Trip to Africa, May 2022

Team members from BEB recently took a trip to both Uganda and Ethiopia to build relationships with government officials, meet with the country managers, visit children homes, and attend a conference.

Frank Garrott, Vice President of Strategic Affairs, and Bruce Graham, BEB Chairman started the trip in Ethiopia where they got to meet BEB’s new country manager from Ethiopia, Zena Gebregiorgis, attend the Orphan Summit conference, and visit BEB’s new NGO partners, Hope for the Fatherless (HFTF). While attending the conference, the BEB team joined breakout sessions where they discussed Children First Software (CFS) and the positive impact it has made globally. Many people who heard about CFS were intrigued and wanted to know more. The team shared about their partnership with Hope for the Fatherless and how they have already implemented CFS in their home. After the conference, the team visited Hope for the Fatherless and heard their feedback from CFS.

After the Ethiopia trip, Bruce Graham met up with Mark Schwartz, BEB President, and Kenneth Ayebazibwe, Uganda Regional and Country Manager, in Uganda to meet with their government to discuss new implementations of CFS modules and new updates to the software. Linda Graham LPC, the wife of Bruce Graham, hosted an Enneagram workshop for the BEB team in Uganda where they took time to learn about each of their individual strengths.

The Africa trip, and the first international trip since the COVID pandemic, was a huge success as the BEB team finally got to work and interact face-to-face with old and new partners working on behalf of African children. BEB is excited for the future of CFS in Africa as well as upcoming trips to meet with additional countries, build new relationships, and continue to help implement CFS around the globe so that more and more children get placed with loving families!