Meet the Needy
Meet the Needy is a child sponsorship program based out of Bethel Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, that partners with Mekanisa Addis Kidan Baptist Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It exists to carry out the Great Commission of making mature disciples of Jesus Christ by meeting the spiritual, physical, and educational needs of poor Ethiopian children and their families.
View the Meet the Needy brochure.
History:
In 2002, members of Bethel Church were part of a short term mission trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was evident that children in this hurting community in one of the poorest areas of Addis Ababa were in great need. With God’s vision, timing, and direction, Meet the Needy began in June 2002.
What is the Cost to Sponsor a Child?
For $35 a month, a sponsored child and their family will receive:
• basic food and household items such as grain, oil, and soap
• shoes and clothing for the child
• school supplies and tuition for the child
• periodic game time, activities, and outings for the child
A small portion of each sponsorship payment helps to cover the costs of Ethiopian staff to oversee and run the program (book keeper, director, and social worker). Goods are purchased and distributed monthly by the Ethiopian MTN staff.
Will I have contact with my child?
We encourage sponsors to send photos of themselves and to write their children as often as they would like. All correspondence is mailed by the Meet the Needy staff. Letters and updated photos of sponsored children are requested once a year.
How can I help?
1. You can pray for Meet the Needy staff, sponsored children, and their families.
2. You can sponsor a child with a monthly payment of $35.
3. You can give one-time or monthly donations to the Grain Fund. This is an urgent need, as the cost of teff, the staple food product, has increased 500% in recent years.
Forms
Address
Meet the Needy
P.O. Box 83613
Fairbanks, AK 99708
*All donations must be payable to '"Bethel Church"*
How does MTN change lives?
“I pray for the sponsors because it is not that they are rich that they help, but it is that God told them to help. You heard our burden and brought light to this place!”
-Amanuel’s mother
“You reached my need when I was in severe need. At a time when I had no food, no school for my children. You met our need when we were empty! I don’t have a word to say thank you!”
-Kidest’s mother
“I was on cardboard before. Now we have a mattress and a bed! Now I make injera to sell and I do not need to go to the market to sell it, people come here. I am very happy!”
-Zerefa
