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Fundraiser in Abbotsford supports village of Korah, Ethiopia

Event on Oct. 30 raises funds for programs in poverty-stricken community

An Abbotsford organization that provides support for people living in poverty in Korah, Ethiopia is holding a fundraising event on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Hope for Korah (HFK) is holding its 10th anniversary dinner and auction both in person and online.

The in-person event takes place at the Clarion Hotel (36035 North Parallel Rd.) The reception begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Seating is limited, and all COVID-19 protocols will be followed.

An online live-stream of the event begins at 7 p.m., including the sharing of inspirational stories.

The majority of HFK’s programs and activities are centred in Ethiopia, with some in Liberia and Mexico.

The organization was founded by social worker Eve Pohl of Abbotsford, who went on a two-week medical mission trip in April 2010 with her then 12-year-old daughter and seven other women from B.C. and Ontario.

ALSO READ: Trapped in Ethiopia’s Tigray, people ‘falling like leaves’

They had been working for months on a partnership with a rural clinic north of Addis Ababa, but when they arrived, they discovered the clinic had a new director and no longer needed their help.

The group then visited the destitute community of Korah, an urban slum and leper community of about 130,000 people.

“The area is consumed with poverty, and disease spreads quickly, leaving many widowed and orphaned, and those who survive do so through begging, prostitution and living off the city garbage dump,” says a statement on the HFK website.

After returning home, Pohl put together a Korah team in Abbotsford in winter 2010 and returned to Ethiopia the following April.

Since then, the team has worked with Ethiopian leadership to develop numerous services such as a crisis intervention breakfast program for malnourished children, a home for elder men who have leprosy, business training, education (including post-secondary sponsorship), clean water, and the HFK Store.

The group officially became Hope for Korah in July 2011 under International Disciple Training Canada Ministry. In August 2016, the name was officially changed to Hope for Korah Ministries, and a new board of directors was formed.

Visit hopeforkorah.org for more information, to purchase tickets for the dinner and or to register for the virtual event.



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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