About us
Those Who We Serve
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” -Psalm 68:5
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7
Elevate Orphan is a ministry serving both the Orphans and the Widows.
It is entirely managed by Ethiopians for Ethiopians!
Who Do We Serve?
The Orphans
- Children adopted into our single-family homes from the Government Orphanages in Addis Ababa
- The prospects for those children that remain in these Government Orphanages are very bleak. Sexual abuse, prostitution, drug addiction and extreme poverty is the normal future for these children who remain in the System.
- The children originate from all parts of Ethiopia and their age at adoption averages between 4-7 years. Most of these children have early childhood trauma due to the circumstances that made them orphans.
The Widows
- Female widows are recruited as the ‘mothers’ and ‘aunties’ of each Forever Family through our leadership’s personal relationships with local church leaders in Addis Ababa
- Most of our ‘aunties’ and ‘mothers’ have been leading our Forever Families for more than 5 years…many of them are the original leaders of each Forever Family! Praise The Lord!
- All widows are Bible Believing followers of Jesus Christ
- All of these widows are evaluated by Elevate Orphan’s Staff to determine if they are called to live as ‘Mothers’ and ‘Aunties’ for the children Elevate Orphan adopts and if they are spiritually mature and suitable for this role
The Forever Families
- Our Forever Families are…well, forever a family! Our children and the mothers/aunties live as brothers and sisters, mother and children. It is a beautiful thing to experience….come and see!!
- We have seen that the children who are now leaving for University/Trade School still visit their homes at Elevate….it is just as with my own children!

Advantages of an Ethiopian Run Ministry for Ethiopians
- Our ministry model relies on choosing ‘the right’ widows to mother/raise our children through relationships and a deep connection to the Body of Christ in Ethiopia
- All individuals native to any culture are going to be more successful at navigating the uniquely different perspectives inherent to any particular people group.
- We developed deep relationships within the Ethiopian Government and Orphanages that have built a solid foundation of trust and mutual respect over time that enables Elevate Orphan to more efficiently engage with the Ethiopian System.
- The children can be more deeply connected with an individual in leadership who speaks their language and originates from their culture as compared to a foreigner
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