beza project

Heather Jacobson grew up in Ethiopia as a 2nd generation missionary's kid (MK). Her parents Tim and Lorna Jacobson, now residing in Toronto, still serve with the SIM. Heather completed her degree in education in Ontario and in 2006 returned to Ethiopia under SIM to teach at the boarding school she attended as a child (Bingham Academy). While attending the Beza Church in Addis, Heather met Elias.

Elias Omer completed diplomas in construction and music before starting his Bachelor of Theology (with community development). In 2007 he became the Project Director of the Beza Entoto Outreach.

Last year, Heather and Elias were married and together are commited to improving the lives of some 3 thousand - mainly displaced - people living on Entoto mountain (on the outskirts of Addis Ababa).

The community is one of the poorest resettlement areas bordering the capital city of Addis, with the majority of the residents either unemployed or severely underemployed. A signficant number suffer from HIV/AIDS, and other chronic diseases. Drawn from around the country to the 'holy water sites' on top of the mountain, the residents survive in crude shelters and shacks.

The Beza Church initially starting assisting the community with provision of basic supplies such as food, blankets, clothing and money for medicine. This developed into a strategy for a more sustainable and more empowering form of assistance.

The Entoto Outreach Project thus seeks to:

Equip destitutes with job skills.

Create self-help groups (small cooperatives), providing training and support to enable them to engage in sustainable income-generating activities.

Provide education and health programs for children and parents.

Counsel and motivate squatters to leave the mountain and reintegrate back into their original communities.