Founder & coordinator
Mena Okugbeni
Mena holds a degree in Social Policy and has more than 25 years of experience working with disabled children with high dependency needs, specialising in autism.
About us
Helping every child live their best life
At The One Heart Wholeness Centre we offer a range of therapeutic activities to children living with profound disabilities, from hydrocephalus to cerebral palsy and autism. Our children are aged 3 to 18. All of them are non-verbal, doubly incontinent and unable to walk.
Our staff set individual aims for each child and work toward them in every session. Our aim is simple: for the children to be the best that they can be.
Our team
The people who lead the work
Project manager
Hilina Mengesha
Hilina holds a B.Sc. in Horticulture and a B.A. in Business Management, with certificates in Trauma Healing and Psychosocial Support. She has led community projects since 2019.
Our home
A house on the banks of the Nile
We rent a large house on Bezawit Road, the jacaranda-lined road that leads to Emperor Haile Selassie's summer palace. It's peaceful and surrounded by nature. It isn't unusual to see a hippo swim past from the front balcony.
Getting the children here
From one crowded bus to two
For years one 16-seater minibus carried 16 children and 9 staff. The first group spent over two hours on board each way, often coming in hot, uncomfortable and dehydrated.
Thanks to our supporters we now have a second bus. Journeys are safer and shorter, and we can reach more of the community.
Recognition
Licensed, trusted and recognised
On 11 August 2021 we became a registered NGO with the Ethiopian Charity Commission in Addis Ababa. Since then the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs in the Amhara region has recognised our work three times.
Our long-term vision
KYAAH village
The centre is the first step toward KYAAH village: an inclusive home for people our society too often leaves behind.
We picture a place where marginalised elders, abandoned children unfairly labelled "street boys", single mothers and disabled children with high dependency needs can find refuge, support and opportunity.
- Residential homes for elders, children, mothers and disabled children
- Education and therapy facilities, a health clinic and offices
- A central longhouse that brings everyone together as family
Our logo
Different hands, one heart
Our logo is fun and colourful. The children playing give it movement, and the hands come together in the shape of a heart. The children are all different colours and abilities, just like the children at our centre.
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