The Abdii-Borii children’s and youth home nestles in the green hill country of Illubabor. Here over 100 children enjoy a loving home in comfortable surroundings and the warmth and affection of their motherly supervisors. But the children’s home more than lives up to its name: “Abdii-Borii” means “Hope for tomorrow”. The objective of the home is to give all children a real future perspective.

Other than in the remainder of Ethiopia, education is compulsory in Abdii Borii. Besides reading, writing and arithmetic, theoretical and practical training in agriculture are on the curriculum for the older children – on the home’s own fields. The training is an important preparation for the later life of the children. After all, 70 percent of Ethiopians subsist from farming their own piece of land. The fields are not only a “learning ground” for young people, their yield of up to 600 kg of fruit and vegetables per year go towards the upkeep of the home. Some is even left over for sale on the market. This covers running expenses and benefits the children.