The start of the school year brings with it some exciting new developments for the ACC. First and foremost, we celebrated the grand opening of a beautiful new home for the children. The new dormitory houses 18 kids and one housemother comfortably. She takes care of their daily needs as well as provides a mother’s warmth, caring and love. The dorm has five bedrooms and a large living/ dining room space with inviting couches and chairs. As one might imagine, the children are very excited about their new home. Everyone pitched in to get ACC ready for the dormitory’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and ready it was! The grand opening of the dormitory coincided with another important new development for ACC, and Awassa at large. The morning of the opening, ACC was happy to host a gathering of 42 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from the community. They all came together to discuss issues pertinent to the functioning of children’s aid organizations in the area. I gave a detailed introduction of the purpose and intention of the ACC, as well as a glimpse into the programs and activities offered. The meeting was a great success and solidified the commitment that ACC has made with other NGOs to learn from and support each other. When we all work together we can make a greater impact! With all of the new developments at ACC, there are still more to come. The ACC is halfway completed with its second new dormitory. Funding for this final phase of our Housing Expansion Project was graciously provided by USAID. With the construction of this dormitory, ACC now provides all of the children with comfortable new homes along with a home life. This will encourage their growth as a family and continued success. On behalf of the ACC children and staff we would like to thank everyone who contributed to the children’s new homes. Your generosity is appreciated beyond measure.