About The Organization

Background

Omo's Morningstar Children (OMC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting peace, education, and community development in the South Omo Zone of Ethiopia. Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, particularly women and children, by providing access to education, fostering inter-tribal harmony, and addressing harmful traditional practices. Through our initiatives, we aim to create a sustainable environment where communities can thrive in peace and prosperity.

OMC is registered in accordance with Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Agency for Civil Societies Organization as per the Proclamation No. 1113/2019; with Registration No. 4785 on February 24/2020.

Years of Impact

OUR VISION, MISSION AND GOAL

OUR VISION

By 2035, we aim to ensure that all community members, especially children, have access to quality education and live in a safe, inclusive environment free from violence and harmful traditions in South Ethiopia region and beyond. Through education, collaboration and mutual understanding, we will foster lasting peace and sustainable development

OUR MISSION

Help pastoralists build a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future for their families and communities.

Support young girls and children in need, providing them with shelter and access to education and sustainable pedagogical models.

Empower women and men for gender equality transformation and sustained livelihoods.

Train youth and women in conflict transformation and establish female peace initiatives.

OUR GOAL

By 2030, OMC will increase access to quality education for 1,000 children in the South Omo Zone by constructing 3 new boarding schools, training 100 teachers and providing scholarships to 500 marginalized students. Additionally, OMC will reduce harmful traditional practices by 50% through community education programs and inter-tribal peace building initiatives in South Ethiopia region.

Core Values and Guiding Principles

Professionalism

Professionalism includes aspiring for excellence in doing things, demonstrating competence in the work we do, and ensuring accountability.

Participation

OMC promotes community participation and ownership in all the things it does, works with and through community structures at all levels of the project cycle, and during inception and designing of programs. Participatory monitoring and evaluation and joints project review is also a critical element of OMC in its operations.

People Centered

OMC, in all its engagements, shall give due respect to people, and shall put the rights of children, women and disadvantaged groups, and the community and the planet they belong, at the center of the operations.

Proactive

OMC will give an open eye and adopt new technologies and ideas, be proactive to take new initiatives to promote the wellbeing of our people as well as to realize our vision, mission, and values.

OUR STORY

Omo's Morningstar Children Founder and Creative Director Ayko Gudree comes from the Khara ethnic. He was the first in his ethnic to receive formal education. He realized early on the importance of education for the pastoralist community and has promoted education with the Ethiopian government (Deputy Head of South Omo zone Agriculture and Pastoral area) and nonprofit organizations (Omo Child).

Ayko's believe is that African women carry many challenges on their back. Therefore, providing education to girls will strengthen the African society and support women to grow as future leaders in Africa.

Ayko established OMC on 24 February 2020 to promote education for pastoralists' children in the South Omo zone, Ethiopia. Furthermore, he promotes education in the community about harmful traditional practices (i.e. early marriage, FGM-circumcision, Mingi, wiping during bull jumping (Hamar manhood ceremony), lip cutting, etc.).

EST. 2020

Omo's Morningstar Children (OMC) Name History

Omo

South Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Ethiopia Region (SER). This zone is named for the Omo River.

Morningstar

When a morning star raises (i.e., venus), the sun and brightness follows. Our Morningstar children are the hope for the future - OMC offers them a way out of the darkness into the brightness - a brighter future for pastoralists children.

Children

We focus on children, because they are representing the next generation.

Frequently Asked Questions

OMC has a headquarter in Jinka, Ethiopia; OMC has one project offices at Turmi City Administration.

Currently, OMC is implementing a number of community development projects in South Ethiopia region and initially focuses on Hamer, Nyanagtom, Dassench and Selamago woredas, Including Kara, Hamar, Mursi, Dassench, Nyangatom and Arbore ethnics.

OMC secures its financial support from a number of partners in Europe. Currently, the major funding partners are; Soñando Muñec@s, Urgent Action Fund AFrica, Life and Peace Institute and GIZ

Donations to OMC go to support our community development programs in the one regions of the country. This gives us the flexibility to channel funds to wherever the needs are greatest

Job opportunities (for Ethiopians Only), including short-term consulting openings, can be found in our OMC news section. In order to recruit competent staffs, positions requiring professionals are advertised through newspaper and websites.

OMC is not a funding agency and therefore does not provide financial support directly to individuals or organizations. Instead, OMC works in partnership with governments, organizations, and communities to create lasting solutions to poverty.

No, OMC does not provide scholarships or student loans. OMC is not a funding agency and, therefore, does not provide financial support directly to individuals or organizations.

While OMC is concerned with poverty and marginalization everywhere, its mission is to work with children, youth and mothers of the targeted communities through getting them organized in groups, creating institutional linkages and enhancing their capacities to overcome social and economic problems facing children and in the long-term become owners of their local development. We strive to address the structural barriers to overcoming poverty in the country. Therefore, based on the available funds and needs raised, OMC has a greatest potential to extend its intervention to other regions of Ethiopia.