In May, I traveled to Ethiopia to document the villages Burbax and Girargie. Along with Paul Pryor ( amazing videographer http://www.vimeo.com/upstreamvisual) and JD from Glimmer, we spent a week getting to know the people in each of these villages. I came back with so many stories of life and joy and also pain and sadness. In that short week we were invited in so many homes and knew each of our new friends by name. An event was held in Austin to raise money for the education, health and water issues in each village and 1 million dollars was raised. The projects will take place over the next year and you will get to see what an impact having a clinic, water well and school will make for them. Check out the videos that News 8 covered from the event !

Austin’s A Glimmer of Hope raises $1 million
to transform 10,000 lives in Ethiopia.
100% of funds to go directly to projects

 “We showed up as individuals and left as a family, 
a community connected on a very human level”

“One Night, One Village, 5,000 lives transformed.” That was to be the theme for A Glimmer of Hope’s ‘let there be hope’ event on November 6 at the Long Center. It turned out to be a lot bigger and more successful than that, as the organization is still counting contributions that already total over $1 million.

“The goal was to raise $500,000,” said Donna Berber, founder of A Glimmer of Hope and inspiration behind the unique, first-of-its-kind event that allowed Austin a chance to experience what life in a rural African village is really like.

“We were hoping to raise enough to provide clean water, health care and education for the 5,000 people of Burbax, an extremely poor and forgotten village in rural Ethiopia” Donna Berber explained. “ As a result of the overwhelming support and generosity of the Austin community we were able to fund 2 villages transforming the lives of 10,000 people.”

A Glimmer of Hope offers a unique 100% Promise whereby every donation reaches the projects in Ethiopia without anything taken out. In keeping with the promise, all of the costs for the event were covered by A Glimmer of Hope’s endowment and sponsors, and costs were reduced thanks to vendors and suppliers offering in-kind and pro bono products and services.

Brian Cooper, A Glimmer of Hope’s CEO explained: “Whether you bought a ticket to attend, purchased a desk for a classroom, funded a hand-dug well or a health clinic, 100% of those funds will go directly to our Ethiopian partner who is an expert in implementing projects in this remote region of northwest Ethiopia.”

Ross Garber, who attended the event and contributed, commented: “This event was unlike any other. We showed up as individuals and left as a family. Normally, you go to one of these things to do something for somebody else’s cause. For that night, A Glimmer of Hope and these two villages became our cause.”

The event raised enough money to pay for 34 classrooms, a regional health center and a health post, 11 latrines and more than 29 water points in the villages of Burbax and Girargie. All of the projects will be completed within 12 months using A Glimmer of Hope’s innovative and effective model of aid and development.

The evening was emceed by GSD&M’s Roy Spence.

A Glimmer of Hope has been helping Ethiopia’s rural poor lift themselves out of poverty since 2001. Its bottom-up approach has helped make a difference in the lives of more than two million people.

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