What Selam Children-s Village does

Selam Children's Village is a non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, founded in 1986 by Girma Tadesse (widely known as "Selam Abeba"). Its core service is residential childcare delivered through a Family Model Village, which raises children and youth in family-style group homes rather than institutional settings. The organization operates an integrated service stack that pairs this residential care with K-12 schooling, the Selam Technical and Vocational College (STVC) offering 11 training departments, youth transition support, women's economic empowerment programs, community-based services (school feeding, daycare), and an on-site health clinic. A second operational site opened at Sheno in March 2024, marking the organization's first geographic expansion outside Addis Ababa.

The organization's business model is that of a multi-donor-funded NGO. All services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is sourced from international institutional donors (Sida, German Cooperation, UNIDO, Plan International), Ethiopian government grant channels, individual donations, and income-generating subsidiaries including ROFAM and TRIAE. Programming is increasingly delivered in partnership with external centers — most notably the EASE-Qiyas multi-center TVET network spanning 13 partner locations — and a partnered entity, Selam Charity Switzerland, extends fundraising reach into European donor markets. Selam is governed by a General Assembly currently chaired by Professor Daniel Kitaw, with operational leadership retained by the founder.

From an investment-analytical standpoint, Selam is best understood as a scaled, vertically integrated social services platform rather than a single-program NGO: the integration of childcare, education, vocational training, healthcare, and women's empowerment under one operational roof is the defining feature of its model, and Sheno plus the EASE-Qiyas network represent the early stages of replicating that platform across additional geographies and partner sites.

Name

Selam Children-s Village

Legal name

Selam Children's Village

Website

https://selamchildrenvillage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Selam Children's Village is an Addis Ababa-based non-profit, founded in 1986, that provides integrated residential childcare, K-12 schooling, vocational training across 11 departments, youth transition support, women's empowerment, and clinic services — all free to beneficiaries — funded by institutional donors and a small set of income-generating subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Vocational Education Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Vocational training
• Orphan care
• Community development
• Youth employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SCV receives donations from individuals, organizations, and institutions both domestically and internationally. The organization conducts fundraising campaigns including dinners and digital marketing efforts to raise funds for water wells, educational programs, and operational costs.
2. Government Grants and Support: Support from Ethiopian government agencies and ministries for TVET programs, skills development initiatives, and community support programs.
3. International Development Funding: Funding from international development agencies including Sida (Sweden), German Cooperation, UNIDO, Plan International, and bilateral government aid programs supporting youth employment, vocational training, and child welfare.
4. Income-Generating Activities (ROFAM and TRIAE): SCV operates income-generating enterprises including ROFAM Manufacturing and Service Plc and TRIAE that provide vocational training while generating revenue to support the organization's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Selam Children's Village provides holistic family-based residential care, K-12 education, vocational training, healthcare, and community support services to vulnerable children, at-risk youth, single mothers, and women in Ethiopia. All services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, funded by donations, grants, and income-generating enterprises including ROFAM Manufacturing and Service Plc and TRIAE.

Product overview

Selam Children's Village is a charitable organization operating a comprehensive portfolio of social service programs and educational services for vulnerable children, youth, and communities in Ethiopia. The organization operates a multi-tiered service model consisting of: (1) Core Child Care Programs including Family Model Village Child Care, Day Care, and Youth Support Programs including Semi-Independent Living (SIL); (2) Community Support Services including School Feeding, Women Economic Empowerment, Hygiene Kit Support for Girls, Educational Support, and Destitute Elderly Women Support; (3) Healthcare through its Health & Clinic Service; and (4) vocational education through Selam Technical and Vocational College (STVC) which offers training across 11 departments including Electrical and Electronics, Construction, Metal Manufacturing, Heavy Equipment Maintenance, Hospitality, Garment Production, IT, Woodwork, Urban Agriculture, and Driver Training. The organization also has income-generating arms (ROFAM and TRIAE) and has recently expanded with a Sheno Center outside Addis Ababa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Selam Technical and Vocational College: Technical and vocational training institution offering courses in electrical technology, construction, metal manufacturing, hospitality, garment production, IT, and other vocational fields.
• Selam Day Care Center
• MISALE Driving Academy

Products and services

• Family Model Village Child Care Family-based residential care program providing shelter, nutrition (3 meals daily), education, healthcare, and psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children in family-style homes at SCV.
• Youth Support Program Support services for youth including the Semi-Independent Living (SIL) Program that helps young people transition to independence, higher education scholarships, and employment placement assistance.
• Day Care Free child care services for vulnerable children of single mothers, providing meals, early childhood education, and care to enable mothers to pursue livelihoods.
• Selam Technical and Vocational College (STVC) Technical and vocational training college offering regular and extension training programs across multiple technical departments including electrical, construction, metal manufacturing, hospitality, garment production, IT, woodwork, urban agriculture, and driver training.
• Health & Clinic Service Health clinic providing medical services to children and community members at the SCV compound.
• School Feeding Nutrition program supporting children in schools, providing meals to address food insecurity.
• Women Economic Empowerment Program aimed at empowering women through economic opportunities, vocational training, and livelihood support.
• MISALE Driving Academy (MISALE Chora Plc) Driver training academy offering professional driving instruction for various vehicle categories, operating as a subsidiary entity of SCV.
• ROFAM Manufacturing and Service Plc Income-generating manufacturing and service activities enterprise providing vocational training opportunities while generating revenue to support SCV's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 182 youth graduated from 6-month vocational training with 4 months classroom + 2 months practical cooperative training
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Selam Charity SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated international organization that supports SCV programs through funding, capacity building, and governance participation. Joint Executive Board meetings held annually with strategic planning and code of cooperation endorsement.
• bbw International (Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation partner for Bavarian Ethiopian Youth Employment Promotion Project (BEYEPP), managing training delivery and providing expertise in vocational education.
• UNIDO ITPO TokyominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Tokyo supports industrial skills training programs with Japanese technology.
• ITOCHU CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese trading company supporting Girls Be Ambitious Project for sanitary product manufacturing technology transfer.
• Eka Kotebe General HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership for mutual collaboration. Hospital management visited SCV in October 2024 to explore potential collaborations and strengthen community health initiatives.
• Ministry of Labor and Skills - EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry supporting EASE-Skills for Jobs (Qiyas) Project providing 100% free digital skills training with job placement for unemployed youth aged 18-29.
• Entrepreneurship Development Institute - EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment institute supporting EASE project providing entrepreneurship training and job placement support for TVET and university graduates.
• Addis Ababa Driver and Vehicle AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment authority supporting MISALE Driving Academy through regulatory guidance and commitment to collaboration for efficient resource utilization.
• ACSO (Authority for Civil Society Organizations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment regulatory body for civil society. Director General Samson Biratu led delegation visit in February 2025, praising SCV's urban agriculture and IGA wing as scalable model.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SOS Children's Villages International: Global NGO operating family-based care villages for orphans and vulnerable children in 130+ countries, including Ethiopia. Directly comparable to SCV's family model village concept, holistic child welfare model, and youth transition support.
• CHADET (Child Aid Development and Education Foundation): Ethiopian NGO focused on child and youth development, education, and community-based child protection. Direct in-country peer operating with similar holistic child welfare and community empowerment approach.
• Childaid Network: German non-profit supporting children's aid projects in developing countries, including education and vocational training. Shares SCV's focus on long-term self-sufficiency through skills development rather than emergency aid.
• Kindernothilfe: German child rights NGO supporting partner organizations in Africa and Latin America with self-help initiatives, education, and vocational training—closely aligned to SCV's vocational training and child welfare model.
• Plan International Ethiopia: Existing donor/partner of SCV, Plan International operates child rights, education, and youth economic empowerment programs in Ethiopia with comparable beneficiary populations and government engagement.
• Bethany Christian Services: Global faith-based organization providing family-based care, adoption, and refugee services. Comparable to SCV in offering alternative care models (family villages) rather than institutional care, plus youth transition support.

Broad incumbents

• Compassion International Ethiopia: International child sponsorship NGO operating in Ethiopia with child development, education, and vocational programs for vulnerable children. Comparable holistic, child-centered model though primarily sponsorship-funded.
• Save the Children Ethiopia: Major international NGO operating across child protection, education, health, and livelihoods in Ethiopia. Comparable mission and donor base, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than SCV.
• UNICEF Ethiopia: UN agency delivering large-scale child welfare, education, and child protection programming across Ethiopia. Overlapping beneficiary population (vulnerable children) and programmatic areas but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Others

• Selam Charity Switzerland: Swiss affiliate organization that supports SCV through fundraising, governance participation, and capacity building. Not a competitor but a closely linked governance and funding counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/selamchildrenvillage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/selam-children-s-village

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Selam Children-s Village