About Us
OUR HISTORY
How One Monthly Gift Became a Mission
For more than five years before establishing GECI, founder Dawit Negari made a personal commitment: he cleaned his own home instead of paying for housekeeping and sent the $100 monthly savings to five vulnerable elders in Ethiopia. What began as one person’s decision became a sustained effort to provide food, dignity, and human connection.
Month after month, those five elders received consistent assistance. As Dawit learned about many other older adults experiencing hunger, homelessness, and isolation, he realized that a larger and more organized effort was needed.
GECI was created to expand that personal commitment into a transparent, community-based charitable organization.
2021: GECI Is Established
Grace Elderly Care International, Inc. was established in November 2021 and subsequently recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its mission is to restore dignity and improve the lives of vulnerable elders in Ethiopia through direct assistance and community-based care.
From the beginning, GECI was built differently:
- All-volunteer leadership: GECI’s officers and directors serve without compensation, allowing the organization to devote its limited resources primarily to programs.
- Professional oversight: Board members with accounting and community-development experience oversee GECI’s financial reporting, internal controls, and program accountability.
- Community-based delivery: Local Ethiopian volunteers who know their communities best.
- Dignity-centered assistance: Monthly cash support allows elders to purchase food and essential items according to their individual needs.
2022-2023: Building and Proving the Model
Starting from that foundation of personal sacrifice, GECI grew systematically:
- Established four core programs: monthly cash allowances, home repairs, temporary shelter, and volunteer mobilization
- Built partnerships with Ethiopian community leaders and volunteers
- Developed transparent financial systems and donor stewardship practices
- Maintained program-focused spending, with approximately 95% of expenses supporting programs
2024-2025: Recognition and Scale
Our commitment to transparency and accountability earned GECI the 2024 and 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest rating for nonprofit accountability. GECI earned Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2024, 2025, and 2026 by publicly sharing detailed organizational, financial, and program information.
Today, we provide monthly cash assistance, basic healthcare, hygiene supplies, and emotional support to 100 severely malnourished older adults who have no other support system.
2026 and Beyond
The need remains urgent. Thousands more Ethiopian elders still face malnutrition, homelessness, and isolation. GECI exists to change that, one elder at a time.
What Began with One Person’s Sacrifice Has Become a Movement
GECI is fully run by volunteers in both the U.S. and Ethiopia. We are accountants, business professionals, humanitarians, and community members united by a simple conviction: no elder should die hungry, homeless, or forgotten.
The work continues. The need remains. AWe remain committed to strengthening our programs, improving accountability, and reaching additional elders as sustainable funding becomes available.
OUR HISTORY
It Started with $100 and a Choice
For over five years before founding GECI, our founder made a simple but profound decision: instead of spending $100 a month on housekeeping, he cleaned his own home and sent that money to five elderly people in Ethiopia who were facing hunger, isolation, and extreme hardship.
Month after month. Year after year. Five elders who would have gone hungry were fed.
But as word spread through Ethiopian communities, the need became undeniable: thousands of elderly individuals—people who had built Ethiopia through decades of hard work—were now dying alone, forgotten, and malnourished. Five elders weren’t enough. One person’s sacrifice wasn’t enough.
GECI was born to turn a personal mission into a movement.
November 2021: The Founding
Grace Elderly Care International, Inc. was officially established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 87-3528034) with a clear mission: combat elderly malnutrition in Ethiopia through direct, dignified assistance delivered with maximum efficiency.
From the beginning, GECI was built differently:
- All-volunteer leadership: No executive salaries; every donated dollar goes to programs
- Professional oversight: Board includes 2 Certified Public Accountants ensuring financial integrity
- Community-based delivery: Local Ethiopian volunteers who know their communities best
- Cash-first approach: Preserving elder dignity and autonomy through direct financial assistance
2022-2023: Building and Proving the Model
Starting from that foundation of personal sacrifice, GECI grew systematically:
- Established four core programs: monthly cash allowances, home repairs, temporary shelter, and volunteer mobilization
- Built partnerships with Ethiopian community leaders and volunteers
- Developed transparent financial systems and donor stewardship practices
- Achieved 95% program efficiency—among the highest in the nonprofit sector
2024-2025: Recognition and Scale
Our commitment to transparency and accountability earned GECI the 2024 and 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest rating for nonprofit accountability. This independent validation confirmed what our donors already knew: GECI operates with exceptional integrity and impact.
Today, we provide monthly cash assistance, basic healthcare, hygiene supplies, and emotional support to 100 severely malnourished older adults who have no other support system.
Looking Ahead: January 2026 and Beyond
But the need remains urgent. Thousands more Ethiopian elders still face malnutrition, homelessness, and isolation. GECI exists to change that—one elder at a time, one community at a time.
What Began with One Person’s Sacrifice Has Become a Movement
GECI is fully run by volunteers in both the U.S. and Ethiopia. We are accountants, business professionals, humanitarians, and community members united by a simple conviction: no elder should die hungry, homeless, or forgotten.
The work continues. The need remains. And we’re just getting started.
Our Vision and Mission
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to restore dignity and improve the quality of life of vulnerable elders in Ethiopia by addressing hunger, unsafe housing, homelessness, and isolation through direct assistance and community-based care.
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is an Ethiopia where every older adult can live with dignity, adequate food, safe shelter, and meaningful human connection.
CORE VALUES
Compassion
We approach every elder with empathy, respect, and recognition of their inherent dignity.
Collaboration
We work with elders, local volunteers, community organizations, and donors to develop practical and culturally appropriate solutions.
Integrity
We use the resources entrusted to us responsibly and communicate honestly about our activities, finances, accomplishments, and challenges.
Advocacy
We raise awareness of the needs, rights, and contributions of older adults who are too often overlooked.
Inclusion
| We provide assistance based on need without discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, political affiliation, or other personal characteristics. |
