Read Amlaku’s story.

Bricks for Life was founded by Amlaku Yaregal with his mentor, friend and partner, Ric Foxley.

As the youngest of four, Amlaku lost his mother at birth and was raised by his sister, Ayal. At 12, he ran away to pursue an education, living on the streets and doing odd jobs to earn money for food and schooling. Eventually, Amlaku anded up as a tour guide to the carved rock churches of Lalibela.

It was here that Amlaku met Ric. The night before they met, Amlaku had prayed that God would provide for him a way to move forward. To do his final year, he needed to study full time and couldn’t afford to lose his income. So, in a faith filled question, Amlaku asked Ric:

“Please sir, I want to go to university”.

From there, the seeds for Bricks for Life began. Ric and others funded Amlaku’s tertiary studies in Plant Science, so that Amlaku could return home to his village and teach vital agriculture, irrigation and farming skills. The whole community has committed to his new farming techniques, and the vastly improved crops they are getting now testify to the value of his input. He is also training farmers in neighbouring villages in the same techniques.

Bricks for Life, through Anglican Missions, has continued to expand ever since. We support Amlaku to teach sustainable agriculture in a country rife with civil war, drought and hunger.