Help Jonah improve education for kids in Ethiopia.

Update: Jonah uses GoFundMe donations to build library for kids in rural Ethiopia.



Hi Crochet Friends, it’s me, Jonah!

One day, I was handed a bag of crochet supplies… This seemingly small gift would change my path forever. I taught myself to crochet at the age of 5 by watching YouTube videos. Now I’m 15, and I have my own crochet business called Jonah’s Hands. My Instagram account has grown to nearly 400,000 and my YouTube has nearly 145,000 amazing people from all over the world who share my love of crafts & crochet! You can also follow me on my Jonah’s Hands Facebook Page where I have nearly 260,000 followers.



There are other kids just like me, living in the country in which I was born: Ethiopia. Today, I want to hand children in Ethiopia the chance to unlock their own passion and potential. The talent and love that came from that gift can now spread across the globe and back to the beautiful country I love so much.

I am partnering with Roots Ethiopia, a non-profit organization located right in the village where I was born! I love Roots Ethiopia because they are dedicated to supporting Ethiopian children and families. Roots Ethiopia focuses on two things. First, they support poor rural schools with the resources they need to help children soar. Things like desks and blackboards, libraries, and hands-on science labs are the priorities for schools.

Next, Roots Ethiopia helps mothers with access to the least amount of resources to identify their strengths and build entrepreneurial skills to create robust small businesses. I know how a natural skill can flourish, and I want to support the success of many hands at work in Ethiopia. I want families to work together, succeed together, and stay together in Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia is making this possible, and I’m ready to be part of their big, beautiful tapestry of work.

My passion and my path were unlocked through a gift of crochet supplies. What will your gift unlock? What spark will be ignited in the mind of a child because of you and me? My talent and beautiful work have hooked many new friends like you.

My other big dream is to return to Ethiopia to see for myself what my hands, and your hearts, helped change. By supporting this cause together, we can make that happen. Help me give back to my homeland, to the place where it all started.

50% of the donations to this GoFundMe campaign will go directly to Roots Ethiopia,

They work with the team in Ethiopia to help the children in the area I was born. The other 50% will have several objectives. It will help me take my first trip back to Ethiopia since I was adopted as a baby. I have recently raised money to build them suitable bathrooms that meet safety standards and allow privacy. In addition, funds will also allow me to invest in my business, Jonah Hands. Lastly, money will be used to further my education as I hope to one day become a surgeon.

The funds from this campaign will go directly into my mother’s (Jenn Larson) bank account. The money will be distributed to Roots Ethiopia through their online donation portal on their website.

When you make beautiful things, you can make things beautiful. Now it's time to hook the world!

 

In summary, I’ve raised money to build these kids a library filled with books, a science lab complete with equipment, and a safe and private 8-stall latrine for the girls. I also filled 3 empty classrooms with desks so they don’t have to learn sitting on the floor. My next project is to give them some fun through the development of a soccer program for the school. This includes providing them with shoes, socks, uniforms, and all the equipment needed for a successful program.