When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion

– Amharic Ethiopian proverb

When we stand together, we are stronger. We need to break out of silos to create the changes we seek. We recognize that the world we want, a world where no one is left behind and where we all have access to nourishing food, clean water and safe shelter, requires new visions of hope and resilience.

Now for the first time, executive coaching, previously only available to top corporate executives, will be made available to nonprofit organizations. Our innovative approach blends logic with vision – recognizing the proven success of coaching and imagining the possibilities created by applying these skills and tools to help address the greatest humanitarian and environmental challenges of our time.

EthicalCoach is a vision and a collaborative journey

Successful sustainable development involves true collaboration. EthicalCoach is a platform for partnership, bringing forward opportunities for exchange and advancement… We create a bridge between executive coaches and humanitarian organizations to effect lasting change, benefiting current and future generations.

First stop is Addis Ababa where we will work with local NGOs to create sustainable positive change!

We chose Ethiopia to begin our work for many reasons. It is a country of diverse beauty and strength. Ethiopia has three different climate zones and more than 80 ethnicities and languages. The region has been ravaged by the harsh impacts of climate change. The current drought has caused over 10 million Ethiopians to be in need of food assistance with around a third of the population surviving under the poverty line.

Extreme hunger and poverty impact all areas of society and development. Without food in their bellies, children struggle with studies. When there are no crops growing during a drought, the plight is two-fold: hundreds of families suffer from hunger, and also from a loss of income. Another layer of pressure is the role played by Ethiopia in hosting one of the largest refugee populations on the continent of Africa. In 2016, there were 730,000 officially registered refugees from Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan residing in 26 camps across Ethiopia.

Despite all of these challenges, Ethiopians have established a stable infrastructure. Ethiopia is home to a robust network of organizations devoted to addressing extreme poverty and hunger, many focusing on issues facing children. However, these efforts are often thwarted by the constraints of capacity.

As a global community, we continue to face unprecedented sustainability challenges. Through the leadership of EthicalCoach, a vision has been put in place to help end extreme poverty, promote equality and opportunity for all, and to protect the planet. Guided by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), we are mapping a way to a sustainable future.

“While there are many pathways forward to achieve the SDGs, one thing is clear: business as usual is not an option to close the $2.5 trillion annual funding gap in developing countries alone…. To realize the SDGs we need to foster a new era of collaboration and coordination… bringing together leaders from different sectors.” Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation

The Ethiopian NGO Leadership Coaching Summit will be held on October 4&5, 2018 in Addis Ababa. To stimulate a wave of positive impact, we will bring together expertise and tools from world-class coaches to connect with local organizations in order to expand their capacity to support children in need. During the Summit, we will deliver workshops to over 400 NGO leaders. Sessions will be designed specifically to address the unique challenges of Ethiopia. With $400,000 available in coaching grants, a minimum of ten NGO leaders will be awarded a full year of one-on-one support from our inaugural team of coaches.

These coaching engagements will be documented as case studies to inform future opportunities in other regions, as well as contribute to new standards of practice. Our plan is to replicate and expand the model across the world on every continent and in every country in need, realizing the full potential of every nonprofit organization with which we work.

Together, we believe we can increase capacity and extend the support provided to reach even more children and families in need. EthicalCoach is building a bridge between executive coaches and nonprofit organizations to improve results by supporting strategy, clarity and action. Innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be used to measure an overall ROI of the coaching, including improvements in NGO level of technical and adaptive competence. The resulting ability of each NGO to serve and support more children is the ultimate external evidence of success. In addition, EthicalCoach will contribute to the body of knowledge about the successful implementation of global partnerships.

Collaboration, listening, engagement, expertise, evidence and learning will characterize the way EC releases the potential of applying great coaching to global humanitarian efforts. Stay tuned for updates and posts as we bring this vision to life, creating a cascade of positive outcomes.

Ethiopia is where the journey begins – a journey that will take us around the world!