HOPE Enterprises began in 1971 with Jack and Evangel Smith, they were American missionaries living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, opened their home to twenty street children offering them basic needs, schooling, skill training, and love. Upon Smith’s departure from Ethiopia, a group of concerned Ethiopians began running the organization with the continued mission of leading those living on the margins of society towards self-sufficiency.
HOPE Enterprises operates as an Ethiopian Christian NGO, employing close to 400 people, with continued devotion to serving the marginalized through holistic human development. As one of the first local NGOs in Ethiopia, the organization was registered as a humanitarian association in 1974. Since then, they have successfully grown to operate two feeding programs for people living on the streets of Addis Ababa and Dessie, seven elementary schools, five high schools, numerous vocational training and adult literacy programs throughout Ethiopia, and Hope College of Business, Science & Technology in Addis Ababa.