Hope for Korah: Empowering a community through hope

On the outskirts of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, rises a mountain of significant proportions. It is not like the pristine snow-packed mountains of the Himalayans, or the austere beauty of the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, or the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, this foul giant is a mountain of trash. The locals call it Koshe, which translated means ‘dirty’. It is a 36-acre landfill which has been the dumping ground of the city’s waste for 50 years. Sprawling outward from the base is the urban slum of Korah. Those living here are very vulnerable. Men, women, and children spend their days searching and sifting through the trash, desperate to find food or discarded metal and plastic they can salvage and sell for pennies. Families are consumed with poverty. Disease spreads quickly.

Tripsite first learned of Hope For Korah, a non-profit working in this area, through a close contact who lives and works directly with the community. We had wanted to officially partner with a charitable work for some time and decided to come alongside the organization by supporting its Berta Breakfast Program. Five days a week, the children of the community are served a nutrient-enriched breakfast in the form of a pancake specifically designed for malnourished children. The program feeds 375 children each day. For most, it is their largest meal of the day. For some, it is their only meal.

To learn more, two members of the Tripsite team recently traveled to Addis Ababa to visit the community and Hope For Korah. We were impressed with the organization's commitment to serve and empower the families using a holistic approach, seeking to break the cycle of urban poverty, without creating dependence or disrespecting the culture.

Hennie and Mary at the Berta Compound. The smiles tell the story.

The goal is that each family can come to know their inherent worth, meet their full potential, live with dignity, and become self-reliant. In doing so, they can actively participate and advocate within their community, serve others, and in turn, bring long-term sustainable change to the Korah community at large.

Since our visit, we are expanding our outreach to include other projects that Hope For Korah is involved in, such as family empowerment, income generation, health services, and education.

We left Korah inspired and encouraged. Each tour you book through us, allows us to give back to this community. We hope you too are inspired, and encouraged.

Do you want to learn more about Hope For Korah?