History
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| Michael Granger |
In 2004 Joe Bridges and Michael Granger traveled to Ethiopia on a short-term missions trip. Both of these young men were shocked to see thousands of children living on the streets of that country. Both Michael and Joe felt convicted to do something to not only provide shelter and love for these street children, but also to share the message and hope of Jesus Christ with them. Not coming from the culture or speaking the language made such a feat seem impossible until they met a young Ethiopian man named Nega Meaza.
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| Nega Meaza |
Through interaction with Nega it became utterly clear that he loved his country, especially the children. At the end of the trip Michael, Joe, and Nega sat down for what is now known as The Forsaken Children’s first meeting. Each man shared his vision for ministry to the street children of Ethiopia. At the end of this meeting a special brotherhood between these three men and a special commitment to the street children of Ethiopia were established.
Since the First Meeting
Michael, Joe, and Nega remained connected throughout the coming years and focused on prayer and planning for how to begin work. In 2005 the team grew to include Joe’s new wife, Karyn.
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| Joe and Karyn Bridges |
In 2006 Joe and Karyn Bridges went to Singapore to participate in a three-month course focusing specifically on children at risk. After spending three months training in Singapore, the Bridges family went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for three more months to further their training by interning with a ministry to street people. During this visit, they were also able to work hand-in-hand with Nega as he was establishing an organization in the same city. By the end of this trip an Ethiopian NGO had been established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work with street children and it was named Children’s Home Ethiopia.
2007 was busy for Nega as he started visiting children on the streets of Addis Ababa, studied Community Development at the Ethiopian Theological College, formed Children’s Hme Ethiopia’s Board of Directors, and started ministering to 7 children who were on the verge of becoming full-time street children in CHE’s Street Prevention Program.
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| CHE Drop-In Center |
In 2008 Children’s Home Ethiopia faced the need for more oversight as this fledgling organization grew. With this realization, Joe Bridges, along with his brother, Jonathan, and Michael Granger traveled to Addis Ababa to do some strategic planning with Nega and Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Board of Directors. At the end of this trip the organizational structure of Children’s Home Ethiopia was established, the staff guidelines were formed, new staff to help Nega were selected, and more. On top of all this, Children’s Home Ethiopia was blessed with a new facility, which has become known as Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Drop-In Center. By the end of May the Drop-In Center housed all of Children’s Home Ethiopia’s offices as well as offered a place for local street children to come receive counsel, nourishment, love, and basically a new start.
After such a productive time with Children’s Home Ethiopia, The Forsaken Children realized its need to become an independent non-profit organization so it could formally offer the same services it had to Children’s Home Ethiopia to other like minded projects. The Forsaken Children became an IRS recognized 501(c)3 organization in 2008.
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| Jonathan and Jessica Bridges in front of Kota Ganate |
Also in 2008, The Forsaken Children was blessed to gain the assistance of Jonathan and Jessica Bridges in the development of an agriculture project. This project is known as Kota Ganate, which translated means Hidden Garden, and exists to help sustain Children’s Home Ethiopia (partially and potentially fully in the future) from within Ethiopia.
