Ethiopia fell under communist rule from 1974 to 1992, with civil war and famine tearing the country apart. Abraham Fiseha and Tekle Gebreselassie were two Ethiopian friends who lived in the U.S. and Canada while working for faith-based humanitarian organizations that helped the poor globally.

After the fall of communism in 1991, Abraham felt called to return to his native land and returned with his wife Salem in 1993. Tekle did the same and as both adjusted back to life in their native land, they felt a burden to help the youth of the country.

2 Timothy 2:2 became a guide to them:

“You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.”

This verse served as their motivation to establish a mentoring ministry.

Abraham Fiseha

In 2001, these two friends, Abraham and Tekle, found twelve men and women with a similar vision for mentorship, and the group gave themselves to prayer, Bible study, and life together for one year in order to seek out the next steps and dream up possibilities. At the end of the year, some left with another ministry in their hearts. Some, led by Abraham, Salem, and Tekle, remained in Addis Ababa to start Youth Impact, a ministry for destitute youth and children.

In 2003, Youth Impact was legally established with the Ethiopian government as a development initiative aimed at supporting orphans and street children. In 2009, Youth Impact was re-registered as an Ethiopian charity association committed to addressing the ‘real need’ of knowing God and experiencing His love in life for poor children and youth by serving their ‘felt-needs’ through economic, social, and emotional burdens. A holistic approach to ministry emerged.

The mentorship program was centered around three homes where life-on-life discipleship existed for a group of girls and a group of boys, along with the classes of street boys that moved up through the program. Over a period of 10 years, over 110 children and youth were given character education, spiritual training, and educational tutoring, all while basic needs of food and shelter were provided. As time passed, Tekle eventually followed the call to begin another ministry while remaining a supportive friend to Youth Impact. Abraham remained full-time with the program until he retired in 2020. He is now serving as the founder and advisor to the program.