From $0 to $27,600: Social Enterprise in Ethiopia!

DML is ten years old this year, and in Ethiopia last week, we celebrated our five-year anniversary with the first denomination to officially join DML, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC).  

When we started working with EKHC in 2018, they had 10,000 churches with 10 million members.  Today, they have 11,000 churches with 12 million members.  They are doing amazing work!  We were told that they believe DML is having a positive impact on the denomination financially as well, as the income coming from the local church to the headquarters has doubled in the past couple of years.  While not all of that can be attributed to DML, we know that tithes and offerings have been increasing as business has been increasing.  The picture shows the DML leader, Yoseph Bekele, on the left; then Dr. Simeon Mulato, the head of the EKHC, then Yonatan Simon, DML lead trainer, then Dr. Walker, and myself.

But as is the case with many of our partners, this message is not just for one denomination - it is for the people of God.  Because of this, at our recent Training of Trainers in Addis Ababa, we had people from other denominations in the room, and some shared what they have learned from EKHC DML team.

We heard a testimony from one of the leaders (pictured here) from Meserete Christos, a Mennonite denomination with Pentecostal influence.  They have 1200 churches in Ethiopia.  This leader first heard about DML on TV when he heard the DML leader (Yoseph Bekele) talking about marketplace ministry.  Yoseph is on two weekly TV programs talking about marketplace ministries.  This leader contacted Yoseph who has since done three trainings for this denomination.  

From these trainings, the church decided to open a school to teach the poor about business and how to do work as worship!  One hundred members of this church also got together to open a social enterprise for the community.  To date, they have raised 1.5 million Ethiopian birr (or $27,600 US dollars)!  Wow!  So amazing!  They are now looking to open another shop in another area.

We continue to thank God allowing us to join Him in this message, which is for all people, all nations, all income levels, all education levels, and all denominations!  To Him be the glory, now and forever!

The 85 DML trainers from all over Ethiopia!