Project Deborah

 Project Deborah seeks to help very needy individual Ethiopian families (and some poor Israeli families) with food, school bills, utility bills, household items such as cookers, fridges, beds etc.   But the hope is to enable them to become independent and self supportive.  The project is very much involved in helping Ethiopians to obtain an income, preferably one that adequately covers the expenses of the household.

One of these projects in which Project Deborah is involved is Ethiopian hand crafts. Many of the older Ethiopians were sitting around doing nothing and becoming very depressed and ill. Several months ago four of these men folk asked if they could start sewing and making hand crafts.

The Lord wonderfully provided the money for them to buy the materials in order to get started. Now there are almost 40 men and women making the hand crafts and we have been able to sell many of their items. This has brought them much pleasure and has completely changed their outlook on life.

They are now doing something constructive and enjoying sitting together and chatting while they work. Several have said their blood pressure has gone down and even their diabetes has improved.

It is wonderful to see smiles on the faces that were previously looking so sad. We hope to be able to encourage them in this work as it so clearly has brought happiness and better health to them and made their lives more meaningful. The aim now is to try to make it into a business for them.

There is another project which will hopefully start next month to empower younger Ethiopians to get work and thus join the Israeli work force and be able to support their families.