Dear Friend,

I am thrilled to share the incredible impact of our recent summer mission trip to Ethiopia. For the first time, I had the privilege of traveling to Ethiopia with over 20 American volunteers. As always, our mission is to mobilize and engage volunteer mentors within Ethiopia to provide critical support and care.

Reflecting on Our Six Years of Impact

Over the past six years, ACN has transformed the lives of orphans and vulnerable families in nine different sites in Addis Ababa and its surrounding areas. Our dedicated volunteer mentors offer care to children, youth, and vulnerable women through various programs, including after-school activities, childcare, satellite clinics, mentoring, internships, and special needs support.

This summer's mission was to encourage our volunteer mentors by serving alongside them at these sites and launch additional ones to scale our impact. I can personally attest that it was an all-around success.

Steering Committee & Future Plans

Behind the scenes, ACN has been working diligently to influence policy for these programs to be integrated into the nation's core systems, providing a safety net for the poorest in society. We have been collaborating with the Ethiopian Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and three other ministerial bureaus. These efforts are coordinated through a steering committee formed in May 2023, aimed at integrating our seven strategic programs into the nation's core systems for education, health, jobs, and social services. 

During our recent trip in June, another round of steering committee meetings took place. A major highlight was the solidification of our joint plan to serve five million orphaned and vulnerable children over the next five years, utilizing five million volunteer mentors across all regions of Ethiopia. 

Expanding Programs

As the first step towards this ambitious goal, we are gearing up to launch five additional programs outside of Addis in the following locations: Hossana, Hawassa, Debre Birhan, Adama, and Wolisso

We provided training to the regional and technical teams, laying the groundwork for these new initiatives. The enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved were palpable, and I am confident these programs will have a significant impact.

Highlights from the Summer Trip

The USA team actively participated in daily activities, spending quality time with children and being an encouragement to our local volunteer mentors.

We successully launched several new initiatives in Addis:

Your Support Makes a Difference

It is because of your ongoing support that we have been able to make all of these things happen. The effects of your efforts are farther reaching than I ever expected. I have seen the faithfulness of the volunteer mentors and real impact in the lives of vulnerable children and their families. We have so much more work to do to reach 5 million vulnerable children (according to UNICEF) and we are counting on your support to help us achieve this mission.

Where Your Support Goes

As you know, other than the occasional use of contractors, all USA work is done by volunteers. No one gets paid for their work. Also, note that the CEO of the organization donates back 100% of her salary. All your support goes directly to the beneficiaries and funds the cost of raising, equipping, and placing volunteer mentors for the care of the vulnerable in their community. This also fosters unity and peace within the country, grows the volunteer culture, impacts the economy, and enhances the overall social fabric of Ethiopia.

One-Time Gifts

Please consider giving a one-time or monthly gift by visiting us online at: www.AllianceCareNow.org/giving, by scanning the QR code below or by mailing a check made out to Alliance Care Now to:
P.O. Box 8205 McLean, VA 22106

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Donating through a foundation, stocks or, bonds? Please continue using the name Orphan Care Ethiopia as we're in the process of updating our financial systems to Alliance Care Now.

Blessings,

Mark Gottlieb
Chairman, Alliance Care Now (ACN)