Helmsley Charitable Trust grant makes major impact in Ethiopia

Highlights

  • Nearly 50,000 people in Northern Ethiopia assisted
  • Previously, flooding would cause major food insecurity and health challenges
Ansha plays with her 10-year-old daughter, Maida. Ansha received emergency food from World Vision during Ethiopia’s infamous 1984 famine, and today, she is the mother of four healthy children. PHOTO: Alexander Whittle / World Vision
Ansha plays with her 10-year-old daughter, Maida. Ansha received emergency food from World Vision during Ethiopia’s infamous 1984 famine, and today, she is the mother of four healthy children. PHOTO: Alexander Whittle / World Vision

SEATTLE (May 15, 2017) — Thanks to a grant of more than $2.8 million from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, vulnerable communities in Ethiopia are protected from flooding and have boosted their economic opportunity.

The grant to World Vision funded a multi-year project to protect Ethiopian communities from annual flooding that is destroying their opportunities for economic success.

In the Libo Kemkem and Chilga districts in Northern Ethiopia, flooding during the annual rainy season typically results in people being displaced, damage to crops, and loss of cattle – creating significant food insecurity and health challenges in communities that are already vulnerable.

With Helmsley’s support, World Vision has been able to undertake a number of flood mitigation measures, including construction and repair of dikes and dredging silt from the Rib River.

World Vision also built a bridge crossing the Rib River that enables community members to safely cross and access markets and other resources. Previously, the communities were isolated following floods.

In addition to funding the critical infrastructure needs in the Libo Kemkem and Chilga districts, Helmsley also supported World Vision interventions in water, sanitation and hygiene, health, food security, education, and economic empowerment.

The gift came from Helmsley’s Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Program.  “We commend the Helmsley Charitable Trust for calling attention to the needs of vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan Africa and providing strategic financial support to address those needs,” said Paul Carey, World Vision Senior Director of Foundation Development.

Overall, more than 49,000 community members in Ethiopia have directly benefited through World Vision’s work funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective organizations in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning its active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $1.8 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Program, which began in 2013, invests in evidence-based interventions that provide at-risk children with greater access to education, improved food and nutrition, and clean water and sanitation. The program’s initial grantmaking efforts have supported initiatives in Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Angola, and Ethiopia. For more information on Helmsley and its programs, please visit helmsleytrust.org.

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.