Kitcatt Nohr Digitas

Ethiopia. The mention of it conjures up images of drought and famine. Distended bellies and wide-eyed children. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.

A quarter-century since two billion people watched Live Aid, two creatives from Kitcatt Nohr Digitas set off to Ethiopia. We went in search of new images and new stories, for a new fundraising campaign for Age UK and HelpAge International.

We returned not simply with the required ‘content’, but with a mission:

Ethiopia has moved on. So must charity marketing.

We must celebrate the progress that has been made. Not simply replay the ‘flies in eyes’ cliches. We must show donors the needs they have helped meet, not simply the need for more. We must show that change is not simply possible, but is actually happening.

Ethiopia is not a bottomless pit. Nor is it a begging bowl. It is a land of dignified, determined and delightful people. People we were privileged to photograph. People we would like you to meet.

This is Wagay Tedesse. She is raising five grandchildren. And five great-grandchildren. There are thousands like her. Raising millions like them. Orphans of conflict and displacement. Famine and disease. She is their mother. And their father. She is their carer, mentor and provider. Wagay Tedesse is 75 years old. She is the future of Ethiopia.

This is Bekele Dechasa. Every weekday he walks to a community centre. There he receives a balanced and nourishing meal. Injera, a local bread. Shiro, a simple stew. Bakele, a plate of boiled beans. But the centre is not open at weekends. So Bekele drinks water to make his belly feel full. Goes to church. And waits for Monday to come.

This is Assegedech Assfaw. She once owned a large home. Too big for just a few people. So she invited 14 homeless older people to live with her. Then she got a larger home still, to take in even more people. Then she got a huge plot of land. Today, she lives with around 170 older people, on a working farm that generates income to help care for them all.

This is Emire Bayileyegni. He lost a leg defending his country. He lost his home when his family abandoned him. He now lives with Assegedech Assfaw.

This is Dinke Tura and Mehedia Ahmed. Part of the ‘food on foot’ brigade. This is how you do meals on wheels, when you don’t have the wheels. This troop of older men and women prepare and package food to deliver to those too ill or immobile to leave home. In charity circles, it’s known as the ripple effect. In Ethiopia, it’s known as looking out for your neighbour.

This is Getacho Gebre and his wife Shirebe. They lived in a house with no roof, no floor, and no door. In the rainy season they would sleep with plastic bags on their heads. Thanks to a housing renovation project, they now have a roof. And a concrete floor. They invite friends around to sit on it and drink coffee. And when they go to bed, they lock their new door. “We used to sleep like animals. Now we feel like humans.”

This is Bayushe Wolde Aregay. She’s a regular at the Eneredada Elder People’s Association. The women come here to spin. The men to weave. Local schoolchildren come in to volunteer, and learn traditional craft skills in return. All receive food and support, some of which is funded by the textiles they sell in the project’s small shop.

This is Imran Abubeker. He’s the project co-ordinator at Eneredada. He’s learnt that using donations as capital creates projects that generate income. This is charity as investment. And it’s a big success. Now Imran wants to roll it out in other parts of Ethiopia.

This is Turunesh Wereda. She is 100 years old. And Senite. She’s just 10. They live in one of the poorest areas of Addis Ababa. Turunesh is blind. Senite gets the breakfast ready before she goes to school. She always puts it in the same place, so that Turunesh might find it. Senite wants to grow up and become a doctor. She’s already perfected her beside manner.

There is something about seeing people who’ve worked so hard to get one foot up, that makes you want to help them with the other. Ethiopians are not victims. They are not charity cases. They are people making the very most of what they have. And hoping you can give them a little more. We hope our new campaign will inspire you to do just that. Look out for it in June.