How We Got Started
The Kennard Family adopted six children from Ethiopia. Four of those children were from the small village of Kersa Illala, about a 4 hour drive south of the capital city of Addis.
While visiting that village the first time to allow their children to bid farewell to their relatives and friends, the Kennards were struck by the abject poverty prevalent in Kersa Illala and throughout Ethiopia. In the intervening years, they returned many times to Ethiopia, seeing many different parts of that beautiful country, and have experienced the problems of Kersa Illala and many of the world's poor villages first hand. Because of the poverty they encountered in Ethiopia and while traveling to other impoverished countries, For more than a decade, the Kennards committed much of their lives to helping the village of Kersa Illala, to help themselves become self sufficient.
In 2009 the Kennards turned over the operations of Village of Hope to dedicated sponsors and supporters who had helped them achieve success. The focus of the work in the village is to help them become self sufficient and no longer need outside support or assistance., while caring for their basic needs.
We invite individuals and businesses to join us in our efforts to help in Ethiopia. If you feel a tug on your heartstrings for this frightful situation, contact Village of Hope to see how you or your business can help. You may even consider joining an upcoming expedition.
Learn More About Joining US on an Expedition to Ethiopia