Background History
was born from her father Ato and her Mother on October 20, 1966 in Central Tigray Hagereselam Wereda Abo. Since her father, Gofe Heye, was killed by Italian invaders at her age of one, she grew up by her grandfather Heye Bedissie.
Establishment
In 1980 Emahoy went on a pilgrimage to Gishen Mariam, the holy church in Wollo, in the northern part of Ethiopia. At that time there was a severe drought in the country causing a catastrophic famine. Millions of people were affected resulting mass starvation, death, destitution and dislocation of people. Children, who were the most vulnerable group became victims of various diseases, malnutrition, death and untold misery and suffering
Emahoy and her group visited those shelters where the drought affected people were sheltered. There she observed a very horrible situation and children remained unaccompanied losing their parents. This horrifying incidence prompted her to bring initially two orphans to Addis Ababa to liv with her. Subsequently this number grew to 21 by the end of the year.
Through her relentless effort, selfless devotion and tenacity to helping children, W/ro Emahoy humanitarian work eventually began to be known and support from governmental and on-governmental organizations started forth-coming. The orphanage was registered as “Biruh Tesfa Children’s Village and School” under Ethiopian law in 1986. Having a legal status, it signed a project agreement with the Children’s Youth and Family welfare organization.
Since then, the organization went on caring for hundreds of thousands of children for the past 45 years and supported millions of people through different poverty alleviation programs.
Emahoy Tsega Girmay
Founder of Emahoy Tsega Girmay Foundation
Mother of Many
YOU CAN DONATE NOW
Emahoy Tsega Girmay foundation is on the frontline of assisting vulnerable women and children providing to them with mechanisms to save their lives. Your gift ensures we can continue to positively impact the lives of women and children now and into the future.
Our Story
In 1980 on her pilgrimage to Gishen Mariam’s annual celebration, she saw many people displaced from their homes and being in shelters due to a severe drought and famine in the area. Because of the horrible condition there, the children were left unattended. Observing the tragic situation in the area, the compassionate mother brought two children with her to Addis Ababa and laid the foundation for today’s “Emahoy Tsega Girmay Foundation Child Care and Development Association”.
Since then, she had abandoned her peaceful marriage and continued caring for children and her humanitarian work. She went on caring for hundreds of thousands of children till their self-sufficiency, for the past 41 years. In addition, she had supported more than 1.5 million people through different poverty alleviation programs.
Among the areas of intervention
- Reached hundreds of thousands of children through different life saving programs and supported till their self-sufficiency.
- Improved the lives of thousands of women and taken care of their children.
- Opened vocational training centers to build the capacity of women and trained thousands of needy women and qualified them for a job.
- Built and furnished two schools in Burayu and Addis Ababa with the name of the Association and has been providing education to low-income children and children with no education opportunity, and qualified most of them for higher responsibility.
- Helped thousands of women in Addis Ababa and Oromia accessing credit and savings services.
- Contributed significantly in environmental protection by producing and distributing more than 100,000 seedlings every year.
- Created various income generation activities such as traditional food preparation, knitting, food oil production, print on clothes, crafting, sewing, embroidery, carpeting, weaving, poultry, livestock, dairy, gardening, mill service, making mead, making traditional clothing and gift items.
- Provided food grains, clothing, and agricultural seeds to thousands of households in Oromia and Addis Ababa.
- Constructed more than 50 water points, hand dug wells, potable water and made ready for use.
- In collaboration with other charity organizations, built many schools, adult education centers, sports fields, fences; and handed them over to beneficiaries.
- Built 27 non-formal education centers in Oromia region, equipped with the necessary manpower, materials and undertaken training for three years, before handing it over to the government.
- Built TVET institute in Fiche Town and handed it over to beneficiaries
- Repaired houses of 350 households and handed over to beneficiaries
- Built more than 350 kitchen houses, market shops and toilets and made ready for services.
- Build a special maternity and pediatric hospital to reduce child misery and maternal mortality.
- Provided support to those affected by natural disasters in Wollo, North shoa, Diredawa, South Omo and many more.
- Thinking end of hunger in mind, constructed irrigation dam, and ensured food security for thousands of families.
- Made enormous contributions to HIV/AIDS awareness when stigma and discrimination was high and awareness was limited in the country and made incredible changes in the community.
- Supported thousands of families with HIV in their blood with materials, cash, capacity building and provision of shelter, care and treatment.
- By providing education in family planning and reproductive health and bringing about social and behavioral changes, dramatically increased the coverage of family planning and reproductive health services in the intervention areas.
- Made significant contributions to infrastructure development, capacity building, health and family planning, education, and agricultural development, in Addis Ababa and Oromia region.
International Award
Emahoy Tsega Girmay believes “Poverty, especially child misery, can be alleviated not by the amount of money that is thrown at individual level, for charity, but by bringing our capacity and potentials together and making organized support for our people suffering, especially through empowering women.”
At last, Emahoy Tsega Girmay in the challenging 41 years organizational leadership, she had undergone multiple surgeries and was living with pacemaker on her heart, for over 16 years. Since some time, due to her health problems and aging, she had been getting care, follow up and assistance by physicians at home.
The work of the kind and compassionate mother is beyond the grave and will be remembered as a role model forever.
YOU CAN DONATE NOW
Emahoy Tsega Girmay Foundation is on the frontline of assisting vulnerable women and children providing to them with mechanisms to save their lives. Your gift ensures we can continue to positively impact the lives of women and children now and into the future.
