In early 2012, Discovering Light began a small business development effort in Kalo village, loaning 9 young men funds to purchase a post-harvest thresher. 3 business teams (3 men per machine) were arranged with guidance from the local kebele, or village leadership council. The thresher was equipped with a donkey cart allowing owners to move house to house threshing grain stored following the harvest. This service typically…

The ultimate source of abundant life is trusting Jesus for eternal life and following him daily. We’ve partnered with some wonderful Christian leaders in Ethiopia for the last three years. All of them have a passion for helping people pursue a relationship with God. We’ve worked with them for some time designing a strategy to support their efforts to share this message in Arsi Oromo…

A few weeks back I (Champ Rhodes) visited Ethiopia to connect with our on-the-ground partners and explore new opportunities for advancing our vision. One of the highlights was a day trip out to the Bale Zone to see what the area was like and discover how God was working in this region. While we are committed to the Saving Group (Self-Help Group) Program in West…

In April, we were introduced to a Savings Group (or Self Help Group) in the Arsi Negele village of Adje. Several of the all-women group graciously shared their story with us. The name they gave their group was “Blessed”. Their demeanor varied from the obvious vocal leader and the quietly confident. Their strength and visible hopefulness did not vary. Faces lit up one by one…

Stone Age farming + @Nike kicks. This young man is a hard worker and has a story to tell. #Ethiopia

This is the final post on whether “there are too many of us” non-profits working in developing countries. We believe there are definitely not too many of us, and while we are small, lightweight organizations, we can use our size to accomplish great good, despite our mistakes. Here are 10 ways we can use our size to our advantage, or hopefully to the advantage of…

Here’s a fabulous perspective from Noah Wardrip, who recently joined us in West Arsi. If you haven’t seen some of the photos he captured during the trip, check them out here. I’ve been back from Ethiopia for a little over a month now. I continually look back on the trip with much gratitude for the opportunity to go and the opportunity to see and understand…

Earlier this week, we asked if there are too many non-profit organizations attempting to address poverty, injustice and development issues around the world. We asked whether the influx of small outfits, is exacerbating some of the problems arising from decades-long aid efforts by large organizations and governments in North America and Europe. In the last 10-15 years, these have been joined in their efforts by…

For the last 10 years there’s been a steady increase of stories, books, speakers, and organizations describing how a half-century of well-intended foreign aid has caused a significantly adverse impact on countries in developing world. Ironically, advances in media and travel technology have converged with an explosion of interest in addressing the poverty and injustice that characterize many of these countries. A cultural phenomenon of international…

When asked to reflect on what he thought about his first trip to Ethiopia and personal experience with our partners and initiatives, Noah Wardrip commented, “I didn’t realize there’d be so many long meetings in poorly lit rooms.” His comment wasn’t about the rationing of electricity in the developing world but the unexpected series of confabs that took place during this so-called ‘mission trip’.  Noah…