Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future)
Since 2015, Emmanuel Development Association (EDA), with the support of Menschen für Menschen (MfM) Switzerland, has been implementing the Biruh Tesfa — meaning “Bright Future” — Community-Based Child Sponsorship Project in Debre Berhan City Administration, covering all 20 urban kebeles. The project takes a holistic, child- and family-centered approach, delivering integrated support across education, health and nutrition, shelter, livelihoods, and youth empowerment. During the current reporting year, the project directly supported 1,800 sponsored children, 978 families, and 100 youth, while indirectly benefiting hundreds of thousands of community members across the city.
Key Activities & Deliverables
- Distribution of school uniforms and materials to over 1,600 children
- Strengthening of 10 girls’ clubs
- Enrollment of 400 households in community health insurance
- Provision of psychosocial support for 150 adolescent girls
- Establishment of 39 Self-Help Groups, with ETB 5.7 million circulated in loans to 710 members
- Delivery of entrepreneurship training and seed funding to 35 youth
- Delivery of 16 completed social housing units to vulnerable families, with 64 more under construction—reflecting EDA’s commitment to dignified living conditions and long-term community resilience
