SOS Enfants Ethiopie
has now been around over 20 years. It is, per the number of its projects and by the large number of children it helps, the largest private facility in Ethiopia to support orphaned or abandoned children. It is an international NGO led by the collective members of Les Enfants du Toukoul - SOSEE groups together French, Belgian, and American associations as well as private donors.
The activities of this important NGO are coordinated by the founder, Yves Ferez, who is assisted by many Ethiopian officials who run the various projects of the organization in Ethiopia, particularly Mr. Workeneh Abebe who oversees all projects. The representation of the NGO SOSEE with Ethiopian regulators is provided by Mr. Adouseged Belay. We can say that SOSEE is aptly named an international NGO, as it works in Ethiopia, but it requires the involvement of various participants around the world, as the budget of SOSEE consists exclusively of contributions and private donations.
Mr Ferez, co-fondator and vice-president of SOSEEWho are the founders ?
SOSEE was been created by a French couple, Jacqueline and Yves Ferez, who came to Ethiopia in 1983 to represent an engineering consulting firm in ... and to lead a team of experts in charge of overseeing a project to supply drinking water in Addis Ababa. In 1985, faced with the reality of the terrible famine that struck Ethiopia and which then caused more than 1 million victims, they decided to help a small Ethiopian orphanage run by Sister Mary Joseph's: the orphanage of Kedhane Meheret. They quickly welcomed into their home sick babies entrusted to them and hired baby-sitters, a nurse, and a part-time pediatrician ... In 1989, with the help of French associations and donors, they decided to create the organization of SOSEE in order to assist and support orphaned or abandoned children.
How did the organization evolve ?
In 1989, with minimum human and material resources, SOSEE has been created as an Ethiopian organization in order to obtain land to build the first buildings that would then form the orphanage of "Toukoul" in Addis Ababa. Since 2009, according to Ethiopian law, SOSEE is no longer an NGO, but a foreign charity because its budget comes from sources outside of Ethiopia.
What is the philosophy of SOS Enfants Ethiopie ?
SOSEE has two main objectives. First, this organization wants to provide assistance to vulnerable children. Then, it will play a major role in the fight against poverty in Ethiopia. In a very poor country, children are generally silent victims. It is therefore necessary to take action to reduce child poverty and improve their daily lives. For example, the sponsorship program by SOSEE allows financial and material assistance to sponsored children and their families. The current director of SOSEE, Mr. Workeneh Abebe speaks philosophically its mission: "I love my job because it is facing a real challenge. To save children in trouble and to improve their living conditions is essential. Moreover, it is a work in the social field that requires working with several people in a single purpose: to benefit the children in proper development and education so they can become responsible adults, and fight against the first deprivation factor, poverty. Then I think openness towards international chatity is a good thing because it mobilizes the financial resources necessary to carry out any major action. "
What changes can we see ?
In 2011, we can expect to see that SOSEE will now be the largest private organization in Ethiopia, giving assistance to over 2,800 children permanently.