We are Thankful Souls!

We are Thankful Souls. We are Ethiopians who are intent on doing something different than shedding tears for our mother Ethiopia and instead are hopeful to spread our sun rays to corners of Ethiopia that for too often disappears into the dark crevices of our collective conscience. We are humble, we do not believe that we can solve neither the ills of the world nor the hunger pangs of famished children in Ethiopia overnight. We are just doing our part by building a small bridge to hope that others can follow to feed an entire country where we are starting with a village.

We are not intent on waiting another generation for change; thus we put on our marching puts and eagerly hoping to generate the enthusiasm of other thankful souls to take part in our minute movement—to plant a mustard seed of faith that one day will grow to be a giant oak tree of hope. We are realistic, even if we are blinded by optimism; we know the challenges before us. Challenges that call for a national clarion call and that no group of thankful individuals can solve no matter our resolve. But what we are not is jaded by the past—we shed the scales of past inertia and put on a new pair of glasses and see in our collective irises a new vision of Ethiopia.
We are aware of the issues that face Ethiopia that confounds even the most brilliant minds. The stark facts are omnipresent; let us cite you just a few examples of the stark reality that is Ethiopia:•34.% of children are underweight

•75.29 babies out of 1,000 born die before they turn one
•62% of the population drink from “unimproved water sources”
•Only 42% of the population over the age of 15 are literate
•There are only .18 hospital beds per 1,000 people
•4.5 million people are in need of Emergency Food Assistance
•Ethiopia is ranked 174th out of 187 in the UNDP Human Development Index
•More children die of AIDS, malnutrition, and other pernicious diseases than the number of people who enroll in colleges on a year to year basis

We are tired of going to Google image and 85% of the images that the public receives through a key word search “Ethiopia” are images of starving children and crying parents. We are intent on showing the world that Ethiopia is a beautiful country with beautiful and thankful people, but we are also intent on spreading our message that we—Ethiopians and abroad—have to take care of our own before instead of depending on others to do it for us.

We are determined; we know that this our effort requires diligence and constant vigilance in order to show that ours are deeds instead of just words. We are resolved to make a difference and show the future generation of Ethiopian leaders that a dash of audacity mixed with plenty of hard work can change the perception of a people. This is our mission, not only to feed children in Axum but to feed the minds of Ethiopian children abroad that charity starts at home and that making a difference should always begin with one’s own abode. We are determined friends who formed a circle based on a common vision and are intent on making a difference—block by block—as we nourish the bellies of hungry children in Axum once a year. Thankful Souls—that is who We Are. For more info, please visit us @ http://www.thankfulsoul.org