinator
[email protected]

•  Received our official International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) license in Ethiopia.
•  Provided Education for 212 students and 158 of our Students received and maintained FULL Sponsorship.
• Seven students will graduate from UNIVERSITY this month!
• Served over 2500 meals.
• Provided housing and support for 10 orphaned children
• Administered medical care to over 967 people in Korah during our January 2020 trip tp Korah.
• Raised $30,000 of emergency funds over the summer to cover the immediate needs of feeding our 212 OA Students and their families during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the famine that followed in its wake.
• Watched our Ethiopian staff (on their own) step up and donate from their salaries to give to some of the neediest families in Korah.

These are just a small handful of the amazing things we see God doing in our midst.

Our hope is that as a new year begins, you will see unprecedented goodness in your own lives. That amidst all the challenge, you would see places of joy bubbling up in your midst, and that as you have faithfully given — you would be faithfully taken care of in every way.

Did you know you can use our new REACH Sponsor portal to send a letter to your student any time you want?

All you have to do is log in to your account HERE. Then:

1.) Click on “My Profile” on the upper right side of the menu.
2.) Select “My Sponsorships” from the dropdown menu.
3.) Once there, you will see a purple envelope icon to the far right of your Sponsor Child(ren). Click on the envelope and type your letter!

Want some great letter writing prompts? Head over to our blog for some great ideas of ways you can connect with your Sponsor Student(s) by clicking HERE.

Questions or need help logging in? Email Kimberly at [email protected]