Executive Summary:

Of the estimated 8 million children living with disabilities (like Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and blindness) in Ethiopia, only 3-4% of them go to school. We are requesting $150,000 to fund a strategic merger of the work of Christian Horizons Global (CHG) in Ethiopia with The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus – Development and Social Service Commission (EECMY-DASSC) by June 20, 2021 so that more kids with disabilities can go to school.

This merger is vitally important to help more children with disabilities in Ethiopia participate in school.

• Thanks to the leadership of EECMY-DASSC, this merger will ensure that the work of CHG will continue when the current Africa Regional Director of CHG, Michael Alemu, retires in December 2019.
• This merger will ensure that the existing 3,680 children who are currently part of CHG-funded child sponsorship and inclusive education programs will continue to receive support.
• Through cost-savings created through staffing efficiencies and disbursement of assets, this merger will enable the reallocation of CHG funds over three years to train an additional 612 teachers in 41 EECMY-DASSC schools so that an additional 14,542 students (1,530 with disabilities) can benefit from inclusive education.
• The long term impact of this merger will be that more kids with disabilities in Ethiopia will get to go to school as a result of the improved effectiveness of each organization getting to do what it does best. CHG will be able to direct funds more strategically towards work that specifically helps kids with disabilities be included in classrooms, while EECMY-DASSC will run the operations of community development programs, including schools.

CHG began in 1992 and is part of Christian Horizons, which has been in operation in Canada for over 50 years.

• CHG currently funds disability inclusion in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Haiti.
• Our mission: As an expression of our Christian faith, we work together with people who experience disabilities to accomplish their goals and nurture communities where everybody belongs.

EECMY is a Lutheran denomination that has been serving in Ethiopia for over 150 years with 9 million members, 9,000 congregations and 4,000 preaching places all across the country. DASSC was established in 2000 as the development agency of the church.

• It is the largest development NGO in Ethiopia with strong working relationships with government and local communities. They receive funding from 15 international partners and disburse the equivalent of $23,381,930 each year.
• EECMY-DASSC has four program pillars: livelihood development, health & nutrition, education & child development and humanitarian response. They value inclusion and currently support 24,000 vulnerable children, 900 of whom have various disabilities.
• Their mission is to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ among the poor and disadvantaged people through promotion of human transformation and care for natural environment.

Measurable Outcomes:

1. The merger of Christian Horizons Global (CHG) with The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus – Development and Social Service Commission (EECMY-DASSC) will be completed by June 30, 2021, enabling the 3,680 children who are currently part of CHG-funded sponsorship and inclusive education programs to continue to receive support.
2. Through cost-savings created through staffing efficiencies and disbursement of assets, this merger will enable the reallocation of CHG funds to begin supporting a new 3-year project to train an additional 612 teachers in 41 EECMY-DASSC schools so that an additional 14,542 students (including at least 1,530 who experience disability) can benefit from inclusive education.