Historical Background of FOCUS
FOCUS, Fellowship of Christian University Students, was seeded by few students from Addis Ababa University in the early 1998. This few students began a Bible study in the dormitories in Afan Oromo for their friends who were unable to serve or to be served in Amharic. When the bible study was conducted in their own language most back sliders came back and restored i
n their faith and began serving other students. As many students came back to participate in the program, the dormitory was not sufficient to accommodate all of them and therefore prepared a program in Betel Mekane Yesus congregation in 1998 E.C and many students participated and discussed on the issues related to reaching university students who were unable to use Amharic to serve the Lord. After discussing at length, these students formally established a student ministry known as ‘Tokkummaa Kiristiyaanota Barattoota Oromoo’ which is “Fellowship of Oromo Christian Students” and began their program in the compound of EL-Shadai Ministry of the time. It was established to tackle the challenge of the University students. Because when Christian students join universities they encounter many difficulties as they come from their respective area to a totally new environment with different challenges. It is clear that according to the Ethiopian government policy, students are learning with their mother tongue until they join universities and colleges. When these students, who have been learning in their vernacular language, join colleges or universities, the most difficult situation they encounter is to serve or to be served in Amharic. Many of them were feeling embarrassment and back sliding from their faith and from the Lord. They were becoming addicts of different drugs and alcohols. Eventually it was cultivated, watered and was helped to stand on its own feet and became nationally licensed on January 24, 2007 from the Ministry of Justice of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia to operate all over Ethiopia under the name WKWBB (Waldaa Kiristiyaanaa Wangeela Barattootaaf Barattootaan) which is “Gospel to and through Christian students association.”. It is a None-denominational Para-church missional organization working with students in the entire nation of Ethiopia. It is a very young organization but the fastest growing ministry. But this name caused a problem as the name Waldaa Christianaa has dual meaning in Afan Oromo. It can mean both association and church and many congregations in different churches translated in the latter way and the second general assembly from March 26-28/2009 reorganized and renamed the organization under the name FOCUS. Despite the multiple challenges from different perspectives, FOCUS is both nationally and continentally the fastest growing university students fellowship and currently working with more than 200 campuses.
