About Us
Our Values
The Glory of God Among the Nations
Living and serving to God’s glory so people of all ethnic minorities and nations might know and glorify Him.
Christ-Like Lives and Work
Following Christ's example in who we are and what we do (e.g. in thought, behavior and action).
The Word Translated
Trusting God to transform lives through His Word translated into the languages and cultures of the ethnic minorities.
Dependence on God
Depending on God and His sufficiency to equip and sustain for life and mission of WE-LEAD.
Partnering with Others
WE-LEAD believes in a partnership that is based on interdependence. When we do things together with others, we see better results in our mission. Therefore, we are open to partnerships with individuals, communities, faith based originations, and governments, for the betterment of small language communities of the world that shares a common value with us.
Excellence
For the goodness of humankind and ethnic minorities of the world, whatever we do, we do it wholeheartedly to the best of our ability and for the Glory of God our creator.
Stewardship
WE-LEAD accepts and acknowledges that all humankind, whether they are from ethic majority or minority, are created equally by God. Therefore, we accept our responsibility with awe and humility and commit to loving and caring for the ethnic minority communities as our creator loves and cares for us all!
Founding Story
The story of WE-LEAD begins with the people who were passionate about the development of Ethiopia’s minority communities. They saw how the government was struggling with dropout rates in primary education, and illiteracy in the general populations. These people partnered with both international and local non-profit organizations to implement projects that would help curb these problems. However, it soon became obvious that, while these projects were helpful, they were not sustainable. This was because the communities felt no ownership for the projects causing the budding developments to come to a halt. This created the need for an organization that would implement its projects through already existing structures, so that the community would be involved in every step. WE-LEAD was then established and registered as a a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization (EIN# 85-3542943) in order to fulfill these needs and to support the ethnic minority language development movement through literacy, numeracy, and education. It has since grown and expanded into other Horn of Africa regions.
Message from Tefera Endalew, CEO
I understand how the term “mother tongue” can be more theoretical than experiential but think of the concept as the language you dream in at night. Think of those dreams that you wake up from feeling encouraged, joyful, and energetic… they never happen in a strange and unfamiliar language you barely understand. Our dream language is the language that gets down into our inner being and gets into our hearts. Therefore, whether we are coming to know the saving message of Jesus, or learning to read and write for the first time, or discovering the intricacies of the universe, it will be more impactful when done in our mother tongue. Many of us reading this have been lucky enough to have this privilege, but sadly, there are still ethnic minority groups across the world that do not have the freedom and structure to learn, teach, and express themselves in their ‘heart languages’. As you continue to learn more about us, it is my hope that you come away with a fresh appreciation for the work that is being done, and you will partner with us in any way you are able to. May we see the need and respond so that every man, woman, and child will have access to education and development and that heaven will be filled with people from every language, tribe, and nation.