About Wings of Lola, Inc.
Wings of Lola, Inc. is a United States-based nonprofit organization dedicated to funding and sustaining Lola Children’s Home in Mekelle, Ethiopia. We exist to ensure that orphaned and vulnerable children are provided not just with their basic human rights, but with a loving, safe, and empowering place to call home.
Our Origin Story
The seeds for Wings of Lola were planted a year before the children’s home even opened. A group of adoptive parents and flight attendants bringing donations to Ethiopia had the privilege of meeting Abebe Fantahun, who was directing an orphanage in Addis Ababa at the time.
Abebe shared his dream: to return to his hometown of Mekelle and open a sanctuary for orphaned and vulnerable children who had no options and no hope. The following year, Abebe’s dream became a reality when he founded a small, loving orphanage in Mekelle in 2009. Inspired by his vision and dedication, this group of individuals banded together in the United States to form Wings of Lola, Inc. Thanks to the ongoing contributions from our founders and donors, the city eventually granted Abebe land to build a larger home, allowing Lola Children’s Home to grow in the community.
The Heart of Our Work: Lola Children’s Home
Mekelle previously lacked services for HIV-positive and other displaced orphans, leaving many children without family, government support, food, or medicine after losing their parents. Because the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia remains severe— often costing people their housing and employment— these children are incredibly vulnerable.
Lola Children’s Home combats this crisis by providing comprehensive care through three core pillars:
Residential Program: We offer a safe, loving sanctuary for children with nowhere else to go. This includes nutritious meals, ongoing medical care, and a quality private school education.
Day Care Program: We provide healthy food, education, shelter, and vital medical care. This allows these children to have their basic needs met while remaining living with their families.
Outreach Program: We supply supplemental funding for food, educational materials, clothing, and medication to local children and families who need extra financial assistance to stay on their feet.
More than an orphanage: A True Home
While our services are essential, how we deliver them is what makes Lola Children’s Home distinctive. We are exactly what our name implies: a home. Unlike traditional institutions, we actively encourage our children to maintain and strengthen bonds with their families and the local community. Children with local relatives visit them every Sunday, families regularly come to Lola for celebrations, and some children even spend a month during the summer living with their relatives.
Our children are healthy, happy, and treat one another like siblings. They participate in local events, are well-known in the Mekelle community, and receive the educational tools necessary to excel in any future career.
How You Can Help
Our mission relies on the generosity of our community. By supporting Wings of Lola, you help us provide these children with the privileges every child deserves: a loving family environment, safety, food, clothing, education, and life-saving medical care.
