Stichting Bichiok Foundation
The state of Gambella is located in southwest Ethiopia bordering South Sudan. In the year 2002 it had total population of 228,000 of whom 90,517 are Nuer, 62,586 Anyua 13,133 Majanger, the exact population of the Komo and Opo could not be accounted for. The remaining 61,766 belong to non-indigenous settlers from all over Ethiopia.
Since the formation of the state of Gambella, outstanding issues of good governance and economic development lagged behind.
Values for reported common indicators of the standard of living for Gambela as of 2005 included the following: 44% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 57.5% and for women 22.8%; and the regional infant mortality rate is 92 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is greater than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life.
The founders of Stichting Bichiok Foundation aim to improve the lives of Gambella residents through five key intervention areas, namely, health care, education, food security and livelihoods, provision of water and sanitation and Child Protection and Orphanage.
Programs
Intervention Measures
Healthcare
Stichting Bichiok Foundation will build a memorial clinic in Gier. It will provide refresher training to community health professionals while liaising with partner organizations to provide essential medicine. Hygiene education will be conducted in schools including regular demonstrations on handwashing practices with soap or alternatives. Soap will be supplied in schools and positioned at hand washing facilities to enable learners always wash their hands before meals. Cholera messaging will be factored at all activities to raise awareness with the school community.
Education
The Foundation will support the District Education office through joint monitoring of school activities and monthly campaigns to ensure that enrolled children, especially female, are closely monitored and minimize drop outs. The foundation will increase the number of schools in the village of Gier, conduct refresher courses for teachers and promote enrollment in Technical, Vocational Training colleges.
Food Security and Livelihood
The Foundation will enable farmers to grow and produce local food to overcome the food crisis. It will provide agricultural implements and tools that can be used in the cultivation process, train farmers in modern farming methods and new technology. Preferred variety of seeds will be provided to the community to produce maximum yields for effort.
Child Protection and Orphanage
Stichting Bichiok Foundation plans to respond to Child Protection by comprehensive case management that includes identification unaccompanied and separated children, documentation and performance of family tracing and reunification (FTR) services, provision of critical protection concerns such as prevention of child marriages, release of children involved in armed forces and armed groups and prevention of sexual violence. For this, the Foundation will organize a special fundraiser for Child Protection. The Children will be able to share their history for the sake of family tracing and reunification and possible adoption as a last resort. It will also consider building an orphanage. Case workers and Child Protection Staff from the community will provide immediate response to child protection concerns such as community based Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) for children and their caregivers and CP coordination, based on age and gender.
Water and sanitation and Hygiene
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, or WASH, principally involves construction and rehabilitation of latrines, hygiene promotion and provision of clean water through the construction or rehabilitation of boreholes, shallow wells, water pipelines and collection points. It will build toilet and latrines to improve sanitary facilities and promote good hygiene through health education and equip the community with water protection messaging. At the same time, it will coordinate with Water and Mines Resources Bureau of Gambella to drill boreholes and invest in rainwater harvesting system to collect and store rainwater.
- Provide leadership training to all categories and to practice evangelism targeting youth, children, women and men
- Discipleship training
- Leadership training
- Premarital and marital training
- Pastoral ministries
- The key program intervention will be to construct a church with the capacity of holding a congregation of 4,000 people, with a targeted population of youth, children, women and men