Project Mercy, Inc., is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit relief and development agency that promotes education, health care, and other holistic community development projects to create economically independent communities with high ethical and social values.

Summer Literacy Program

Thanks to support by Johnson & Johson, over 285 of our students spent the summer teaching basic reading and math skills, HIV/AIDS awareness, and improved agricultural practices to the surrounding community.

Agriculture Program

In the coming months, Project Mercy and ECHO will distribute fruit trees and drip irrigation systems to nearly 1200 local farmers.

Hope Bracelet Project

Thanks to the donations and support of prominent glass bead artists in the United States, Yetebon women and students have been trained in the fine art of jewelry design. The beautiful bracelets they produce are sold in the USA.

School Meal Program

Project Mercy provides each of our students two nourishing meals per day. Due to the poverty in the area, these could be the only meal the students receives all day.

Recreation Time!

The students at our Medhane-Alem School have the opportunity to play basketball, soccer, tag, jump rope, and to enjoy the delights of a swing set!

Glenn C. Olsen Hospital

We provide over 70,00 Yetebon community residents access to quality healthcare through our Glenn C. Olsen Primary General Hospital

HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center

Our hospital offers voluntary HIV/AIDS testing, virus information, and counseling

Health Education Classes

Free health education classes are offered at our hospital and at outreach sites around the community, covering such topics as personal hygiene, HIV/AIDS, environmental health, and disease control.

Women’s Skill Enhancement Program

Project Mercy trains women in a variety of marketable skills such as cotton spinning, basket weaving, embroidery, and jewelry making. The revenue from the products supports the women and their families.

Men’s Skill Enhancement

We train local men in trades such as metal fabrication, carpentry, and masonry. These men have constructed 80 percent of the structures at Yetebon.

Dairy Cattle Breeding

In order to combat malnutrition, we crossbreed more productive dairy heifers to increase milk availability in the Yetebon area.

HIV/AIDS Orphan Institute

Project Mercy currently cares for 30 children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. We are designing a holistic childcare program to accommodate the growing demand for orphan care in Ethiopia.

Medhane-Alem School

Project Mercy eduates 1360+ students in our K-11th grade school.  We believe that education will empower them to be leaders of their generation.

All-Season Road Construction

In order to provide year-round access to Yetebon, we constructed miles of all-season roads.

Clean Water

Project Mercy pumps clean water from a spring into the Yetebon Compound.  We also installed spigots around the community for better water access.

 

    
          
Education
Education is empowering, not only to a person, but to a community and, ultimately, to a country. 
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Students in Class
 

Medhane-Alem School

The very first day of school for the Yetebon community began in 1996 with 300 kindergarten students.  Never in its history did this region have the means for education of any kind; therefore, it was necessary to develop the school from the kindergarten level.  Now, for the 2007/2008 school year, there are nearly 1,500 students in the K-12th grade—with  over 1,500 children still seeking admittance!  Due to the large number of children who need education and our limited resources, “lots” are drawn at the beginning of each school year to select an additional 200 children to begin their education.  The majority of children eagerly await this time, hoping that this may be the year that they will be selected.

 

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Medhane-Alem School Library

The curriculum of the Medhane-Alem school not only includes academic subjects but it also includes courses in sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition.  In addition to the excellent academic training, students also receive basic medical care, and an opportunity for a bi-weekly shower, and two nourishing meals a day.  With no means of transportation, all of the children walk to school; some, nearly two hours, each way! 

The national test scores are a testament to the excellent academics, bright students, and wonderful teaching staff at Medhane-Alem School.  For the 2006/2007 school year, sixty-four 8th graders and fifty-four 10th graders took the test.  In years past, many of our students scored in the top percentile—one student even scored 100 percent! We are excited to see the results of the test taken this past May, 2007.

 


Summer Literacy Program

Through the Summer Literacy Program, we continue to encourage our youth to take a leading role in health education and the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Thanks to the support of the Johnson & Johnson, a large number of our students have spent their summer vacations traveling to the surrounding communities to teach literacy, as well as, HIV/AIDS awareness, sanitation, public health, and methods to improve nutrition. Through the efforts of these dedicated students, rural farmers and their families learn about HIV/AIDS prevention and methods to improve sanitation and hygiene.  In addition, our students teach basic reading and arithmetic skills through this program.  By providing the people with basic literacy capabilities, we empower them to seek further sources of information about their health and more ways to reduce their families’ exposure to disease.  Not including this past summer's total, to date, 3,955 adults have received literacy training from many of our students.  

 

 


School Meal Program

The School Meal Program is an integral part of our effort to educate the youth of the Yetebon community.  Though the program, each student is provided with two, nourishing meals per day.  Due to the poverty in the Yetebon area, many children do not receive the vital vitamins, minerals, and protein needed for healthy development. The typical children’s meal at a home in the area consists of a small handful of hard peas or garbanzo beans.  Thus, the school meals are the main source of nourishment for most children;  for others, it may be the only meals they will receive that day. 


The School Meal Program began in 1999, when the effects of the regional drought on the students became evident.  After a seven-week vacation, many of the students had lost a considerable amount of weight and nearly half of the students were suffering from severe malnutrition.  It was at this time atmit began to be served every morning in conjunction with a nourishing afternoon meal.  The results of the well-fed students were definitely noticeable.  They were sick on fewer occasions and the teachers noticed improved comprehension.  Shortly after the program began, the School Headmaster reported, “The students’ school work has greatly improved, as well as their overall health.  The amount of sickness we once saw in the classrooms is steadily declining.”


A great deal of the food used for the School Meal Program is grown in the demonstration garden area.  Parents of the students are required to give of their time to plow, seed, and harvest the crops as a contribution for their child’s schooling. 

 

 

Recreation

A Time to Learn…and a Time to Play!


The Medhane-Alem School has offered all of our students the opportunity to learn basketball, soccer, tag, jump rope, and the delights of a swing set. Recess and extra-curricular activities provide a time for the children play and a time to grow.
 
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