Genesis of our Association

We founded our association on 23 October 2016, but in fact we have been supporting orphans in Addis Ababa since 2010. Our association president Helina Natnael, who came to Germany as a refugee in 2007, and her husband supported abandoned children from her former neighbourhood. In search of a long-term solution, our first project came about.

Why Abaynesh?

Amharic አባይ ነሽ: second most widely spoken Semitic language in the world – after Arabic. In Ethiopia, Amharic is the official language, but Oromo is spoken even more frequently.

Abay: blue Nile that flows through Ethiopia.
Nesh: feminine form

Abaynesh stands for Abay, the fertile mother who provides for the Ethiopian people. It is also a popular girl’s name. For us, Abaynesh is linked to the youth of Ethiopia because both represent the incredible potential of the country. They are the future, but for that to happen, they need to be supported and appreciated in the present.

Our Projects and Events

Learn more about our current projects.

Our Team

The Bureau of our Assosiation includes three members who are elected for two years and work pro bono.

  • Our President: Helina Natnael. She is the driving force behind the association. She has set up an active team of volunteer members on the ground in Ethiopia. Supported by her husband Ephrem Baye, she does not want to waste any minute to help, because as she says “the children can’t wait!
  • Our General Secretary: Peggy Taye, founding member, with us since 2016, is supported by her husband Ephrem, a professional translator. They regularly visit the children in Ethiopia.
  • Our treasurer: Christina Korff, who has been with us since 2010, together with Maximilian Korff, is responsible for the bookkeeping and the organisation. She is also supported by two of her daughters Julia and Laura.
  • Rut Abebe is our honorary member. Since 2010 she has been working behind the scenes to make all our events in Germany a success.

But it is our members who make it possible for us to move forward, and we are very grateful to them.

Our team in Ethiopia:

  • Saba Tsegaye Worku: She is the heart of our association. She is our coordinator, present on the ground and in all the areas. She takes care of all the projects in Ethiopia, and does not hesitate to travel many miles to do so.  She supervises the host families and supports the children.  She is responsible for the school follow-up and regularly organises meetings for the children and adults.
  • Asrat Gebreweld and Hayat Fetene assist Saba. And for more than a year, they have been able to count on the support of Eyueal, our first protégé, who’ll soon be an adult himself.

Purpose of our Association

Excerpt from our statutes – if you are interested, we would be happy to send you the complete statutes of the association.

(1) The association exclusively and directly pursues charitable and benevolent purposes within the meaning of the section “Tax-privileged purposes” of the German Tax Code.

(2) The purpose of the association, which is exclusively directed towards Ethiopia, is to

  • to support orphans in Ethiopia
  • the promotion of youth welfare
  • the promotion of education, popular education and vocational training
  • the promotion of an international spirit, tolerance in all areas of culture and the idea of international understanding.

(3) The purposes of the statutes shall be realised in particular by:

  • safeguarding life from hunger, thirst and disease
  • helping people to build up a secure independent existence
  • the promotion of school and vocational training
  • helping people to develop themselves in Ethiopia.
  • Furthermore, cultural understanding shall be established by organising events, e.g. in Germany.