In March 2009, friends of Debo held a fundraiser at Il Cielo restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. The proceeds from the event will help furnish Debo’s newly built library/learning center in Mehalmeda, a small rural town in the central highlands of Ethiopia read more

BEVERLYHILLS COURIER  MAY29, 2009 BEVERLYHILLS • BELAIR • HOLMBYHILLS
The Best Read Newspaper in Beverly Hills
By Joan Mangum

Il Cielo was the location for an open house to honor Debo, a charity organization working in Ethiopia to improve and make a difference in the lives of impoverished families. Many vendors (featuring jewelry accessories, gift items and art) came out to support and donate a percentage of sales to this worthwhile cause. Among them, Carla Kirkeby, Kathleen Soloman, Kristen Marco, Christine Vert, and Barry Brinker.

Joan Mangum(Beverly Hills Courier), Janet Garrison and Elizabeth Tilkian

Debo was founded in 2005 by Ayalnesh Belete and Elizabeth Tilkian who were born and raised in Addis Ababa and came to the United States in the early 1970's to attend college. Years later, while visiting family members in Ethiopia, they were reminded that hunger and disease were ever present features of people’s lives... women and children walked great distances to obtain contaminated water, hungry children attended crowded and crumbling schools and families were unable to provide for their children because they lacked access to capital.

More than $200,000 has been raised and because they work with professionals in Ethiopia and US, they have been able to build seven classrooms and a library/learning center, give scholarships to 71 students, establish a kindergarten, distribute tree seedlings, develop a natural spring to supply clean drinking water, promote women's health issues and give preventive health education seminars. They also gave loans to 56 families to start their own enterprises...An incredible accomplishment for these two women.
            

Many thanks to board member, Janet Garrison, who made me aware of this dynamic group.