The Inspiration
Selamawit Giordani, Founder and Director of the NGO
Every child has the right to access a good education, regardless of where they were born. Even though this right is still out of reach in many parts of the world, we work to improve this situation together with local communities on the ground.
Based on our experiences in different cultural contexts and our exposure to various development concepts, we are convinced that local communities should lead their own way, their own projects, and their own development. They hold the knowledge, the cultural traditions, and the social structures that are essential for sustainable and meaningful development. Our role is to encourage and empower them from behind.
This vision is the foundation on which our small organization, Support for Children (SFC), was created in 2010 in Switzerland with the support of family members and friends. Since then, we have been dedicated to improving access to education for children and strengthening communities in remote areas of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia.
Our mission
To promote and invest in children’s education while empowering local communities in disadvantaged areas of Ethiopia. We work in collaboration with local organizations that uphold children’s rights and support community-driven development projects.
Our values
The right to proper education, access to clean water, and social and cultural rights are part of human rights and our daily lives. They are so essential that we often only notice them when they are absent. Regardless of who we are, where we live, or what we do, we all want the same basic things: safety, dignity, and freedom. Our rights connect us all.
At SFC, we believe that every child has the right to education. Education provides knowledge and opens doors to new opportunities, offering hope for a better future for children, their families, and their communities.
We believe that local communities and organizations are best positioned to understand the needs of the children in their regions. Accordingly, we think that the most suitable and sustainable solutions come directly from the communities themselves. Therefore, we support, finance, and empower these groups, enabling them to create meaningful and lasting change within their own communities.
We are deeply committed to participatory development, based on dialogue and the active involvement of all stakeholders throughout every stage of a project. We view beneficiary communities as the main actors in their own development. Their ownership and leadership are essential to ensuring success of every initiative and sustainability.
Collaborations
We carefully identify and select our local partners, working closely with them to ensure effective and sustainable impact.