What is Project Blue ?
Help A Life Foundation was formed in 2007 with the goal of housing and educating adolescent orphaned girls and providing them with a secure and supportive environment.
We accept orphan girls from the ages of 14 -16 for 4 years of High School and continuing on for an additional 4 years of University. We have found the additional focus on University education has made a very big difference in the success of our project.
We currently house 48 girls in a newly purchased building and gifted for use to Help a Life Foundation by the Menbe’s Way Foundation. We have an additional 46 girls who have graduated from the group home in Debre Markos and are currently studying in Universities and Colleges throughout Ethiopia.
15 girls have graduated the Project Blue program and are employed in different parts of Ethiopia and have formed an Alumni program where they are focusing their free time on assisting young adolescent girls in rural areas not only by tutoring them but also through working with the schools headmasters on increasing education standards.
SELECTION PROCESS
Girls are selected from the surrounding villages with the collaborative effort of the local community leaders. UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death. Help a Life supports this criteria along with a grade average of 70% and higher in their selection process. Once selected, these girls are move from their villages to Debre Markos and move into the Project Blue group home.
There are 4-6 girls to a room with 2 study halls and one computer room. The girls go to the local public school during the day and are tutored in Math, Science, English and Computer studies by evening.
Much of the success of this project is due to Help a Life Foundation working directly with the local Government and businesses. All of the staff on Project Blue in Debre Markos are Ethiopian and decisions are made in tandem with the local Government officials.
