COUNTRY: Ethiopia
PARTNER: Ethiopian Kale Hewet Church Development Commission
The ability to fund local implementing partners from the communities we serve is one of the main reasons we’ve been able to effectively deliver emergency food assistance over the years. Local partners are familiar with local contexts and customs in a way that outsiders can never be.
One of our longest-running partners through multiple Foodgrains Bank member agencies is the Ethiopian Kale Hewet Church Development Commission (EKHCDC).
In the early 1980s, the Ethiopian Kale Hewet Church wanted to respond to the humanitarian emergencies they saw around them. As a response, their development commission was created – EKHCDC.
Since 2000, Foodgrains Bank members have undertaken 32 projects implemented locally by EKHCDC, including both emergency relief and longer-term development projects.
Abraham Alembo, from EKHCDC’s Emergency Response and Rehabilitation team, shares that through the years, “the support from the Foodgrains Bank improved food security of the communities. Not only the material support but also the technical supports from project staff, built the capacity of participants so that they would carry out sustainable development on their own after the project was completed. The impacts on the lives of the people motivates us and is considered to be our reward.”
*To read more of Abraham’s comments, please visit foodgrainsbank.ca/abraham
This story was originally published in the 2023 Spring edition of Breaking Bread. Download or order your copy here.
