Abebech Gobena

Abebech Gobena (* around 1938 in Shewa , today Oromia , Ethiopia ; † July 4, 2021 in Addis Ababa ) was a philanthropist and founder of the oldest orphanage in Ethiopia. She was often referred to as " Mother Teresa of Africa" or "Mother of Many".

Life

Abebech Gobena was born in the Ethiopian village of Shebel in the Shewa region. Since her father died shortly after her birth in the Abyssinian War, she grew up as an orphan with her grandparents. She was forcibly married when she was around 10 years old . However, she managed to flee to Addis Ababa . There she acquired a basic education and then worked in various jobs, most recently in quality control at a company for coffee and grain products. She also married again.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ethiopia suffered from droughts , civil war and famine that left many people dead. During this time, the devout Christian Gobena decided to initially take in two orphans. In 1980, 21 children whose parents had been victims of the famine were already in their care. Because of the lack of space and because the family did not approve of the work for the orphans, she left her husband and bought a piece of land on which she founded an orphanage and school. In the early years she experienced great financial difficulties. In order to be able to feed the children, she built up various small businesses. She made bread and drinks for sale, traded in various goods at street stalls and bought a farm outside the city in 1990, which has been supplying the orphanage with food ever since. She set up workshops for the children and young people to teach them manual skills. In 1986 their organization was officially recognized as an NGO by the Ethiopian government and was later named AGOHELMA.

Around 200 children now live in her orphanage. The school is also attended by almost 500 other children from the city's slums. Since the nineties, more facilities have been added in and outside Addis Ababa, including schools, health centers, training centers, feeders for the poor and sanitary facilities with access to running water. AGOHELMA's focus is on child care, education, health and the advancement of women. More than 200 employees work for the organization and every year more than 1.5 million people in Ethiopia receive support from AGOHELMA. The projects are supported by the Menschen für Menschen Foundation and UNICEF , among others .

Abebech Gobena has received several awards for her work. Among other things, she received an honorary doctorate from Jimma University in 2013.

Awards

2004 Worldaware Award, Open Category
2013 Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy, Jimma University, Ethiopia
2015 EMWA Award from the Ethiopian Midwives Association

Web links

'Africa's Mother Teresa' on raising Ethiopia's famine orphans. In: CNN . June 23, 2010(English).; accessed on October 12, 2019
AGOHELMA. Retrieved October 12, 2019(English, official website).

Individual evidence

↑ Abebech Gobena, prominent philanthropist, dies at the age of 85. In: satenaw.com. July 4, 2021, accessed July 4, 2021 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c The Worldaware Award (Open Category). The winner: Abebech Gobena Orphanage and School , WorldAware, March 4, 2014, accessed October 12, 2019.
↑ ^a ^b 'Africa's Mother Teresa' on raising Ethiopia's famine orphans , CNN African Voices, June 23, 2010, accessed October 12, 2019.
^ History of Ethiopia , Encyclopedia of Countries, accessed on October 12, 2019.
↑ ^a ^b Dr Abebech Gobena, Africa's Mother Teressa is from Oromia, Ethiopia , Oromo Women in History Facebook page, March 21, 2015, accessed October 12, 2019
↑ ^a ^b orphanage "Agoheld" in Addis Ababa , site of the President, March 19, 2013, accessed on 12 October of 2019.
↑ Menschen für Menschen support AGOHELMA , Menschenfuermenschen.ch, accessed on October 12, 2019.
↑ ^a ^b Info , Abebech Gobena Children's Care and Development Association, Facebook page, accessed October 12, 2019.
↑ Dr. Abebech Gobena and Valerie Browning, won the 2015 honorable EMwA Award , Ethiopian Midwives Association, October 23, 2015, accessed October 12, 2019.

personal data
SURNAME	Gobena, Abebech
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Ethiopian philanthropist
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH	Shewa , today Oromia , Ethiopia
DATE OF DEATH	4th July 2021
PLACE OF DEATH	Addis Ababa

[1] Abebech Gobena, prominent philanthropist, dies at the age of 85. In: satenaw.com. July 4, 2021, accessed July 4, 2021 .

[Biografie_Gobena-2] The Worldaware Award (Open Category). The winner: Abebech Gobena Orphanage and School , WorldAware, March 4, 2014, accessed October 12, 2019.

[Geschichte_von_Abebech_Gobena-3] 'Africa's Mother Teresa' on raising Ethiopia's famine orphans , CNN African Voices, June 23, 2010, accessed October 12, 2019.

[4] History of Ethiopia , Encyclopedia of Countries, accessed on October 12, 2019.

[Leben_von_Abebech_Gobena-5] Dr Abebech Gobena, Africa's Mother Teressa is from Oromia, Ethiopia , Oromo Women in History Facebook page, March 21, 2015, accessed October 12, 2019

[Daniela_Schadt_besucht_Agoheld-6] orphanage "Agoheld" in Addis Ababa , site of the President, March 19, 2013, accessed on 12 October of 2019.

[Menschen_für_Menschen_unterstützen_AGOHELMA-7] Menschen für Menschen support AGOHELMA , Menschenfuermenschen.ch, accessed on October 12, 2019.

[Auszeichnungen_Abebech_Gobena-8] Info , Abebech Gobena Children's Care and Development Association, Facebook page, accessed October 12, 2019.

[Award_Ethiopian_Midwives-9] Dr. Abebech Gobena and Valerie Browning, won the 2015 honorable EMwA Award , Ethiopian Midwives Association, October 23, 2015, accessed October 12, 2019.