Why does Ethiopian Impact serve Ethiopia? 54.4 million children under the age of 15 reside in Ethiopia, which is almost half of the country’s population. With such a massive number of young people, and older generations dying out early, Abraham Fiseha and his team felt a strong call to provide guidance and mentorship to a generation without it.

Ethiopia also remains one of the poorest countries in the world, due in large part to its rapid population growth and the lack of jobs. The result is droves of youths coming to cities in search of work and success, but ending up on the street, unable to find a job or pay for education. Some aid agencies estimate that more than 150,000 children live on the streets in Ethiopian cities, with 69,000 in Addis Ababa alone.

Angela is the co-founder of Wilderness Road Hospitality, which includes Kentucky Soaps & Such, The Stanford Inn at Wilderness Road, the Bluebird restaurant and Esther’s Wellhouse. She is also the author of three fictional books set in Kentucky and Italy. In addition to Ethiopian Impact, she serves on the River Foundation board.

As a Danville, Kentucky native, Amy has raised three amazing children with her husband, Hugh Gates, while serving on a variety of boards and volunteer organizations within her community and church. Amy fell in love with Ethiopia and the Youth Impact ministry during her first visit to Ethiopia. Amy is one of the founding members of the Ethiopian Impact board.

Brett Johnson serves as a founding board member and Treasurer of Ethiopian Impact. His love for Ethiopia and her people began in college as a participant in the University of Kentucky Athletic Department’s annual Ethiopian Vision Trip. Raising awareness and support for those individuals he met while in Ethiopia resulted in meeting more like-minded individuals, eventually leading to the creation of Ethiopian Impact in 2017. Brett lives in Colorado with his wife, Logan.

Terri Richer lives in southern Maine, and is an administrative assistant for the family construction business. She also serves as the Global Outreach Coordinator at Curtis Lake Church. After years of involvement with work in Ethiopia through her church, Terri knew the invitation came in God’s timing and joined the board of Ethiopian Impact in 2018. Terri enjoys learning Amharic, traveling, reading, and spending time with her two grandsons, Camden and Cooper.

To date, hundreds of children have been supported by Ethiopian Impact – establishing relationships with Jesus, receiving basic physical needs and education, and learning how to serve others. Many of these children grow up and return to help the current students in the program by mentoring and growing the community. Many graduates are now business, ministry, and community leaders leading productive lives in Ethiopia. They consider each other family and gather together regularly to celebrate and support each other.