Education/other services - Special Needs Children

First of all thank you to all who have contributed for this very much needed program that addresses the needs of a totally forgotten population in Ethiopia - children with Special Needs and learning disabled.  Although we are still a long way from our total funding goal of $50,000, which is the total needed to fund this program for 2 years, we are making headway.

The children in our program are receiving educational services geared to their learning disabilities and special needs.  This population of children have NO educational services provided by the government and largely off the radar of other NGOs in Ethiopia.  

Due to limited funding, we can only address the needs of very few children while the population of children with this need is huge.  Our goal is to provide a comprehensive program for a limited number of special needs children, a program that is like those in the United States and other developed countries.  After the initial two years, our hope is to expand this program to a much larger population of special needs children in Ethiopia based on our ability to develop the funding needed for such an expansion.  This initial project of $50,000 is more a developmental project allowing the staff to fully develop a comprehensive program that meets the needs of a very challented population in Ethiopa.  The $50,000 goal will fund the entire project for two years and will provide the foundation for a much needed expansion to include more children with Special Needs.

With the funds raised thus far, we have been able to purchase supplies and materials plus patially cover other costs of this unique project for Special Needs children.  The children in this program are flourishing and for the first time, receiving the educational and other support services they so desparately need.  See the photos attached to this report.