Blessing The Children International

What Blessing The Children International does

Blessing The Children International (BCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in 2001 by Keith Strawn and headquartered in Kawkawlin, Michigan, with operational headquarters in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia. BCI operates child sponsorship, education, medical care, feeding, and economic empowerment programs targeting orphaned and impoverished children and widows in Ethiopia. The organization's flagship asset is the BCI Academy, a K-12 school serving 2,000+ students across its main Debre Zeyit campus and the Bethlehem Campus (acquired 2017), with curriculum emphasis on English instruction and daily feeding programs.

The organization's revenue model combines recurring individual donor child sponsorships ($30-$90/month), short-term mission trip fees ($3,395 for 2-week Ethiopia trips plus $295/additional week), 6-15 week internship program fees ($4,880-$7,535), and one-time designated or general donations processed via PayPal, mail, and phone. BCI runs a community-based foster care model in partnership with local Ethiopian churches (Misgana Church and Meserete Kristos Church) rather than institutional orphanage placement, complemented by the Income for Life / Loom Project and IGA program providing vocational training to widows. Distribution is direct-to-donor across North America, with a Canadian subsidiary (Blessing the Children - Canada Inc., established 2010) broadening the donor base, while program delivery occurs entirely on-ground in Ethiopia. The organization has been recognized as the #1 NGO in Ethiopia by the Ethiopian government (2015) and received the Education Bureau Award from Bishoftu Town (2019).

Name

Blessing The Children International

Legal name

Blessing the Children International

Website

https://blessingthechildren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blessing The Children International is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating child sponsorship, K-12 education (BCI Academy), feeding, medical care, and economic empowerment programs for orphaned children and widows in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, funded through recurring donations, mission trip fees, and internship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Child sponsorship programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• Christian nonprofit ministry
• Educational mission services
• Orphan care programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kawkawlin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Child Sponsorship: Monthly subscription-based sponsorship program where donors contribute $30/month for partial support or $90/month for full support of orphaned or impoverished children in Ethiopia. Sponsors receive photos, letters, and progress reports from their sponsored child.
2. Mission Trip Fees: Revenue from organizing and conducting 2-week mission trips to Ethiopia. Standard 2-week trip costs $3,395 USD, with additional weeks available at $295/week. Fees include roundtrip airfare, lodging, meals, guides, translators, transport, and project funds.
3. Internship Program Fees: Fees for structured internship programs lasting 6, 9, or 15 weeks in Ethiopia. Pricing ranges from $4,880 (6-week) to $7,535 (15-week). Includes similar inclusions as mission trips.
4. General Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors supporting the organization's general operations, specific projects, or 'where needed most' designation. Processed through PayPal or mail-in check.
5. Designated Project Support: Donations specifically designated for urgent needs items such as school supplies, medical care, feeding programs, income for life programs, and other operational needs. Itemized giving opportunities range from $15 (shoes) to $10,000 (100 computers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Blessing The Children International (BCI) is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit organization that delivers holistic, faith-based care to vulnerable and orphaned children in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia. Its core offerings include a child sponsorship program, the BCI Academy (Kindergarten through High School), a daily feeding program, medical care, and an Income for Life vocational initiative built around a loom/textile workshop.

Product overview

Blessing The Children International operates a multi-faceted humanitarian organization in Ethiopia consisting of programs for orphaned and impoverished children. The core offerings include the BCI Academy (preschool through Grade 12 school of excellence), Child Sponsorship program, Feeding Program, Medical Care, and Income for Life/Loom Project for widows. Supporting programs include Mission Trips and Internships for volunteers, the IGA program for mothers, and the historical Kamashi Orphanage. The organization connects donors with children through sponsorship at $30/month (basic) or $90/month (full support), while providing services including education, meals, healthcare, and income-generating opportunities. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Michigan with operations in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BCI Academy: School of excellence providing education to orphaned and impoverished children in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, serving over 2,000 students from preschool through grade 12.
• Kamashi Orphanage & School
• Kamashi Orphanage
• Ethiopian Call Ministry

Products and services

• Child Sponsorship Program A program that links individual donors to specific children in Ethiopia for ongoing monthly financial support, education, nutrition, and spiritual care.
• BCI Academy Educational services providing Kindergarten through High School instruction to sponsored and community children at BCI's campus in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia.
• Feeding Program Daily meal provision program addressing nutritional needs of sponsored children and students at the BCI campus in Ethiopia.
• Medical Care Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 university graduates from first Child Sponsorship program class entered workforce in 2018
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Celebrate Children InternationalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 January 2018Adoption agency referral partner. BCI's ministry is prohibited by Ethiopian law from facilitating adoptions since they operate an orphanage. Referrals sent to Celebrate Children International for families interested in adoption. Note: Ethiopian government voted to ban international adoption from Ethiopia on January 9, 2018.
• Bethlehem SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017School acquired by BCI in 2017 and designated as BCI Academy - Bethlehem Campus. Combined enrollment between both campuses reached 1,982 students.
• Southwest Baptist UniversityminorOthers · 1 January 2009Christian University located in Bolivar, Missouri. Provided letter of recommendation for BCI, validating organization's work and Christian mission.
• Ministry of Education (Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Ethiopian Government Agency that provided letter of recommendation for BCI, recognizing the organization's contribution to education and child welfare in Ethiopia.
• Misgana ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Local Ethiopian church partner established as a fellowship in 1977. Given plot of land by municipality in 1994. Endured opposition with initial building destroyed; new church building inaugurated in 2005 with 400 believers, grown to 550. BCI partners with Misgana Church to identify orphaned children in need and provide community-based care through foster families.
• Ethiopian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Kamashi Orphanage campus constructed by Ethiopian Government and provided free of charge to BCI. Government plea led to BCI establishing the 500-bed orphanage in remote Benishangul-Gumuz region. Government recognition as #1 NGO demonstrates ongoing relationship.
• Meserete Kristos ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988Meserete Kristos Fellowship established in Addis Ababa in 1955 by American missionaries. Became indigenous when communist government ruled Ethiopia. Two Ethiopians founded the Debre Zeyit branch in 1988. BCI partners with this church for identifying orphaned children and providing Christian education and care.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ChildFund International: International child-focused NGO offering child sponsorship, education, and health programs; serves African countries including Ethiopia with a similar recurrent-donor, community-development orientation as BCI.
• Lifesong for Orphans: Faith-based nonprofit focused on orphan care through child sponsorship, education, and transition programs; comparable in target beneficiary (orphans) and church-driven sponsorship model.
• Compassion International: The largest Christian child-sponsorship organization globally; uses an analogous monthly-subscription sponsorship model to fund education, health, and discipleship for children in developing countries — directly comparable to BCI's core offering.
• Holt International: Child welfare and international adoption organization with deep Ethiopia ties; comparable beneficiary population and program mix, though historically more focused on adoption pathways now curtailed in Ethiopia.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian relief and development organization running integrated child-development programs (nutrition, education, sponsorship) in multiple African countries; closely matches BCI's holistic, faith-based service model.
• Kids Alive International: Faith-based nonprofit dedicated to at-risk children through residential care, education, and family-style homes in Africa and Latin America — closely aligned to BCI's orphanage-to-academy care model.
• HopeChest: Runs sponsorship-driven community-development programs for orphaned and impoverished children, with significant operations in Ethiopia — directly comparable on geography, mission, and sponsorship product.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Large-scale humanitarian NGO running child sponsorship, education, and WASH programs globally; overlaps significantly with BCI's mission but at materially greater scale and broader program portfolio.
• Bethany Christian Services: Nonprofit providing child welfare, refugee services, and family support; comparable in faith-based child-services positioning, though operating at materially greater breadth and scale than BCI.
• Samaritan's Purse: Evangelical relief organization operating child sponsorship, medical, and disaster-response programs; comparable in faith-based positioning and integrated care model, though broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/blessingthechildrenintl
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlessingtheChildrenIntl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blessing-the-children-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Blessing The Children International