Why Ethiopia? By Donna Berber

Last week, the United Nations released its annual Human Development Index report and out of 182 ranked countries, Ethiopia came in at No. 171.

The statistics make for some grim reading. For example:

Average Life Expectancy at birth: 54 years (vs. 79 years in the US)

Average GDP per capita: $779 (vs. $45,592 in the US)

Adult Literacy Rate (age 15+): 35%

For me, the report reaffirmed one of my standard answers to the “Why Ethiopia?” question I am often asked, that “Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the World and they need all the help they can get.”

At first, after reading the report, I felt satisfied that I was continuing to give people accurate and up-to-date information about the country where A Glimmer of Hope carries out its work.

Then it dawned on me, when someone asks me “Why Ethiopia?” aren’t they really inquiring about why they should care about Ethiopia, why anyone should care?

When compared against the 23 countries in the UN’s Low Human Development category, Ethiopia’s numbers are only fractions better or worse than the others. So why should someone care more about impoverished people in Ethiopia than those in say, the Congo or Malawi?

The answer to that question, of course, is that they shouldn’t. Extreme poverty is a worldwide human rights issue and no right-minded person wants any of their human brothers and sisters, through no fault of their own, to have to live like that.

But, the reason why they should join the fight against Global Poverty in Ethiopia is quite simple … A Glimmer of Hope.

Ambassador Tibor Nagy, a senior US diplomat, has called our integrated model the “silver bullet for Africa.” Ambassador Nagy spent over 23 years in the Foreign Service in Africa including two stints as ambassador.

For one thing, our decision to focus solely on Ethiopia – and to go really deep within that one country – is a key difference between A Glimmer of Hope and many other organizations as it allows for a far greater level of impact.

By taking our unique approach and adapting it specifically to the needs and wants of the Ethiopian people, money is never spent on projects or programs that aren’t wanted or needed or are otherwise impractical.

The Ethiopian people are another key ingredient in our recipe for success. Their engagement, the way they commit to improving and shaping their own futures … all of it done with such incredible grace and humility.

Our team in Addis Ababa adds another critical layer of efficiency by ensuring all of the money gets to where it is most needed and that each dollar is stretched as far as it’ll go. This team also plays a vital role in monitoring the success of our efforts through inspections, poring over quarterly reports from every partner and by gathering photographs, videos and GPS coordinates of every project we do. We do this so we can be accountable to our donors as well as to the people we serve.

Last but not least is our unique promise to deliver 100% of every donation to the projects. When my husband Philip and I were starting A Glimmer of Hope, we wanted all of our money to have an impact but we also wanted others to have the same opportunity.

That is why we continue to use our endowment to cover all of A Glimmer of Hope’s operating expenses and to cover any costs associated with getting donor funds to our projects in Ethiopia. We take this promise to the extreme. For example, if you donate $100 online and the bank charges $2.50 for the transaction, we put that $2.50 back in so all of your $100 will get to a project on the ground.

With all of that said, I’d like to leave you with this interesting thought:

In 2004, the terrible Indian Ocean tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people …

Ethiopia loses about that many children to diarrhea every year.


Have a real impact.

Lend us your support.

Donna Berber