Selamta club was created by junior Biruk Tibebe. Tibebe started the club this year after her trip to a housing project in Ethiopia. According to Selamta’s website, over four million children have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty. With the creation of the club this year, Tibebe hopes that the formation of Selamta will help to provide awareness and resources to the marginalized and orphaned.

Q: What does Selamta Club do?

A: The organization groups together marginalized women and orphaned children in Ethiopia to create families that will be able to grow up together. The organization provides housing, education and development resources to them as well.

Q: Why did you start Selamta Club?

A: I went to Ethiopia over the summer and went to the Selamta Family Project building with my father and met with a lot of the staff, volunteers, the orphans and women. They were all extremely nice and I actually had lunch at one the housing projects, so I really wanted to raise awareness for the cause.

Q: What are your goals as a club?

A: To raise awareness for the bad conditions that many orphanages in developing countries are plagued by. We also want to fundraise and go to events held by the organizations.

Q: Was there a specific reason that drew you to making Selamta Club?

A: My uncle is the Ethiopian director for the organization, so he took us to the main office building to give us a tour. It became way more than just a visit for me; I went back another day to help with the English program they have there, translating for volunteer teachers who were American.

To learn more about the organization, visit: http://www.selamtafamilyproject.org/