H.A.P.PY. 10th Anniversary
September 11, 2010
Hands Across the Planet to Poor Youth, (H.A.P.P.Y.) a charity benefiting impoverished children throughout the world, turns 10 years old.  H.A.P.P.Y. has been dedicated to safeguard education, distribute sanitary water, and construct modern hospitals.  Already their efforts have come to fruition; upon selling his own house, Belay built and opened an orphan school.  The first class consisted of 147 students.  Today, there are over 1,000 students—and the numbers are still growing.  “The enrollment continues to grow because there is a great need for help,” Belay explains.  So does the need for sanitary drinking water. Although Belay is busy with maintaining his present school, he is setting his sights on major projects, most notably another school and a solar-powered water purification system. He estimates that the school will cost $380,000 to $400,000, and the water system $2 to $4 million. Both needs are great, Belay says, but the inadequate access to clean water and sanitation is also a leading cause of death among Ethiopian children and was especially agonizing to him on a visit he made to his homeland this summer.  A nearby river polluted by animal and human use is the village’s main source of water. 

Even so, Belay has a happy and positive outlook.  “This is only the beginning.  As long as I have my health, God willing, I will do everything that I can to help these less fortunate children.”

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