MEET TESFA

Tesfa Alebachew was homeless for an entire decade. He was just a child - seven years old - when his mother died and he was forced onto the street. His father had left years before, and there was no other family member to care for him. Now, he runs a shelter in Harar, Ethiopia, to keep other vulnerable children from struggling the way he did. Tesfa is known as “Father” to more than 90 kids, from toddlers to teens.

THE NEED

Tesfa’s Shelter cares for more than 90 children who are orphaned, abandoned or do not have anyone who is able to care for them. Tesfa, as a volunteer, provides food, shelter, care, love, protection and a family to these vulnerable children.

Tesfa and the children need your support to protect, feed, shelter and care for them.

HOW THE SHELTER WORKS

Tesfa’s Shelter is a special place. There’s just no other way to describe the incredible model Tesfa has developed for the shelter, a place of safety and family built on volunteer power and contributions from local citizens.

Tesfa is the founder, the leader, and the manager. He created the shelter to help children on the street - children just like him. He’s used a tragic past as motivation to build a home for those who no longer have one.

He, too, is a volunteer. He’s not paid for his time running the shelter, and instead works one week per month to make ends meet.

It’s a family affair, too, with his wife donating her time to act as the shelter’s auditor and medical doctor.

The entire shelter is overseen by a volunteer board, including the chairman of the local social affairs office, an ophthalmologist in a nearby community, and three local merchants.

Other businesses in Harar chip in to help support the children at the shelter, too. A barbershop provides hair cuts, clinics offer free medication, local shops keep the shelter stocked with menstrual products (these products are quite expensive and not always accessible in Ethiopia), and schools cover the childrens’ registration costs. Religious institutions provide services and religious clothing.

It's an incredible model, a unique way to ensure the children have everything they need while operating on a shoestring budget.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Respect the Ethiopian culture.

• No child will feel left out or feel less than any other child in the shelter.

• Development or changes to our program will be community driven as much as possible.

• Invest and build into children’s lives to allow for a brighter future.

• All actions will protect the children from harm.

• Regular assessment and evaluation of program to measure needs and ensure accountability to donors.