Bypassing Politics? A Meeting with Ethiopia’s President

Mr. Samuel M. Gebru, CEO of the Ethiopian Global
Initiative and H.E. Girma Woldegiorgis, President of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (Photo: Grand Palace)

Samuel M. Gebru (@SMGebru)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

July 29, 2012

It was an honor to be invited to the Grand Palace on Friday, July 20 to meet with the President of Ethiopia.

Girma Woldegiorgis, born in 1925, is currently 88-years-old and despite his age and health issues, his passion and service for Ethiopia is as young as my college-aged heart.

When I was told that I had an opportunity to meet with Ethiopia’s Head of State, I readily took the opportunity. While most discount the President of Ethiopia as a mere figurehead resembling Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, I would argue that—just like the Queen—the President is what should hold the national fabric together as head of the Ethiopian state.

In 2010, I mistakenly argued that the government should do away with the Presidency because I thought it had no clear purpose. I have come to learn that it is the President who should inspire a new generation of public servants through his/her own merits. And who better than Girma Woldegiorgis for this role?

Sure, he has had his fair share of health issues and at one point was rumored to have died (although I can assure you that he’s alive and kicking!), Girma Woldegiorgis has the resume fit for the Ethiopian Presidency. Beyond his ability to speak seven languages, of which three are Ethiopian (Oromiffia, Amharic and Tigrinya), the President has been a lifetime public servant since his youth.

As I walked into the Grand Palace, built for Ethiopia’s last monarch, I was stunned by the magnificent Judeo-Christian motifs. From the rugs to the ceilings to the President’s desk, formerly the Emperor’s, the Grand Palace was a magnificent display of the ancient ties Ethiopia has to Christianity, Judaism and Israel.

Already briefed on me, the President expressed happiness to receive someone my age. I told him that it was hard for many like me to be taken seriously because of our age and that one needs old age and a title before receiving respect in Ethiopian society. He interrupted me and disagreed. He reminded me that he was 36 when he became Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Ethiopia’s Imperial Parliament in 1961 and that he was my age when he was called to national service in the Imperial Air Force, earning the rank of Lieutenant. 

In our meeting, I briefed President Girma on the Ethiopian Global Initiative’s vision for Ethiopia. He was very happy to learn that the organization’s core is built of students and professionals ranging from 18 to 35-years-old. I informed him how the Initiative aims to increase its presence in Ethiopia and undertake more programs and projects in healthcare, education, civic engagement and economic development. 

President Girma Woldegiorgis shows CEO Samuel Gebru
his Lem Ethiopia membership card. (Photo: Grand Palace)

President Girma is a noted environmentalist. As Speaker of Parliament, he designed the first environmental legislation in Ethiopia—perhaps one of the first in Africa. In March 1992, he founded Lem Ethiopia (The Environment and Development Society of Ethiopia), Ethiopia’s premiere civil society organization responsible for the protection of the environment. 

What impresses me the most about President Girma is his ability to bypass Ethiopia’s unpredictable political system and work with all governments. His transcendence of the Governments of Haile Selassie, Mengistu Hailemariam and Meles Zenawi is truly remarkable—and that he has earned everyone’s respect in the process. 

At the end, I asked President Girma what was the best advice he could give me. He said, “Continue what you are doing in meeting people from all sectors and backgrounds and learn more from them. It is only then can you become an effective public servant.”

I look forward to many more encounters with the President and wish him and the First Lady my warmest regards.

Samuel M. Gebru is 20-years-old and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ethiopian Global Initiative.

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.

Travel Abroad Opportunity for American Students in Ethiopia

Planning is underway at the Ethiopian Global Initiative, an international organization of students and young professionals, for a new project that aims to send college students from the United States to Ethiopia. The project, U.S. College Students for Ethiopia, plans to provide volunteer and intern opportunities for American college students. Initially, it will be a summer opportunity but in the coming years the Ethiopian Global Initiative intends on providing semester and full year travel opportunities to Ethiopia.

Working with the leading public and private sector organizations in Ethiopia, U.S. College Students for Ethiopia will give American college students the unique opportunity of gaining practical experience in their academic field of interest while in Ethiopia. Students majoring in English Literature might volunteer to teach English at a rural primary school while those majoring in Economics might want to intern at an agency like the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, headquartered in Addis Ababa.

The Initiative’s management is busy assembling the Project Steering Committee for U.S. College Students for Ethiopia. The Committee, led by a Project Manager, will be responsible for the management, planning and implementation of the project. In the coming weeks the Project Steering Committee will be finalizing agreements with partner and receiving organizations in the United States and Ethiopia. A group of about 10-15 American college students will be selected in the spring to travel to Ethiopia in 2011 as a pilot project test for the Initiative.

Get Involved!

You can join the Project Steering Committee if you want to be involved in managing and overseeing an important international project by emailing the EGI Department of Internal Affairs at internalaffairs@ethgi.org. Getting involved in the Project Steering Committee is an important way for students and young professionals to build their experience in regards to project planning and management, teamwork and communication skills.

The project is also looking for 10-15 students to participate in the pilot project test for the summer of 2011. A formal application process does exist and further information will go out in the spring but students interested should indicate their interest by emailing the EGI Department of Operations at operations@ethgi.org.

For further questions you may email info@ethgi.org.

Ethiopia: Youth, the Hamlins and Commitment to Action

By: Samuel M. Gebru

Friday, June 11, 2010

One of the things I like about community and youth organizing is that I get the opportunity to really connect with people individually and hear what concerns and suggestions they have to improve our communities. Being born in Sudan, raised in the United States and of Ethiopian origin, I belong to many different communities.

When I established the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative, I envisioned bringing dynamic, open-minded and highly motivated youth, students and professionals together. The Ethiopian Diaspora community is highly intoxicated by very superficial things that, at the end of the day, don’t really matter. Whether at home or abroad, we Ethiopians have shown ourselves to be a community that is easily divided, and sometimes it appears—whether real or not—that we are more divided than united.

In December 2004, after watching the Oprah Winfrey Show’s program on obstetric fistula in Ethiopia, I became inspired by the strong commitment to community service displayed by Drs. Reginald and Catherine Hamlin, co-founders of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Reginald passed away in 1993 but Catherine, now in her 80s, still lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the same commitment that drove her to Ethiopia with her late husband in 1959. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has now evolved into a network of 6 hospitals in Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Mekelle, Bahar Dar, Harrar, Metu and Yirgalem. They are collectively known as the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia. In 2009, the hospitals celebrated Catherine Hamlin’s 50th year in Ethiopia.

To think that a foreigner commit over 50 years of dedicated service and hard work to Ethiopia is nothing less than amazing. Learning about the tragedy of obstetric fistula and the energy of the Hamlins not only inspired me but it embarrassed me. As a 13-year-old in December 2004, I began to question why Ethiopians in the Diaspora were not showing the same level of commitment non-Ethiopians demonstrated to Ethiopia. I also began to question why our community is more concerned about ethnic pride, who occupies the Menelik Palace and infesting every aspect of our lives with politics than whether 81 million Ethiopians have access to clean water and if the 6 million Ethiopian orphans will find new kind and loving people to call parents. Out of this embarrassment came inspiration and my commitment to act.

I founded the Ethiopian Team after convening a meeting of 13 Ethiopian youth in the Boston area on April 2, 2005. Once I shared the tragedies of obstetric fistula and the story of the Hamlins, the others were equally inspired to join the efforts. We became the first Ethiopian youth effort in Boston. An entire community was educated and inspired due to our work. The Ethiopian Team, in less than a year, raised enough funds to sponsor 11 women for fistula-repair surgery at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. Our youngest member was in 6th grade, our oldest was in 12th grade and I was in 8th grade.

The Ethiopian American Youth Initiative is the Ethiopian Team’s successor. EAYI was formed in 2006 and aimed to bring open-minded youth and student leaders together to really get things done. The Initiative is hosting its first annual conference in 14 days in Washington, D.C. The 2010 EAYI Conference will be about brainstorming proactive and realistic solutions to the everyday problems in Ethiopia. It will also be about finding solutions to the problems in our local communities within the Diaspora. This gathering will be of student and youth leaders that further our collective and individual commitment to act.

I call upon Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians to embrace the spirit of community service of the Hamlins in the same manner it inspired me to respond to the call for action 81 million Ethiopians have silently put.

Now, I am 18-years-old and am still embarrassed, inspired and committed to act.

Samuel M. Gebru is the President of the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative.

You may read more of Samuel's articles on his personal blog.