BuildEthiopia Conference Webpage Launches

Interested in learning more about the 2011 BuildEthiopia Conference at Harvard University on October 21-22, 2011? Click here and visit the conference webpage and register today!

Volunteering…it sure is rewarding!!

By: Abel Tadesse

August 10, 2011

Have you heard about the Daily Challenge by meyouHealth? If not, I highly recommend that you check it out. There are so many interesting topics that come out to do different things, testing if it helps your well-being. No worries, I am not part of the meyouHealth team, but I love what I see in their websites!

Last week in the Daily Challenge announcement, they posted one of my favorite challenges to users, visit a website to learn about local volunteering opportunities. Right away, users including myself and other colleagues and friends of mine started responding with their comments marking it “DONE!” 

While reading the “why it matters” section of the post, I knew that our communities do have wonderful volunteers. At the same time though, I was surprised to see so many individuals volunteering in their own communities giving their time to Church activities, nonprofit organizations, local food drives, supporting their children school sport teams...the list goes on and on.

As some of you may know, writing and speaking about a topic starts from the self. I volunteer as a Project Manager at the Ethiopian Global Initiative and I vouch that volunteering there is the most rewarding hobby of my own. With that being said, I challenge you to volunteer in your communities and if you really want a challenge, work with international groups to share your talent and skills as a volunteer to help communities globally. 

In my case, I help impact the lives of women in Ethiopia through training skilled midwives. What are you doing? Now, that's a rewarding challenge!

Abel Tadesse is Project Manager of the EGI Midwives Scholarship Fund.

Ethiopian Global Initiative Hosts Ceremony at U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa high school student, Bitanya Yosef, explains
how she thinks the paintings relate to the presentation
on the topic of Juvenile Delinquency. (EGI Photo)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, August 9, 2011 – U.S. College Students for Ethiopia (USCSE), a project of the Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI), hosted a closing ceremony for its Youth Community Dialogue participants at the Embassy of the United States of America on Saturday, August 6.

The Youth Community Dialogue is a USCSE summer program that helps Addis Ababa high school students communicate effectively and creatively to their peers and community members about issues important to them in their local neighborhoods. Through this Dialogue, USCSE promotes a culture of volunteerism and community engagement among local youth, while developing their analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

For five weeks, 20 participants engaged in stimulating discussions and prepared presentations on issues ranging from “Youth Self-Expression” to “Juvenile Delinquency,” under the guidance of U.S. and Addis Ababa University students. Participants had the opportunity to speak and interact with Diaspora professionals that returned to Ethiopia to contribute to the country’s development. 

View full press release and pictures here.

EGI Luncheon at Merkamo Ethiopian Bistro

Come learn about the Ethiopian Global Initiative's Midwives Scholarship Fund and a portion of your bill will fund the education of students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery at the Hamlin College of Midwives in Ethiopia.

Where: Merkamo Ethiopian Bistro, 7020 Commerce Street, Springfield, VA 22150

When: Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 1:00pm to 4:00pm

RSVP: msf@ethgi.org

Information: www.ethgi.org or +1-617-528-9434

Click here for facebook event page.

EGI Statement on Horn of Africa Drought and Famine

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Somalis from southern Somalia carry their belongings
as they make their way to a new camp for internally
displaced people in Mogadishu Somalia, Saturday July
30, 2011. (AP / Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Cambridge, Mass., United States

Roughly 100 million people inhabit the Horn of Africa, consisting of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. It is a region that is unfortunately known for the seemingly endless problems of wars, droughts, famines and diseases.

The Ethiopian Global Initiative is deeply concerned by the current drought and famine situation plaguing millions of people in the Horn of Africa. We applaud the international community’s efforts to quickly respond to the regional malnutrition and starvation of the people. The effects of famine also include the spread of epidemics and the increase of mortality rates.

It is nothing short of a scandal for humans to suffer from famine in the 21st century. With the technological and economic advancements over the past decades, famines, regardless of location, should be a thing of the past. Food security and healthcare must be placed as a top priority for governments in the Horn of Africa and other developing states.

The vulnerability of pastoralists, who are at the mercy of nature, and poverty are two important causes of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. We at the Initiative believe that a long-term development strategy is necessary to combat the problems of food security. Emergency aid is indeed useful, but we encourage the Horn of Africa’s governments, intellectuals and diaspora to come together to find long-term solutions that are sustainable and meet the needs of the people.

Some of the poorest of the world’s poor live in the Horn of Africa, and it is not fair or justifiable to them to live at the hand of the international community’s generosity. The Ethiopian Global Initiative reaffirms its commitment to Ethiopia’s transformation, forming a long-term development strategy that focuses on economic prosperity, literacy, improved access to healthcare and the status of children, youth and women.

Samuel M. Gebru

President and Chairman

Leul Yohannes

Director of Operations

Ethiopian Global Initiative Announces 2011 BuildEthiopia Conference

Cambridge, Mass., United States, July 6, 2011 – The Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI), today, announced its second annual conference to be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 21 and 22, 2011. Officially known as the BuildEthiopia Conference, it will feature an array of sessions designed to engage participants to seek solutions for Ethiopia’s development challenges.

EGI President Samuel M. Gebru stated that the conference would be a significant gathering of bright minds. “We want to challenge participants by making them think outside the box and collaborate beyond their personal interests and disciplines to seek solutions that can holistically build a better Ethiopia.”

BuildEthiopia was chosen as the name of the Ethiopian Global Initiative’s annual conference because it emphasizes the mission of the Initiative, which is to combine the wealth of knowledge and resources of students and professionals for the transformation of Ethiopia. In 2007, Ethiopia reached the year 2000 on its own calendar, and attention was given to the idea of an Ethiopian Renaissance as a revival of Ethiopian values, culture and innovation. By focusing on holistic development, BuildEthiopia will create ways to engage bright minds to help chart Ethiopia’s future through investing in human and social capital.

“BuildEthiopia is a platform for innovation, networking and creating solid partnerships. It will bring students and professionals to Cambridge who are in the business of transforming Ethiopia through critical projects and ideas,” said EGI Director of Development Tezeta G. Roro.

Click here to read more.

Samuel sits down with "The Benchmark"

In this interview with The Benchmark with Kallie Ejigu, Ethiopian Global Initiative President Samuel Gebru opens up about his background, motivations for continuing his nonprofit work and his life goals. The exclusive interview with Kalkidan “Kallie” Ejigu, held at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, D.C., gives an in-depth look into EGI’s beginnings and some of its projects. Samuel and Kalkidan discuss what it actually means to combine and capture the social and intellectual capital of students and professionals in order to reverse the brain drain. Samuel also explains two flagship EGI projects, the Midwives Scholarship Fund and U.S. College Students for Ethiopia. More information can be obtained by contacting EGI.

Part One

Part Two