What began with a hope and a prayer during a dinner table conversation between Gabe Beyene and his wife Connie Bisrat in their Manhattan apartment in 2003 has transformed, just a few years later, into an 8,000 square foot orphanage with the capacity to house and nurture up to 75 Ethiopian orphans.

Gabe and Connie had immigrated to the United States from their native Ethiopia in the late 1980's, fleeing the war and bloodshed that had overtaken their beloved country. For twenty years they had made a life for themselves in New York City, and they had even received their American citizenship. But now, they were both overcome with an unquenchable desire to return to Ethiopia and to devote themselves to helping their less fortunate brethren.

From the start, the one thing Connie and Gabe had plenty of was faith. With virtually no money, they made plans to pack up their lives and return to Mekelle, in the northwest province of Tigray, Ethiopia, where Gabe had grown up. Armed only with the belief that God would provide, they set out with the dream of building an orphanage that could improve the future for at least some of the hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian orphans who had lost their parents to war and the scourge of rampant HIV.

It didn't take long for miracles to happen. Families on the upper east side of Manhattan where Connie worked as a nanny became inspired by her dream and began to contribute money towards it. Soon, youngsters began to donate their bar and bat mitzvah gifts to the cause. By 2005, enough money had been raised to break ground.

Connie and Gabe's dream inspired their new Ethiopian neighbors as well, although many could not even comprehend the extent of their sacrifice; how, they wondered, could this couple who had fled Ethiopia and made it to the promised land of the United States choose to return to place from which they had narrowly escaped? But when Connie and Gabe's project caught the attention of local Ethiopian officials, the government miraculously donated 8 acres of land for the orphanage.

Finally, Connie and Gabe's sacrifice so inspired one American family that they contributed over $100,000 toward the project to insure the completion of the 8,000 square foot orphanage building. Named in their honor, Manger-Weil House is now home to eleven boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 7, pictured at right with Connie and Gabe.

Still, there is much work to be done. Now that the orphans have a home, funding for their food, clothing, and medical care needs to be assured. For only $50 a month, you can effectively "adopt" an orphan at Manger-Weil house by providing the monetary support for all the needs of a little boy or girl. In the coming months, you will be able to watch the child you support grow up before your eyes as we begin posting videos from the orphange on the video blog section of this website.

For those with greater capacity to contribute, there is pressing need for a real kitchen facility, a school building and eventually a second dormitory to house orphans themselves afflicted with HIV.

All contributions are 100% tax deductible, and you can even sign up to have a monthly gift automatically charged to any major credit card.

You will have few opportunities to make such a profound difference for such a small contribution.

CLICK HERE to see how easy it is to make a difference!