BTO Foundation Australia and BTO Ethiopia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 13, 2012 -- Beyond The Orphanage Foundation is an Australian Not for Profit development organisation which was set up to provide educational, vocational, social and emotional support to orphaned, destitute or disadvantaged children and young people in Ethiopia. The primary development project has been the establishment of a local not for profit agency known as BTOO to deliver a range of best practice support programs to the children and young people.

BTOO Ethiopia has an independent management board made up of four local professionals who are deeply committed to the project and the BTOO Project Manager. The Board, in consultation with the BTOF Board, decides on the organisational objectives, future strategy and the planning to implement the BTOF mission locally.
Beyond the Orphanage site Ethiopia

Additionally BTOO Ethiopia has a strong collaborative relationship with relevant local government agencies in their catchment area and the Kidane Mehret orphanage, all of which identify and refer eligible children to the project. and also with the who provide guidance and support.These links to the community are critical for the success of the organisation ensure that all of BTOO’s operations are culturally appropriate and responsive to the local context.and form part of our governance model reflected in our policies and practises.

The Management Board within BTO Ethiopia

Below is an overview of the structure of the board and a description of the roles and the people.

The management board is a local managerial structure to support BTO Ethiopia. They are responsible for setting direction and objectives for BTO Ethiopia. They are made up of a local group of volunteers.
Mr Markos Yohannes
BTOO Director – LLB, Law (Degree) Philosophy (Diploma), Globel Studies and International Relation (Degree)

Markos has been the director for BTOO since early 2010 and had been advising BTOO since 2009. Markos comes with a wealth of NGO experience and is personally very committed to work towards ensure the children of BTO have a bright future.

Mr Fita Tulu

Coordinator – Integrated Human Development, Peace and Justice (Diploma), Human Resource Management (Diploma)
Fita is the Project coordinator for BTOO. He also works with the Arch Diocesan of Addis Abba St Paul Prisioner Chaplin Council.

Ms Misrak Mekonnen

BTO Financial Manager – Accounting (Diploma)
Misrak is an accountant in an international company, ILRI.

Sr Martha Rafito

Medical Adviser for BTO – BSc, Nursing (Diploma)

Medical advisor for BTO. She is also a medical nurse working with the Niyana Children and Women’s Development Association.

Ms Tringo Fanta

Educational Department Coordinator – Physiology and Sociology (Degree)

Tringo is the Educational Department Coordinator for the BTOO. She is also on the Board of the BTO and works with Good Works Counselling and Social Service.

Mrs Medhanit Albejo

Administrator for BTOO – LLB, Business Administration (Diploma)

Medhanit is the Administrator for BTOO. Like Tringo she is also on the Board for the BTO and works with Good Works Counselling and Social Service.

Tadele school project

The importance of local partnerships was demonstrated in the recently completed Tadele School project in the Woredas region which is in a rural area of Ethiopia which is severely impacted by malaria and poverty. BTOF was approached by the Samaritan Foundation for the Destitute and Dying (SFDD), a local Not For Profit organisation for assistance to complete the construction of the school buildings begun by members of the community, to furnish them and provide the necessary books and equipment. Once BTOF became involved it was able to raise the necessary funds to complete the project. A grant of $3000 was provided by the Australian African Business Association and the remaining $12,000 came from BTOF.

Twelve classrooms were completed in 2010 using materials provided by funding from BTOF and what little the community could contribute, and labour provided by the local community. A key feature of the community participation was the multi-faith involvement of Ethiopian Orthodox, Christians and Muslims. The teachers for the school are provided by the government education service. Around 2,250 children will now be able to attend the Tadele school.
BTO is looking for more volunteers so we can achieve the objectives we have set.

Help can be provided in your area of expertise or you can take the opportunity to learn new skills from an experienced team.

If you want to improve the lives of orphaned children and are able to dedicate some time, volunteering for BTO may be for you.
Volunteering provides a deep sense of personal satisfaction

Claire helps BTO through contributing her proffesional knowledge and skills. Her contribution is greatly appreciated and she finds it very rewarding.

“Being a volunteer has now become part of my life and of who I am and I am sure has changed me as a person. It has also helped my children understand how privileged their lives are and start to think about helping others so I am hopeful that this is something I can pass down to them. I would encourage others to volunteer as you gain more than you give.”

“I kind of fell into volunteering but it has made a very positive impact on my life. I started off informally providing suggestions about communication, organisational structure and HR practices, based on my previous experience and skills, but found it very exciting and motivating to see that what I came up with was valued and worthwhile. I work in a professional organisation where although I am appreciated, my skills are certainly not unique.

However, as a volunteer I was able to make more of a difference and it feels great to put something back into the world rather than working purely for financial gain. I have found that providing support and help on something which I am very familiar with and which is very simple to me is very valuable to other organisations that do not have anyone with these skills. Previously I thought the only way to help charities was to donate money as I never imagined my business skills would be useful.

It is a wonderful feeling to think that some small contribution I make in Australia can have a long lasting impact to the lives of others in Ethiopia. The fact that the work is focused on helping children strengthens the motivation as I have three young children of my own and cannot imagine them having to battle for survival every day. I used to think that trying to help was hopeless given the size of the problem but now I realise that if something I do helps to change the life of just one child then that has got to be a positive thing.”

Meet the Beyond the Orphanage Team
Visit the Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/beyondtheorphanage

Eisenzahnstr. 14 10709 Berlin
Tel: +49 (30) 6098520-54

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