Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Selamta Family Project

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Selamta Family Project develops Forever Families and Bright Futures for orphaned children, marginalized women and families at-risk of breaking apart in Ethiopia. The organization unites orphaned children and marginalized women to new families, "Forever Families". It also comes alongside families at-risk of breaking apart to strengthen them through its Outreach Program. As the Selamta families grow together they receive educational, psychological, social, and developmental support as a part of our mission to provide Bright Futures. For more information: Selamta's website

Contents

Here's how the Selamta Model works:

  • Forever Families are made up of a dedicated "Mother", 8-10 children, and a supportive "Auntie"
  • Forever Families are integrated into the neighborhood to reduce orphan stigma
  • Siblings are reunited; biological children remain with their mother
  • No child "ages out" at 18; independence is determined by readiness, employment and self-sufficiency, not birthday
  • Education and developmental resources are customized to each child's needs
  • Mothers are empowered through parenting and life skills workshops

    • Selamta's Model Video

    Key partners

  • She's The First
  • AmazonSmile
  • GuideStar
  • The Archibald Project
  • *Ethiopian Government
  • *Ethiopian Embassy
  • UniversalGiving

    • Into Abyssinia

    A documentary "set around the Human Capital Foundation's first humanitarian visit to Ethiopia and the inception of the Selamta project, focuses on four volunteers each with their own unique story as they travel in to the heart of the AIDS orphan crisis in Ethiopia." This film later became an Official Selection for the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival under the African/African American, Georgia Films, Human Rights, and World Showcase categories.

    An Unlikely Family

    A book written by two Dartmouth students and published by "Anemone Publishing Co. is a collection of first-person stories about the lives of various kids in Selamta. "The book features quotations from interviews with children and ambassadors involved with the project." "The project aims not only at delivering these children's message to readers but also to sustain the children's lives. The proceeds from each book purchased will feed a child in Ethiopia for a month."

    Selamta Comfort Doll Project

    "Mia Brown, a Neighbor to Neighbor AmeriCorps member at Champlain Valley Agency on Aging (CVAA), designed the Selamta Comfort Doll Project after spending over six months at the Selamta Children’s Home in Ethiopia." Elders from CVAA "created dolls that were dark-skinned to look like the children." These dolls were sent "to children in Ethiopia that have lost their parents most likely due to AIDS and are now part of the Selamta Children’s Home Project." "Over 225 dolls were created."

    Children of Selamta

    A 2009 Student Project by Hampshire College Student Jessica Marie Chapman. "For two months Chapman lived at an orphanage in Addis Ababba run by the Selamta Family Project." "Nearly every day of her visit included an art class" with the children. Upon her return "she had 21 linoleum blocks, with which she created prints for" an exhibition "of artwork created by a group of those orphans during her stay in the country." The exhibit made appearances at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Dartmouth College, Latham Memorial Library, and Hampshire College with the intent that "wherever the exhibit goes, it will bring donations to Selamta."

    References

    Selamta Family Project Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA