Our History

Ethiopia has been severely impacted by mainly manmade disasters caused by conflicts and political problems that created millions of internally displaced citizens and thousands of orphans. Many of the displaced do not have food to eat, clothes to wear or shelters to live in. Schools and healthcare systems have been devastated. These problems have been on the minds of almost every Ethiopian that a group of us at Microsoft came together to find ways of supporting the impacted in June 2022. 

Our story begins after a fundraising event at St. Michael church during the annual celebration of St. Michael in June 2022 by the archbishop who came from Ethiopia's Northern region affected by civil war, played a vital role in managing resources during the crisis, providing aid to thousands of displaced people regardless of their religion or ethnicity. The emotional impact of witnessing the suffering and desperation of those affected led to the church raising over $100,000.

The situation in Ethiopia continued to worsen, with news of a mass massacre in the Western region, where innocent people including women and children lost their lives due to ethnic conflict. One of our Board of Directors feels overwhelmed and hopeless about such senseless violence and have shared a heart-wrenching story with their manager. Touched by the story, the manager donates $10,000 to support the cause. This act inspires them to rally their fellow Ethiopians at Microsoft to create awareness and provide assistance to those suffering in their homeland.

The aim is to help displaced families and innocent people affected by the crisis. The hope is that their efforts will inspire others to join in the cause and make a positive impact in Ethiopia. As a result, we have used the October giving campaign at Microsoft to raise funds through a Non-profit called Unite For Children and reach out to the displaced people in Ethiopia.

In 2023, we have established our own Non-profit organization called Unite For Ethiopia with the sole purpose of contributing our support to those that get impacted by the prevailing conditions in Ethiopia as well as creating awareness about the issue so that others do the same. Unite for Ethiopia have 7 board of directors with the following roles and open to volunteers.

• Board Chair or Board President - Oversees the board’s work.

• Vice-Chair or Vice President – Supports the Chair and stands in for Chair.

• Secretary – Schedule and maintain meetings and minutes, monitor legal compliance with the organizations’ bylaws and other matters and overlook all operational committee leads.

• Treasurer - Managing the budget and overlooking all financial related items and accounting teams.

• Committee leads/Directors

• Country lead for Ethiopia – Overlooks relationship with receiving organizations in Ethiopia.

• External Connections lead – Responsible for growing and maintaining relationships with supporting organizations.

• Communications lead/PR – Responsible for all social media comms, newsletter, website updates, etc.

• Event Organization Lead/ Membership Lead – Responsible for events and growing and maintaining membership.

The mission of Unite for Ethiopia is to assist families affected by political unrest, civil war, and natural disasters in Ethiopia by promoting rehabilitation and restoration. Our primary objective is to support individuals and families in distress, serving as a lifeline for victims of these tragic events. Through emergency relief efforts, we provide essential supplies like food, clothing, and medicines to those in need. Moreover, we aim to empower families by facilitating technology transfer and sharing valuable skills, helping them build a brighter and more hopeful future.

 All the great Microsoft Employees and others came together to help.