Ethiopia is one of the youngest nations on Earth. More than 70% of its people are under 30, and urban youth unemployment has reached about 25% among 15 to 29-year-olds. In Addis Ababa and other fast-growing cities, many young people come of age in crowded informal settlements with few paths to work, mentoring, or a stable future. Far to the west, the Gambela region has become the country’s largest refugee-hosting area, home to roughly 446,000 South Sudanese refugees, and new arrivals keep crossing the border. Thousands of children and youth there are growing up far from home, in places where opportunities to flourish, or to know Jesus, are rare. 

Boy With a Ball Ethiopia works hand in hand with Great Commission Ministry Ethiopia (GCME) to bring Love Your City to these communities. Currently, four Ethiopian missionary teams have launched Love Your City in four slums across Addis Ababa with fidelity, mobilizing local volunteers to walk their neighborhoods, build deep relationships with families, launch transformational small groups, and multiply microchurches. We hope this work soon extends into the refugee camps of Gambela, where young people who have lost nearly everything are being invited to discover their purpose and lead change in their own communities.