Local moms are reaching out to help their fellow women and children in Ethiopia., and they need your help.

Local moms are reaching out to help their fellow women and children in Ethiopia., and they need your help.

WOODSTOCK -- Empowering women and financially supporting children and education is the purpose behind Mothers With A Heart For Ethiopia.

Founder Shelley Green created the organization with two other mothers after returning from her trip to the country when she adopted her young daughter.

Green points out that the group is rapidly growing and is currently looking for volunteers.  "We provide support for education, women's empowerment, we have a group home with five boys and a group home mom, and we also provide support for children that are living on the streets.  So we have a number of projects and programs that people can support through the volunteering and it really is just the gammit of opportunities for people to get involved."

The organization has two main fundraising avenues; Gems & Java which is an annual event held in the spring and secondly, the sale of jewellery and scarves that are made by women in Ethiopia which not only gives these women an employment opportunity they otherwise may not have, but the funds generated through the sales is used to support the initiatives of Mothers With A Heart For Ethiopia.  "It's very gratifying and when I sat down with three of the women this past October to talk about their lives, the realities of their lives are just unbelievable and the poverty that they've lived through and the difference that the employment has made in their lives and their children's lives it just makes the difference of night and day for them.  So there's a lot of gratification in doing this kind of work because we know that we're making a profound difference in people's lives."

The organization held a Volunteer Appreciation Night November 14th where they revealed the new jewellery pieces, held an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony and Green shared stories from her recent trip to Ethiopia.  Current volunteers were encouraged to bring along a guest who may be interested in learning more about the organization or becoming a volunteer.

Green says they have a number of areas that they are currently looking for volunteers to assist in, including a Treasurer for their Board of Directors.

Source: http://www.1047.ca/news/local-news/moms-4-ethiopia1/