I Pour Life doesn’t work only in Missouri, we also serve 45 youth in Kore, Ethiopia. Youth experience homelessness, poverty and loneliness to a great extent in Kore. Almost 80% of the youth in Kore are at-risk. I Pour Life exists to be a resource of hope and provide LifeCoaching for youth there. Temena is an excellent example of what is possible when these youth are given the chance to realize their full potential. 

Temena was born in Addis Ababa. When he was five years old, he lost both his parents and started a new life with his older brother.  When his brother got married, disagreement erupted among them and he was sent out of the house. He then built a plastic house on the street to sleep at night. 

He worked at different jobs to support his education and got a scholarship from one of the non-government organizations.  Though he loved school he was bullied and had a few discipline issues. Because of that he lost his scholarship and had to leave school. Temena then fell into the wrong crowd and became addicted to drinking, smoking, and chewing ‘chatt’.

Temena Joins I Pour Life

I Pour Life  found Temena and encouraged him to join our LifeStrengths program. It was clear he did not realize his full potential, and that he just needed some guidance to realize his capabilities. 

Temena’s caring character, especially towards his friends, is remarkable. But like many at-risk youth, he had a very low self-esteem and little to no motivation to complete his schooling. He was also still struggling with addiction. 

After meeting with an I Pour Life LifeCoach regularly, Temena went back to school to finish grade 12. His behavior changed (based on the testimony of his teacher) and he reunited with his brother.

After COVID- 19

After completing the National exam, Temena became eligible for college admission, but did not have the resources to start. I Pour Life helped him process a scholarship for Hope University. They agreed to give scholarship if he could pay for the first semester. Since he couldn’t afford to pay, IPL-E covered Birr 3700 (USD 79) as his first-semester payment. After he finished his first semester, Hope University gave him a full scholarship, and now he is a BA Accounting student at the university. For Temena, $92 given from I Pour Life over 3 years gave him the ability to pursue his passions and create a future for himself.