Every Gift Has a Story: Hanna Orphan’s Home (Ethiopia)

For the past 6 years, Oakseed has partnered with Hanna Orphan’s Home in its vision “to see a country where children would grow up with basic access to food, shelter, clothing, and school and be brought up as independent citizens who will have a meaningful contribution to society.” Founded over 30 years ago, HOH came into being during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia. Hospital wards were full of victims, with the death rate skyrocketing. Across the nation, the number of educated people in the workforce dropped with each death. Children were left orphans, without hope or support.

Hanna Teshome, Director of HOH, saw the need and determined, by God’s grace, to step into the void to help these powerless, voiceless, and lonely children. Trusting the Lord to provide, she began with just a handful of needy children and, as news of her efforts spread, more and more children arrived at her doorstep. The Lord has faithfully provided for HOH, giving it favor with the government and many supporters, both inside Ethiopia and around the world.

As a result, HOH has been able to support orphans and children from needy families in the community, whose parents are unable to provide for them. These children have received educational support from kindergarten through university, medical care, foster care while parents were imprisoned, regular meals, and vocational training. Most importantly, these children have all had the opportunity to hear the gospel regularly.

The Lord has blessed HOH abundantly. Most of the children who started with HOH have finished school and become self-supporting. Many have come to faith in Christ and are faithfully serving in their local churches. As the original orphans graduate and leave HOH, the Lord continues to make HOH a blessing to its community in its increased support of children from poor families, usually single-parent homes.

Girum came to HOH in 2004 as an eight-year-old, with his two younger sisters, after both parents passed away. He was able to thrive in school with the support he received at HOH, graduating from university with a degree in civil engineering and a desire to help support HOH in the future and perhaps even establish a center similar to HOH to care for the needy in his community.