In the highlands of central Ethiopia, about 80 miles northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, Debre Berhan sits at an altitude of 9,318 feet above sea level, the highest city on the continent. The ancient city in the northern Amhara region saw significant growth with the establishment of a wool and blanket factory in 1960, and then again with the construction of the Debre Berhan Industrial Park, an agro-processing hub, in 2019.

Despite the growth, many of its 154,000 residents face economic hardship. Poverty is driven by a confluence of factors, including inflation, poor agricultural conditions, high unemployment, an influx of internally displaced people caused by the war in the neighboring region of Tigray (2020-2022), and unstable access to communications infrastructure. The ongoing armed conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Fano, a militia that claims to represent the Amhara people, has exacerbated these challenges.

However, numerous residents of Debre Berhan have found some relief among the Sisters of Divine Providence for Abandoned Children. Founded by Msgr. Francesco Torta in Piacenza, Italy, in 1921, this small congregation is dedicated to serving vulnerable children and families.

The congregation’s missionary impulse brought them to Ethiopia, in Mendida, north Shewa region, in 1971. They arrived in Debre Berhan in 1972, and in 1988, founded Divine Providence School, with only 48 students and two teachers. Today, more than 1,400 children are enrolled, from kindergarten to grade 8. About 3,500 students have graduated from Divine Providence School since its founding, and many among them moved on to high school and higher education.

The presence of the sisters in Debre Berhan has been transformative. In addition to providing excellent instruction, the school runs a daily breakfast program that provides fresh-baked bread to all students, from kindergarten to grade 4. Fresh bread replaced a program of packaged biscuits in 2006, when a benefactor donated an oven for the school kitchen.

“We started the feeding program when we observed that some of our students came to school without even having breakfast,” says Sister Elfnesh Teklu, S.D.P., community superior.

The school provides additional assistance, such as daily lunch, to those children most in need among the student population. The sisters also waive tuition for 80 students, and provide 50 students with all learning materials, as well as uniforms, made in the school’s sewing workshop.

Etenesh Abebe, a mother of two, says the sisters became a lifeline for her after her husband died.

“I was left with nothing. My daughter Tsion would cry from hunger,” she recalls. The sisters “encouraged me and started providing lunch for my daughter. Their kindness has been a blessing.”

“The feeding program has lifted a huge burden off my shoulders,” she continues. “Knowing Tsion is fed and cared for at school allows me to focus on finding work.”

Of the 110 students in the daily lunch program, 21 students come from nearby public schools.

“At the beginning of each year, the government identifies students who cannot afford meals and sends them to [Divine Providence] school, where they receive daily meals,” says Getnet Temtime, a government supervisor for several schools in the city, including Divine Providence.

Mr. Temtime says the academic performance of these 21 students “has notably improved.”

“The government had planned an initiative to provide milk and bread to students in government schools, but it was never implemented due to budget constraints and the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region,” he adds.

Divine Providence School fills this gap.

Ketema Kitaw, director at Atse Zereyaqob School in Debre Berhan, says the impact of the feeding program is evident and measurable among his students who walk over to Divine Providence School for lunch.

“Students who were once worried about their next meal can now focus on their studies,” he says. “The Divine Providence School’s feeding program has been a game-changer, significantly improving students’ academic performance and well-being.”

Himanot Demelash says her daughter, Nuhamin Aklate, who attends kindergarten at Divine Providence School, has been noticeably happier and more focused on learning since starting on the meal program.

As the primary provider for her family, Ms. Demelash says the food program has provided much-needed relief.

“I struggle to feed my child every day. Before my child started attending the feeding program, I was constantly stressed about preparing meals for her,” she says.

She and her husband moved from Gondar in northern Amhara to Debre Berhan eight years ago, and her husband’s unstable employment and the high cost of living have placed a significant burden on the family.

Two brothers, Endrias and Yeabkal Tsegaye, also attend Divine Providence School. Their father, Amare Tsegaye, says the school’s meal program has given him “peace of mind.” 

He and his family fled the war in Tigray, where he worked as a teacher. Unable to find a teaching position in Debre Berhan, he took up a low-paying position as a security guard to support his family. His wife is unemployed, and he is the sole provider. 

The meal program at the school not only nourishes the two boys, he says, but motivates them in their learning.

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