A Glimmer of Hope

A Glimmer of Hope: Fighting Poverty in Rural Ethiopia

Glimmer is fighting poverty in rural Ethiopia with a holistic approach to change. Their projects create a network of resilience that holds up thriving communities and empowers women and girls as leaders. Glimmer applies 100% of donations directly to projects in rural Ethiopia—creating a high return on every dollar invested. With over 20 years on the ground, Glimmer has completed 10,000 projects and impacted the lives of 5 million people in rural Ethiopia.

Our first project with A Glimmer of Hope was to fund a well as part of their program in the Villages of Gondar, a rural area in the Amhara region of northwest Ethiopia. It serves 249 people in the region with much-needed access to safe, clean drinking water. Access to safe drinking water is a huge challenge for the people of Ethiopia, particularly in rural areas like Gondar. According to water.org, 61 million Ethiopians lack access to safe drinking water. As a result, women and children walk for hours a day to collect water for their families. Water that is often contaminated and risks spreading disease to their families and livestock. Our well with Glimmer, ‘Charlie’s Watering Hole,’ helps to break this terrible cycle for the people of Gondar. 

Our 2022 three-year Partnership Grant will support Glimmer’s projects in the villages of Debub Sodo, a rural area in southern Ethiopia. Families in Debub Sodo face tremendous challenges, including drought, food scarcity, under-resourced and dilapidated schools, and access to clean water and quality healthcare. The plan targets 12,177 families in the region, offering microloans and financial literacy training to help families grow household income and savings; school construction to help children have a safe, suitable place to learn; health and hygiene education so that families can stay healthy and girls are able to attend school past adolescence; and regenerative agriculture that will help the community to adopt sustainable farming practices to reduce food insecurity and support the local economy.