Two powerhouse ministries merge for Ethiopian outreach.

Ethiopia (MNN) ? The merger between Buckner International and  Bright Hope, a ministry in Ethiopia, has jumpstarted outreach growth by three years. 

Although Ethiopia's dignitaries celebrated the agreement with great fanfare, the March 18 announcement was largely a quiet one. For Getahun Tesema, executive director of Bright Hope, and Ken Hall, president of Buckner International, the coming together of the two groups is the formal seal on a partnership that's been in the making for some time.

The two non-governmental organizations have been collaborating in Ethiopia for about a year. Buckner also offers international and in-country adoptions of Ethiopian children.

Bright Hope, meanwhile, has focused its efforts on foster care, programs for street children, basic skills development training, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, food distribution, and educational programs.

Both a literal and figurative cornerstone of this merger is the construction of an education center in Bantu. Buckner's Director of International programs, Randy Daniels, says, "Part of this education center that we're partnering with Bright Hope to do will include a church, (and) water well; we will increase the capacity of the health clinic, and we'll develop a community center that will also provide basic education--literacy--for the adults living in that city, and then we're also going to build a baby home." 

Daniels says the baby home will be ready this August, and the school will open its doors next September.

In a region filled with desolation and poverty, the contrast between "religion" and faith is stark. "When they haven't eaten for three days, that's the reality that they face. We bring in ministry that provides for need and, in providing for that need, we develop relationships with people, and then we can share, over time, the TRUE Gospel."

Volunteers are needed for construction projects, medical clinics, to distribute shoes through the "Shoes for Orphan Souls" program, and to work with foster children under the care of Bright Hope. Teams will work in the capital of Addis Ababa and in other locations throughout the country.

Click here if you're interested in a mission trip to Ethiopia.