The Promise

 

‘The Promise’ is a project born out of love, hope, compassion, and the desire to give back. The founder is Senait Abraha, an African immigrant mother now living in the United States, whose personal experience with her special needs son, Aaron, inspired her to make a ‘promise’. That ‘promise’ is to give back to African special needs children in her home country Eritrea, while also empowering their parents.

‘The Promise’ was created with the intention of raising funds to purchase and provide needed equipment and supplies for a school comprised of special needs children in Asmara, Eritrea. That includes 5 to 6 wheelchairs, a dozen special needs books, sanitary products and soaps for 200 female special needs children, and 400 mats for their classrooms.

 

This work is being done in conjunction with a nonprofit organization called the ‘National Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disability of Eritrea’, referred to as NADDE. This organization’s main objectives are to fight the stigma against disability in their country and to provide supplies and resources to those with disabilities. NADDE promotes the inclusion of special needs children in schools in Eritrea so that no one is left behind. They also provide training and skills to parents, so they can learn how to support themselves financially while caring for their special needs children.

Read about the story behind "The Promise"

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The Goals

 

Short-Term Goals​

• 5 to 6 wheelchairs, books, sanitary products, and soaps for 200 female special needs children, and 400 mats for their classrooms.

• Raise funds to cover the cost of delivering the equipment and supplies to Asmara, Eritrea.

 

Long-Term Goals​

• Assess the status and needs of special needs children in Eritrea, including medical health, and at NADDE to evaluate the situation and scope out possible support or additional projects in the future.

• Provide training and empowerment skills to special needs parents and NADDE on how to fight stigma in Eritrea, and provide services to special needs children.

• Consult with and provide skills regarding fundraising, grantsmanship, and project management to the parents and staff of NADDE

• Evaluate, while in Eritrea, whether computer apps specifically developed for special needs children would be helpful and could be used in Eritrea.

• If so, determine what training would be needed with the possibility of creating a project next year to evaluate if adding a digital library for special needs children in the schools in Eritrea might be a possibility.

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