EBA's Ethiopia initiative started as a way for us to celebrate the occasion of EBA's 40th anniversary in 2006. That year we began our journey with Partners by providing $50,000 in funding for the development and protection of water supplies for five villages in southern Ethiopia. Brian Adeney traveled to Ethiopia as our first ambassador for the program in 2006. Later in the year Katherine Johnston traveled to Ethiopia to monitor the progress on the projects.

In 2009, EBA’s GROW Ethiopia initiative was created to raise funds for a two-year reforestation project in the state of Gojjam in Ethiopia. Gojjam is often referred to as the “breadbasket” of Ethiopia as the farmers in this region produce so much of Ethiopia’s food. This intense farming, in combination with a large population, has created a landscape devoid of trees and has led to extensive soil erosion and subsequent loss of arable land.