World Vision Hands Over Enemorena Ener Project to the community after 17 years
Enemorena Ener Area Programme (AP) of World Vision Ethiopia (WVE) is phasing out after serving the community for the last 17 years. WVE handed over numerous projects to the Enemorena Ener community on 25 September 2023 in Gunchire town, which will continue the legacy and bring the projects well into the future. Education, Integrated Livelihood and Nutrition Security, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Health and Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and Community Engagement and Sponsorship Plan (CESP) are the major projects that were handed over to the community and local administration on that day.
Yewoshe Elders, religious leaders in the district, opened the project closure event with prayers. They said, “World Vision has been a blessing to our children and the community and we are very thankful for the marked effects we are seeing. We feel as if one of our beloved family members has left us.”
Mr. Mebratu Tekele, the district chief administrator and an effusive leader, praised World Vision for the integrated development programme it has carried out to improve the lives of the community members. He noted that “World Vision has accomplished the life-changing development work that no one had done before.”
Moreover, Mr. Berhanu Fufa, World Vision Ethiopia's Central Programme Hub Lead, thanked God for the organization's 17-year journey that has improved child wellbeing. He appreciated WV Korea sponsors for their generous support and the AP staff who contributed to the implementation of the projects. He reminded the district chief and the community to bolster the programs they’re taking on.
The event also included reflections and witnesses from government partners, community representatives, and children. Participants who contributed to the implementation of the integrated programs were awarded certificates. A booklet documenting the organization's 17-year development journey was also inaugurated, and children presented educational dramas emphasizing World Vision’s measurable impacts.
A resident of Gunchire town, Commander Negash Hussien, praised World Vision for its good deeds thereby urging government officials, stakeholders, and concerned parties to learn from it and use their resources wisely for the benefit of the community and children. The event participants vowed that they would carry on World Vision’s all-rounded development endeavours. Mr. Stephen Court, Senior Operations Director, World Vision Ethiopia, emphasized the importance of kindness and community empowerment in his keynote address. He noted that "We should not necessarily be rich to help people, rather we need to be kind to one another. A kind heart can do a lot more than a pocket full of money."
Over the past 17 years, the Area Program (AP), with a total outlay of US$13.4 million, implemented integrated development programs in 19 local administrations (Kebeles) in WASH, Child Sponsorship, Education, Health, Child Protection and Participation, Integrated Livelihood and Nutrition Security, and HIV/AIDS benefiting more than 136,000 participants, about 82,030 of them are children.
World Vision's intervention has made a real difference in the school children’s performance. Children found it hard to bid goodbye to World Vision and expressed their feelings during the project closure event. “Before World Vision's intervention, we did not have enough exercise books. World Vision stood in the gap by providing the stationaries. There was no water in the school, which was a big challenge. World Vision provided tap water that has helped us focus on education,” said Dibora Tsegaye, a student. She then concluded, “We are going to miss it dearly.”
By Fitalew Bahiru, Communications Specialist, World Vision Ethiopia