The Awassa Children’s Project is an amazing success story in the southern town of Awassa. The project encompasses four main projects to contribute to the development of the children and families of Awassa primarily affected by HIV/AIDS. Their areas of focus include:

• Awassa Children’s Center – Provides care for for approximately 100 children, most of whom have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic. The center provides housing, food, clothing, education and counseling required for a healthy upbringing. The orphanage provides homes to 75 children under 14 and over 25 teens. All children attend private or governmental schools and are provided with uniforms and all supplies and materials. The center provides after-school support and has its own library and an on-site clinic and nurse to provide most of their healthcare and sanitation needs. A social worker is available on-site to monitor and foster the mental, spiritual and social health of the children. Finally, an on-site pre-school has been started to provide education to children before starting formal education.
• Awassa Vocational Training Center – A state-of-the-art vocational training center, it provides training in computer skills, wood-working, metal-working and electronic technologies with the aim of improving the lives of under-privileged youth from the Awassa community. As of 2011, the center has graduated 278 trainess, of which 174 were women.
• Environment – The Awassa Children’s Project has committed to being an environmentally-aware organization. They have taken several measures to fight against the increasing demands on the environment by planting trees in the surrounding area, digging its own well and installing solar panels on its buildings.
• One Love Theatre – The One Love HIV/AIDS Awareness Theater blends dance, drama, circus, multimedia, music and gymnastics to bring HIV/AIDS awareness messages to audiences of all reaches.

All of these initiatives run on donor dollars. Volunteers are also welcome to contribute to the projects and the people they support. Please see the attached wishlist for a list of items that the center is desperately in need of. Visits can be coordinated for those who are interested in seeing their dollars or materials being put to use. Contact us for more information.