From 1983-85, Ethiopia was devastated by war and famine. It was a time which captured global attention with the emergence of Live Aid, highlighting the profound suffering endured by the Ethiopian people.
During this challenging time, Colin Battell, who was the chaplain of St Matthews Anglican Church in Addis Ababa, set up a project working with the Jerusalem Memorial Association, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They committed themselves to care for 1,000 children who had been orphaned by the conflict. Together they established five orphanages, providing these vulnerable children with safe havens and nurturing environments.
A legacy of compassion and positive change
Since those early days, our organisation has grown and changed. A key moment came when the children grew to become adult. There was a full and honest evaluation of its work. This showed that however good the care in the orphanage, its always better for a child to stay in their home community. This led to a radical change. Each child was supported in finding a job and home, usually in the area they came from. Then the orphanages were developed into centres providing training and support to local communities to enable them to care for all the children in the community.
From then on, there have been a constant flow of new ideas and initiatives. Urban agriculture – women’s self help groups – school tutorial projects – care for people with HIV/Aids. It was an integrated programme. That means that the charity aimed to respond to all the needs and hopes of each local community. So it provided effective responses to the many needs, challenges and hopes of the people it served.
Along the way, we changed our names to show what we actually did. The Jerusalem Association Children’s Homes became the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organisation. The St Matthews Children’s Fund became Partners for Change Ethiopia.
Through all these transformations, our unwavering commitment to the children of Ethiopia has remained steadfast. Over the years, we have supported well over 300,000 children and approximately 3 million disadvantaged individuals.
Join us in our continuing mission to make a real and sustainable difference in the lives of the Ethiopian children and communities we serve. Your support contributes to a legacy of compassion and positive change.