WHO WE ARE
We are a partnership of two agencies
In Ethiopia we are the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organisation, or JeCCDO. And in the UK we are Partners for Change Ethiopia, or PfC. We each have our own boards of trustees and submit audited accounts.
Together we have a proven track record of caring for the most vulnerable children over 35 years.
Partners for Change Ethiopia raises funds, makes grant applications, sets up links and relationships with Ethiopia, and provides consultancy services and support.
We are staffed by an executive group of mainly voluntary staff and a committed network of supporters.
JeCCDO sets up and manages projects in Ethiopia.
The head office is in Addis Ababa and there are four branch offices.
There are 150 salaried staff, all Ethiopian nationals, and they work with local communities across the country.
Each project area is staffed by a local development association, and a team of dedicated community volunteers.
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The staff team at the central office
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A Community Development Association - with our UK coordinator
Two community volunteers
This partnership gives us a special identity
Because we respond to the needs of local communities, are staffed and led by Ethiopians, we are rooted in the local society.
Because we also have a northern partner in PfC we can receive funding, skills and resources from the UK.
As a result, we are trusted by government and our communities as a truly Ethiopian agency, and we have gained the confidence of funders since we have the support of a UK office.
We also work with
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The Centre for Global Equality (CGE) in the UK. CGE have given us space in their office and work with us in many ways, including in developing joint research projects with UK universities.
The Barwaaqo Voluntary Agency are our partners in Hargeisa, Somaliland. They have set up a variety of projects, especially supporting women and girls.
HOW WE WORK
Ethiopia has a population of 112 million, the second largest in Africa.
Within this country of varied terrain, ethnic diversity with over 80 different language groups, and strategic significance at the meeting point of the Middle East and Africa, there are many needs.
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42 million people (39% of the population) live in absolute poverty, less than $1 a day
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31 million (28% population) are under the age of 10
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HIV/AIDS is on the increase with an estimated 0.7 million people
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there are 3.5 million refugees and displaced persons
Our approach is based on a simple principle
Members of the poor communities themselves are the people with the insights, determination, perseverance and responsibility to care for their own children and to improve their own situations.
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We are:
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Child-centred
We are and remain a childrens charity
Community-based
Our projects are planned, managed and staffed by local people
Integrated
We respond to all the needs of the community
Watch a film which shows how we work and some of those we work with
We work with community leaders by providing training, investment, networking, advice and support for a time limited period of five years.
After this, the community takes full ownership of the project.
We have now:
worked with
142
communities across the country
supported
325,000
orphans and vulnerable children
and improved the lives of
2.9 million
people