Open Hearts Big Dreams

Leyla Angelidis was three years old when she became concerned about the lack of children’s books in her native home Ethiopia. The little girl, who was adopted as an infant and taken to America, decided to make a difference after hearing about the problem. By expressing her concerns, Layla inspired her family’s Open Hearts Big Dreams initiative.

The program creates and distributes books specifically made for children in Ethiopia, featuring Ethiopian characters and written in several Ethiopian languages, as well as English. Partnering with several other organizations, such as Ethiopia Reads, Open Hearts Big Dreams started to make an impact in the country.

Layla found herself in a multicultural home when she came to the US. The diverse house includes Ellenore’s Greek husband, Michael, and the family’s culturally rich history.  The family’s experience with different cultures fueled their desire to bring even more diversity into their home. So they traveled to Ethiopia and adopted a 6-month-old baby named Layla. Considering the similarities between the Greek and Ethiopian traditions,  the Angelidis family naturally incorporated Leyla’s culture into their home.

After starting with a goal of contributing 200 unique titles to Ethiopian children’s literature, Open Hearts Big Dreams has published nearly 100 books so far. The project is made possible with contributions from author Jane Kurtz, who writes many of the easy-to-read books. Several other contributors also volunteer  their writing abilities, artistic talents and various skills to make the project a success.

As part of its effort to expand opportunities, Open Hearts has organized coding classes in Ethiopia and supported other technology initiatives.