TCU sent students to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to research the culture and consider business opportunities to build sustainable incomes for the families of the Adera Foundation. They visited a Strategic Management class, taught by Yohannes Neda, and interviewed the students. They soon learned that the opportunities for business are great, but with many challenges as well.

Empathize – Business by Design

“Human-centered design leads to breakthrough innovation.”

“Being human-centered is at the core of innovation process.”

“Seeking the sweet spot of feasibility, viability, and desirability as you take into account the real needs and desires of your customers is part of what is called ‘design thinking.'” (Creative Confidence; pp 19-21)

Define

The students visited various IGA (income generating activities) to learn firsthand the potential for success and the struggles in building and maintaining sustainable incomes.  

“The trip meant everything to me. It was an absolute blessing. I truly feel that I fulfilled God’s plan for my life through this trip. I have never felt so at home in such a foreign place. Ephesians 5:2 sums up my experience fairly well. ‘Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.’ I have never experienced Jesus so fully than when I was in Ethiopia. To sum it up, Ethiopia was the most challenging, humbling, joyful, love-filled, Jesus encountering experience I have ever had.” – Cami Fannin

Cami’s Headline: To develop a campus representative/ambassador program to raise awareness and increase sales. Emily will be working on the project with me.“This trip, holy cow! It really opened my eyes to how transformative business can be in the lives of women who otherwise wouldn’t be able to feed and educate their families. However, more importantly, it revealed the transformative power of the gospel, and how it puts all on the same playing field (the rich and the poor, the habesha and the ferenge, the religious and the non-religious). Thanks again for a wonderful two weeks!” –  Kamryn Schropp

Kamryn’s Headline: To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the beading process to lead to increased turnover and higher sales.“The 11 days spent in Ethiopia were eye-opening, thought-provoking, challenging, and encouraging. To see a country so underdeveloped is heart wrenching. But to see the Adera community thriving with hope in the midst of its surroundings, reveals the power of God’s healing hand. Our experience was a testament to the redemption that Jesus gives us each and every day; the Ethiopian women and children we witnessed have been made new in God’s work through the Adera foundation. Thank you again for proving me with such an incredible experience and opportunity. My heart has been changed from the experiences of this trip. And I must commend you on the effort you put into the logistics of this trip – our time in Ethiopia was almost seamless.” – Hunter Durbine

Headline: To develop a leadership program that establishes a partnership between Addis Ababa University (AAU) students, and the Adera foundation in Ethiopia.