Help 2 Ethiopian Friends Overcome Covid and War
Donation protected
SUMMARY: WHY THIS CAMPAIGN?
>> Helping two great Ethiopian friends develop new ways to sustain their lives in hard times
Back in 2007, I had the chance to live in Ethiopia for about a year, where I discovered the fascinating depth, beauty, and spirituality of the Ethiopian tradition and people. There, I was blessed to meet exceptional human beings, dedicating their lives to living good, working hard, helping their families, and praying through their Christian Orthodox faith. That is the case of the 2 great friends this campaign is about - Kinfe and Telake. They are dear friends I have kept from that time, and that have introduced me to the most genuine Ethiopian Tewahedo faith, opened their homes to me, and later when I was back in France, spent their time as volunteers helping set up EOMM - Ethiopia On My Mind, the NGO we created in 2009 (and ran until 2014) to support sustainable development projects contributing to the preservation of the Ethiopian living heritage.
Today, as we are ending the very hard year 2020, both of them are facing critical situations and need our help quickly. At the time you are reading this, both of them and their families are in a very difficult moment with almost no revenue, sometimes going to bed without food, with no perspective to go back to normal lives. They were thrown back into extreme poverty by Covid-19 and war in Tigray which have disrupted the economy and stopped tourism. This happens while they struggled their whole lives to study, make an honest living and improve their condition. This is the first time I am raising funds with such a campaign and I am doing it because I know we can make a real difference in their life and they deserve it so much, really. We can support them by giving them the means to rebound, find new sources of revenue, and sustain their families.
>>With EUR 6,500 it is possible to help Telake become the master of his destiny by purchasing a tricycle taxi and to help Kinfe re-start his small printing production.
Any contribution to that goal will, in any case, make a huge difference in their lives.
TWO WONDERFUL PERSONS WITH VALUABLE PROJECTS
Know more about Telake, his life, and project
>> Telake, from an incredible Lalibela priests family, can no longer work with tourism that stopped and plans to purchase a tricycle taxi as a safe and sustainable way to earn a living in the world heritage city of Lalibela. He developed a well-thought business plan (available to anyone interested in receiving it).
(Left picture: me, Telake, and his younger brother)
I was first introduced to Telake by his brother Teka, a deacon and future priest I made friends with in Addis. Telake happened to be a young tourist guide and was helping sustain his religious family from Lalibela, where the incredible rock-hewn churches can be found. We spent time together and meeting with his family in their small and very humble Lalibela home was a very special experience.
One anecdote: his younger brother, at the time 19 years old, is a hidden genius from a sacred land. He lost his eyes at the age of 11 when an anti-personnel mine from the Erythrean war exploded next to him as he was playing. But he kept studying and learning religious books according to his family's tradition. He memorized the entirety of the very extensive Ethiopian liturgy, songs, holy scriptures and became a spiritual master at 17, a status that only a few priests manage to reach after decades of study, usually at an advanced age. He did it with 17 and without his eyes. In this picture, he is listening to these 5 kids reciting aloud simultaneously different passages of different holy books. He would sit there, quietly listening, and from time to time he would interrupt one of the young readers and rectify what he had pronounced wrongly or what he had omitted. And the 5 kids would start reciting all together at the same time again... The whole house was exuding faith, light, and righteousness.
Telake himself is as humble and intelligent as the rest of his family. As priests and deacons only earn a very small stipend, he is contributing to maintaining his sisters and brothers. He studied, passed exams, and succeeded as a local tourist guide. Without his revenue now that tourism is almost entirely stopped, his whole family is struggling and there is no short-term perspective that would allow tourism to come back.
Telake helped our NGO EOMM a lot, walking long hours to visit projects, writing reports, all of this as a volunteer between 2009 and 2012. He has a very modest way of life, is very discreet, humble, and always has a word of wisdom for those open to it.
When I asked Telake if there is something we could do to support him, a new way to sustain his family, not only had he already thought about it, but he actually had already carefully written a proper business plan to purchase a Bajaj motorcycle taxi. If we are able to reach the fundraising target this will completely change his life and that of his wonderful family by creating a stable source of income and even opening possibilities for business development as Bajaj taxi is developing quickly in rural areas. This is a solid project worth supporting that will offer a dignified way for Telake and his family to overcome their critical situation and think about the future.
Target: 4,000 Euros
Know more about Kinfe, his life, and project
>> Kinfe, a sweet and deeply honest young entrepreneur, is running a small printing and graphic design company in Addis Ababa. His mother is sick and he had to sell his computer and some if his much needed printing material to cover health expenses. He is about to lose everything if we don’t help him now.
Kinfe is an incredible character, a struggler, that always fought to keep his independence and to support his sick mother and his younger brother. He would always stick to straight moral convictions which led him to struggle more than others in his life and business. When I met him he had the dream to create a small printing company. He saved for a long time and worked hard. After 8- 10 years, he ultimately managed to purchase the necessary materials, find a space and start his small company. He slowly developed his customers and last year had a team of 3 people working with him. Now he is about to lose everything. You can see the quality of his small productions in difficult conditions.
Kinfe is a poet, a strong mind, always, really always, helping me with everything, introducing me to the Orthodox faith he knows deeply, guiding me, protecting me, a light in the Addis night. I remember some of the things he was saying to me about struggling, like, "You know, a candle has to burn, to melt, the wax has to flow down like tears, for it to lighten the world around. We have to be like candles too". Many years after all of that, when I told him about someone close who was passing through some difficulties, he took public transportation for a couple of hours, went to the top of the mountain at a special church especially to light a candle for that person he didn't know. This is how righteous is Kinfe.
His mom is sick and has to be regularly hospitalized since many years. As you can imagine there is no such thing as public health insurance and this is a heavy burden for him. He also helps his younger brother. Because of the crisis his revenue decreased and he had sell his hard-earned production materials that are critical to run his business - his computer and a couple of printers – in order to cover his mother’s health expenses.
With our support, Kinfe could not only get his material and computer back but he could actually improve the quality of his printers. This will open new markets for him that are more protected and sustainable in these times of economic crisis than the lower quality productions. With our contribution, he will be able to purchase: a laptop, a couple of printers and a press. This will put him back on track and offer him, his mom and brother, a better future.
Target 2,500 Euros
JOIN US AND HERE IS HOW WE WILL SAY THANK YOU
For any contribution, from the smallest help to the most generous gift, we will keep you informed, send you a short report of the use of the funds, give you some news about Telake and Kinfe and their family.
We will also give you the opportunity to get in touch directly with them if you are interested in connecting. And if you end up visiting Ethiopia one day, you will have two friends and guides in Addis Ababa and Lalibela. If we reach our goal (or because we will reach it!), you may benefit from a free tour at the incredible Lalibela churches with Telake, the best guide you can imagine, a free ride on his future Bajaj taxi, and a printed t-shirt offered by Kinfe in Addis! :-)
Both Telake and Kinfe would be too humble to ask for anyone's support, this is why I am asking for them. They represent what I admire and respect most of the Ethiopian, and human, culture. Humility, spirituality, and nobility of spirit. I hope I manage to tell how much they deserve that support and how much they need it. I know they will pray for all of you who will help them in such hard times. Please, let us help them rebuild their lives despite the obstacles that 2020 brought to them. Let's be together in this. Let's help our two Ethiopian friends Telake and Kinfe. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, thank you for any help you can give.
In solidarity,
Benjamin
PS: for those who don't know me, I am a French national, leaving in Brazil, passionate about Ethiopian people and heritage, working for many years in the NGO and philanthropy sector in different parts of the world. Also a roots-reggae lover, a love that initially led me to that blessed land of Ethiopia in 2006-7. You can contact me for more information [email redacted]
>> Helping two great Ethiopian friends develop new ways to sustain their lives in hard times
Back in 2007, I had the chance to live in Ethiopia for about a year, where I discovered the fascinating depth, beauty, and spirituality of the Ethiopian tradition and people. There, I was blessed to meet exceptional human beings, dedicating their lives to living good, working hard, helping their families, and praying through their Christian Orthodox faith. That is the case of the 2 great friends this campaign is about - Kinfe and Telake. They are dear friends I have kept from that time, and that have introduced me to the most genuine Ethiopian Tewahedo faith, opened their homes to me, and later when I was back in France, spent their time as volunteers helping set up EOMM - Ethiopia On My Mind, the NGO we created in 2009 (and ran until 2014) to support sustainable development projects contributing to the preservation of the Ethiopian living heritage.
Today, as we are ending the very hard year 2020, both of them are facing critical situations and need our help quickly. At the time you are reading this, both of them and their families are in a very difficult moment with almost no revenue, sometimes going to bed without food, with no perspective to go back to normal lives. They were thrown back into extreme poverty by Covid-19 and war in Tigray which have disrupted the economy and stopped tourism. This happens while they struggled their whole lives to study, make an honest living and improve their condition. This is the first time I am raising funds with such a campaign and I am doing it because I know we can make a real difference in their life and they deserve it so much, really. We can support them by giving them the means to rebound, find new sources of revenue, and sustain their families.
>>With EUR 6,500 it is possible to help Telake become the master of his destiny by purchasing a tricycle taxi and to help Kinfe re-start his small printing production.
Any contribution to that goal will, in any case, make a huge difference in their lives.
TWO WONDERFUL PERSONS WITH VALUABLE PROJECTS
Know more about Telake, his life, and project
>> Telake, from an incredible Lalibela priests family, can no longer work with tourism that stopped and plans to purchase a tricycle taxi as a safe and sustainable way to earn a living in the world heritage city of Lalibela. He developed a well-thought business plan (available to anyone interested in receiving it).
(Left picture: me, Telake, and his younger brother)
I was first introduced to Telake by his brother Teka, a deacon and future priest I made friends with in Addis. Telake happened to be a young tourist guide and was helping sustain his religious family from Lalibela, where the incredible rock-hewn churches can be found. We spent time together and meeting with his family in their small and very humble Lalibela home was a very special experience.
One anecdote: his younger brother, at the time 19 years old, is a hidden genius from a sacred land. He lost his eyes at the age of 11 when an anti-personnel mine from the Erythrean war exploded next to him as he was playing. But he kept studying and learning religious books according to his family's tradition. He memorized the entirety of the very extensive Ethiopian liturgy, songs, holy scriptures and became a spiritual master at 17, a status that only a few priests manage to reach after decades of study, usually at an advanced age. He did it with 17 and without his eyes. In this picture, he is listening to these 5 kids reciting aloud simultaneously different passages of different holy books. He would sit there, quietly listening, and from time to time he would interrupt one of the young readers and rectify what he had pronounced wrongly or what he had omitted. And the 5 kids would start reciting all together at the same time again... The whole house was exuding faith, light, and righteousness.
Telake himself is as humble and intelligent as the rest of his family. As priests and deacons only earn a very small stipend, he is contributing to maintaining his sisters and brothers. He studied, passed exams, and succeeded as a local tourist guide. Without his revenue now that tourism is almost entirely stopped, his whole family is struggling and there is no short-term perspective that would allow tourism to come back. Telake helped our NGO EOMM a lot, walking long hours to visit projects, writing reports, all of this as a volunteer between 2009 and 2012. He has a very modest way of life, is very discreet, humble, and always has a word of wisdom for those open to it.
When I asked Telake if there is something we could do to support him, a new way to sustain his family, not only had he already thought about it, but he actually had already carefully written a proper business plan to purchase a Bajaj motorcycle taxi. If we are able to reach the fundraising target this will completely change his life and that of his wonderful family by creating a stable source of income and even opening possibilities for business development as Bajaj taxi is developing quickly in rural areas. This is a solid project worth supporting that will offer a dignified way for Telake and his family to overcome their critical situation and think about the future.
Target: 4,000 Euros
Know more about Kinfe, his life, and project
>> Kinfe, a sweet and deeply honest young entrepreneur, is running a small printing and graphic design company in Addis Ababa. His mother is sick and he had to sell his computer and some if his much needed printing material to cover health expenses. He is about to lose everything if we don’t help him now.
Kinfe is an incredible character, a struggler, that always fought to keep his independence and to support his sick mother and his younger brother. He would always stick to straight moral convictions which led him to struggle more than others in his life and business. When I met him he had the dream to create a small printing company. He saved for a long time and worked hard. After 8- 10 years, he ultimately managed to purchase the necessary materials, find a space and start his small company. He slowly developed his customers and last year had a team of 3 people working with him. Now he is about to lose everything. You can see the quality of his small productions in difficult conditions. Kinfe is a poet, a strong mind, always, really always, helping me with everything, introducing me to the Orthodox faith he knows deeply, guiding me, protecting me, a light in the Addis night. I remember some of the things he was saying to me about struggling, like, "You know, a candle has to burn, to melt, the wax has to flow down like tears, for it to lighten the world around. We have to be like candles too". Many years after all of that, when I told him about someone close who was passing through some difficulties, he took public transportation for a couple of hours, went to the top of the mountain at a special church especially to light a candle for that person he didn't know. This is how righteous is Kinfe.
His mom is sick and has to be regularly hospitalized since many years. As you can imagine there is no such thing as public health insurance and this is a heavy burden for him. He also helps his younger brother. Because of the crisis his revenue decreased and he had sell his hard-earned production materials that are critical to run his business - his computer and a couple of printers – in order to cover his mother’s health expenses.
With our support, Kinfe could not only get his material and computer back but he could actually improve the quality of his printers. This will open new markets for him that are more protected and sustainable in these times of economic crisis than the lower quality productions. With our contribution, he will be able to purchase: a laptop, a couple of printers and a press. This will put him back on track and offer him, his mom and brother, a better future.
Target 2,500 Euros
JOIN US AND HERE IS HOW WE WILL SAY THANK YOU
For any contribution, from the smallest help to the most generous gift, we will keep you informed, send you a short report of the use of the funds, give you some news about Telake and Kinfe and their family.
We will also give you the opportunity to get in touch directly with them if you are interested in connecting. And if you end up visiting Ethiopia one day, you will have two friends and guides in Addis Ababa and Lalibela. If we reach our goal (or because we will reach it!), you may benefit from a free tour at the incredible Lalibela churches with Telake, the best guide you can imagine, a free ride on his future Bajaj taxi, and a printed t-shirt offered by Kinfe in Addis! :-)
Both Telake and Kinfe would be too humble to ask for anyone's support, this is why I am asking for them. They represent what I admire and respect most of the Ethiopian, and human, culture. Humility, spirituality, and nobility of spirit. I hope I manage to tell how much they deserve that support and how much they need it. I know they will pray for all of you who will help them in such hard times. Please, let us help them rebuild their lives despite the obstacles that 2020 brought to them. Let's be together in this. Let's help our two Ethiopian friends Telake and Kinfe. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, thank you for any help you can give.
In solidarity,
Benjamin
PS: for those who don't know me, I am a French national, leaving in Brazil, passionate about Ethiopian people and heritage, working for many years in the NGO and philanthropy sector in different parts of the world. Also a roots-reggae lover, a love that initially led me to that blessed land of Ethiopia in 2006-7. You can contact me for more information [email redacted]
Organiser and beneficiary
BELLEGY BERNARD
Organiser
Moustey (Landes), France, 97
LAURE BELLEGY
Beneficiary