Project WholeSky Working to Develop Nursing Scholarship Program for Orphaned Girls
Through the years, Project WholeSky has been working to support the development of more nurses in Ethiopia. This year we are excited to leverage our past efforts building relationships and take the work of Project WholeSky to a new level!
Ethiopia is in the midst of a critical healthcare crisis caused by an extreme shortage of healthcare workers and a widening gap in medical and scientific knowledge. With less than 1 physician and only 1 nurse per every 10,000 people, access to quality healthcare is next to impossible for most Ethiopians.
The 2016 Endeavor Includes:
Establishment of a sustainable scholarship program for the graduates of the Amanuel Home for Orphaned Girls. The scholarship program will offer cost of living support to girls wishing to attend nursing school as they age out of the Amanuel Home and begin life as independent members of their communities.
How You Can Help:
1. Make a donation to help support a nursing student
Most nursing schools are free. Your donation will help pay for the student's 
living expenses
- $2500 will go a long way in helping one student for one year of nursing school
- If we raise more than our "Tipping Point" (more on that later) we will be able to help pay for her school books and supplies too
- If we make it all the way to our final goal ($5000), we can help 2 girls attend nursing school for one year!
2. Send us items
- The School of Nursing is in desperate need of anatomical models and charts and disposable nursing supplies for teaching
- Are you a medical professional with access to models, charts, and supplies? Eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet, hearts, lungs, kidneys, sketeons…all are welcome and needed, whether in the form of 3D models or charts. Shoot us an email (see below for contact information) and let us know what you have. We will take as much as we can in our luggage. Please also consider donating directly and we'll make arrangements for shipping.
- The Amanuel Home for Orphaned Girls needs
- Girls Clothing for ages 9-18. Please be sure to donate conservative and clean items ie, skirts at or below the knee, t-shirts, pants, cotton panties, etc.
- Hygiene products: sanitary napkins, tooth brushes, tooth paste, washing soap, wide toothed combs, bandaids, hair ties, etc.
- School supplies, ie, paper, pencils, pens, erasers, picture books, coloring books, crayons, etc.
We will take as much as we can in our luggage. If we gather as much as we hope to we will need to pay for extra luggage. Each additional bag costs $150. Please consider helping defray this extra cost. You can donate money for extra luggage directly when you drop off your items or when you ship them to us.
Email us at [email protected] or [email protected] and let us know what items you have to donate. You can ship them to us and voila...you're awesome!
3. Heartfelt Well-Wishes Needed and Appreciated!
- High-fives for our safe travels
- Good thoughts while we are away
- A warm welcome for our return
Without more nurses, healthcare delivery will never meet the demanding health needs of Ethiopia
More Information
The Amanuel Home for Orphaned Girls:
The Amanuel Home for Orphaned Girls was established by People to People (P2P) as an extens
ion of the concept of care for AIDS orphans. The boarding and care facility provides housing and support for orphan girl students in good academic standing in the rural town of Amanuel at Machakel District in Eastern Gojjam in collaboration with the local community. At present, 20 outstanding young women are boarded at the facility and 20 more young women who attend the same school receive sponsorship in order to prevent them from dropping out of school or ending up living on the street.
Besides regular schooling, the students are exposed to various activities such as farming, bee keeping, and grinding meal. By utilizing the already existing local schools, the boarding facility provides scholarship for outstanding AIDS orphans and assists them in reaching their life’s potential by providing for their needs, be they psychological, social, educational, medical, or other.
About People to People (P2P):
People to People, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization founded in the US has been battling the shortage of healthcare providers in Ethiopia since 1999. Utilizing a partnership between western institutions, Ethiopian institutions, and a network of diaspora, P2P has made a tremendous impact.
Founded by a single Ethiopian physician with a vision, P2P has grown to a network of more than 20 western and African universities respectively, more than 500 diaspora physicians, and has gained the respect and support of Ethiopia's President and Director of Foreign Affairs.
To learn more about all of P2P's tremendous work, follow this link to visit their website http://www.p2pbridge.org
Project WholeSky History:
In 2007 Chris DeWilde ventured on her first Nursing Mission. Here's her story:
The goal was simple...go someplace far away and learn something. I met my goal. I learned that providing excellent health care means looking at the whole person, and that health interventions work best when they fit into the natural flow of a person’s life.
In 2010 I adopted from Ethiopia. Then, in 2013 Project WholeSky was formed and made its first trip to Ethiopia as a nurse.
"It started when I traveled to pick up my son, Zerihun, from the orphanage and had the opportunity to meet his uncle, Eyasu. We sat outside the orphanage with a translator and I learned about my son, his brothers and sisters, his mother, and his uncle’s own three small children. Parting, after promises to keep in touch, I felt like I had a new family too. For the next 3 years I got to know my little man and watched my two boys become true brothers."
Enter 2013...
Representing People to People, I traveled back to Ethiopia to begin the work of fostering the development of more nurses within the country. The intention was, and is, to forward healthcare delivery in the country and empower Ethiopia's greatest untapped resource – women. By encouraging career development in nursing, Project WholeSky fosters the ability of women to be leaders in their communities while finically supporting their families."
Project WholeSky got its name from its youngest member, Zerihun. He didn’t know one word of English when he arrived from Ethiopia to his new home in Richmond, VA at the age of 3. He soon coined the phrase “whole sky.” It meant, “all the way.” He would say, “I’m whole sky full” when he didn’t want any more dinner, or “I’m whole sky tired” when he was ready for bed, and my all-time favorite; “I love you whole sky.” We live under one sky and Project WholeSky is all the way committed to its work! Thank you for the inspiration, Zerihun.
Project WholeSky has been built by the hands of committed volunteers. We hold jobs as healthcare professionals and are committed volunteers. The work we do in Ethiopia will be without pay.
The 2016 WholeSky Team
Chris:
With a Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Leadership and a background that includes a passion for nursing and medical research, nursing service in Ethiopia, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, Chris is perfectly positioned to help develop programs to increase quality healthcare delivery systems in Ethiopia. She is currently working on her PhD in Nursing with a focus on patient outcomes in the setting of culturally congruent care.
Anna:
Anna Priday will be joining Project WholeSky on this journey with extensive social-behavioral and medical research administration experience and brings a special interest in global drug and alcohol addictions to the project. She is currently obtaining her Master of Science Degree in Addiction Studies in an international program including Virginia Commonwealth University, King’s College (London), and the University of Adelaide (Australia). Anna is excited to bring her passion and academic knowledge with her on this trip for a fact-finding mission about addiction in Ethiopia and possibilities for future hands-on work and research.
Please donate to help support our work!
Forward this campaign to your friends and colleagues, the diaspora, healthcare providers, and those interested in healthcare in developing countries.
We do the work because we LOVE it! We appreciate your support however it comes.
