The Wegene Ethiopian Foundation (WEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to serving impoverished communities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For over two decades, WEF has been committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of less fortunate families, driven by the vision of "One Child at A Time."
The Genesis of Wegene
The foundation's story began over two decades ago, during a casual discussion among a group of friends who shared a deep concern for their country and its people. They realized that they all desired to help but were unsure how or where to start. After individual attempts yielded limited results, they decided to form a group and collectively strive to improve the lives of others.
Mission and Philosophy
Through a sustainable manner, Wegene’s mission is to improve the everyday lives of less fortunate and disadvantaged children and their families in Ethiopia. This mission is based on the philosophy that if hardworking, destitute families are given the opportunity, tools, and resources to improve their lives, they will have a stepping stone to emerge from the poverty cycle and give their children better educational opportunities in order to lead happier, healthier lives.
The word “Wegene” in Amharic (Ethiopia’s official language) means “empowering my community or my people.” Wegene is a grassroots, community based organization designed to sponsor and support Ethiopian families in their home setting.
WEF's vision and strategy are straightforward: resources are readily deliverable, and overhead costs are minimal. This approach ensures that the maximum impact is achieved with the available resources.
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Core Focus Areas
WEF's work in Ethiopia addresses three critical barriers:
- Poor education
- Poor housing
- Family instability
Innovative Approach
Wegene has a grass-root approach of supporting hardworking destitute families by providing assistance in their own homes and surroundings without uprooting them from their already existing network of community support. WEF employs an innovative and integrated approach, assigning designated local volunteer caretakers to each family.
These caretakers are liaisons between the sponsored families and our American supporters and volunteers. The caretakers play a key role of making sure our mission is fully executed. The caretakers also follow-up on the families to ensure they have a positive living environment, and that all other basic needs of the families are met correctly. These caretakers not only understand the cultural and social context, but also live in the same communities as our sponsored families.
Long-Term Successes
The overall success of the foundation is primarily reflected in the long-term successes of the families and children it supports. This is why our approach is holistic and longitudinal.
Wegene has supported numerous families (of which some families are now self-sufficient) and enrolled many homeless children in schools as a result of local fundraisers.
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Diaspora Engagement
The founding board directors have played a significant role in mobilizing Ethiopians in the Diaspora to give back to their original homeland, using the resources in their newfound homeland, the United States. These board members have played an essential role in mobilizing Ethiopians in the Diaspora to give back to the homeland.
A significant portion of the foundation’s success can be attributed to their commitment and hard work. With various educational and professional backgrounds, each board member has been using his or her expertise in marketing, fundraising, management, etc., to contribute to the development and growth of the foundation.
The Wegene Kids Club
The children of the board members have also established a sub-group called The Wegene Kids Club. The club raises funds through bake sales, movie nights, and crafting. In addition to helping the disadvantaged families in Ethiopia, the Wegene Kids Club has been involved in feeding and distributing clothing to the homeless in the Washington, D. C.
Building a School in Jimma
Visiting a remote village, in Jimma area, of Ethiopia, I noticed that the only local school had been ruined and abandoned, forcing the area’s children to walk two hours each way to the nearest school. In response, I spearheaded a project to build an elementary school for the area, raising money by running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D. C. I was able to raise enough money to get the foundation of the school constructed.
My efforts inspired others to participate in the Marine Corps Marathon. My commitment to finishing the school continued by organizing other fund raising activities such as soliciting for raffle items, holding fundraiser dinners and Sponsor a Desk programs. Even though it took over several years, we were able to raise enough money to make the school building dream a reality.
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Personal Commitment
As a partner of Wegene, I have the opportunity to make a difference at a personal level. This offers me fulfillment and civic satisfaction beyond imagination.
I see our world as a generous place where we truly reach out to others as we move through life. I strongly believe that we each have a humanitarian equity with which we can make a difference. It does not matter if our contribution is large or small; doing what we can to positively affect the life of a single person will provide us with immense gratification. I think our legacy should be how much we gave not how much we made.
Leadership
Nini Legesse is the president of a dynamic non-profit organization called Wegene Ethiopian Foundation (WEF) which she founded with the help of her friends and family members.
I am honored and humbled to be a White House Champion of Change. I am extremely grateful for the security, opportunity for education, and better life my adoptive country, the United States, has provided me and my family. As a result, it is especially rewarding to be part of a foundation that provides fundamental change to less fortunate families sustaining themselves at the price of one cup of coffee per day and to make a difference for these families and their communities. This is really the finest sort of empowerment, where we all can be partners and the ownership belongs to our partners who benefit from the program.
