EGI Receives Grow Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EGI Receives Grow Grant

Cambridge, MA, December 15, 2010 – Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI) President Samuel M. Gebru today announced that EGI received a $1,000 Grow Grant from San Francisco, CA-based Grow Marketing, a strategic marketing and public relations agency that works with global brands on brand marketing and consumer exposure campaigns.

Grow Marketing annually awards ten individuals and nonprofits, known as “Community Rock Stars,” $1,000 each as part of their holiday give back program. The award is designed to honor those who give back to their local and global communities. EGI was nominated and received the award after being selected through a highly competitive program.

“We were inundated with nominations when we announced the Grow Grants program in November,” says Cassie Hughes, co-founder of Grow Marketing in the company’s release.

Grow Marketing co-founder Gabrey Means stated that, “Smaller non-profits and individuals give enormous amounts of their own time, often operating on shoestring budgets,” explaining that, “It was inspiring to read their stories.”

Samuel Gebru expressed his gratitude saying that, “EGI’s expansion efforts will greatly benefit from the Grow Grant. I am honored that organizations, such as Grow Marketing, realize the incredible work EGI has planned for 2011. We appreciate their support.”

Earlier this year EGI began an ambitious expansion program increasing its annual budget and global membership. Leaders from the organization have been engaged in meetings with partners, donors and supporters designing new ways for EGI to become a global leader for Ethiopia.

EGI’s International Board of Directors expressed appreciation to Grow Marketing saying that the grant is a huge assistance in reaching its operating budget goal for 2011.

Find out more about the work of Grow Marketing at www.grow-marketing.com.

About the Ethiopian Global Initiative

The Ethiopian Global Initiative is an international nonprofit organization that combines and captures the social and intellectual capital of students and professionals for the transformation of Ethiopia through a new generation of socially responsible leaders. Working throughout the world, the Initiative serves as a catalyst for community-based projects to promote civic engagement and economic prosperity.

Media Contact: action@ethgi.org or +1-617-528-9434

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A Different Edge on Giving

By: Evan J. Anderson
December 14, 2010

Until recently, the only image of Ethiopia I had was similar to the one above. As a past participant in several of World Vision's "30 Hour Famines," an initiative by the non-profit to encourage students to forego eating for a weekend while raising funds for starving children across the globe, I was frequently exposed to their style of advertising. Everyone has seen an ad on TV for child sponsorship, and everyone knows the feeling they get when viewing one of these. One comment on the YouTube video above says it all, "This makes me feel very bad and sad." And while this sadness and guilt is a very effective marketing strategy in encouraging viewers to donate to organizations like World Vision, it has a lasting effect on the mental set of people in the Global North. Giving becomes a chore, and it is no longer done for the right reasons.

In 2008, my church decided to stop its partnership with World Vision, and create its own fundraiser, while maintaining the fasting element. As can be seen in the video below, the new initiative had an entirely new focus: hope instead of guilt.

The decision to switch to the new pilot program can be interpreted as a fundamental dissatisfaction with the entire system of charitable giving in this country. Instead of seeing the Global South as some distant place, doomed without that next donation, people need to be exposed to a more diverse set of images, especially those that convey positive messages. Now, some may argue that if Americans only hear positive stories from the Global South, donations might decrease, and those who were relying on that aid might die. But if the "flies-in-the-eyes" reporting is replaced with accurate, level-headed accounts of the gaping North-South gap, I believe Americans will generously respond.

My desire to fundamentally change the way Americans look at the developing world was a major factor that led to my involvement with EGI. Rather than knowing a country only by some video footage of children gathering water from a dirty well, I decided to get to know that country on a more personal level. I am highly satisfied with the work I have done with EGI so far and can not wait to see what the future brings!

Evan J. Anderson, an undergraduate student at American University in Washington, D.C., is majoring in International Studies with a concentration in International Development and serves as a Steering Committee Member of U.S. College Students for Ethiopia, an innovative project of the Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI) that provides college students from the United States the opportunity to intern or volunteer with Ethiopian-led organizations headquartered in Ethiopia.

Exploring Ethiopia at Olivet

President Samuel M. Gebru poses for a picture following
his presentation and is joined by Olivet Pastor Kris Gorden
and other members of the Ethiopia delegation.
Photo: Lori Bakken

By: Samuel M. Gebru

December 6, 2010

I went to Olivet Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, yesterday afternoon to speak about the Ethiopian Global Initiative and Ethiopian history and culture. 

Having been invited to speak by members of the Olivet delegation to Ethiopia, I enthusiastically accepted the invitation as an opportunity to share the richness of Ethiopia. The group, composed of young and old, is a cross-section of various professions and interests.

My presentation, entitled "Exploring Ethiopia," gave the group an overview of the Ethiopian Global Initiative's history, mission and projects. I highlighted the importance of building a global coalition of like-minded thinkers who share one thing in common: an affection towards Ethiopia. 

Since the group is going to Ethiopia for the first time, with the exception of one adult who previously adopted two young girls from Ethiopia, I gave an overview of the country. Beginning from the geography, explaining that Ethiopia is about twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas, I took the group 5,000 years back to describe an ancient empire that controlled the Red Sea and traded with other empires as far as India and China. 

I also went over certain customs and traditions that Ethiopians consider to be very important; whether it is how to properly greet others or to partaking in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, customs are very important in Ethiopia. It was fun going over the practice to prepare food and insist that your guests eat, even if they claim that they are not hungry, which is also customary to claim you are not hungry even if you are! A sort of back-and-forth exchange ensues before the guest accepts the food.

Following my presentation, I had the opportunity to answer questions from the delegation members and I also asked them questions about their goals in going to Ethiopia. Their goals ranged from learning more about Ethiopia to finally meeting the orphans they have sponsored at the Kolfe Boys Orphanage in Addis Ababa for some years now.

Most importantly is their continued involvement in Ethiopia. I encouraged them to become Ambassadors of Ethiopia when they return to the United States; to share their experience with their families, Church community, colleagues and friends. Not only do they serve as Ambassadors of Olivet when going to Ethiopia but they return to the United States with a duel perspective.

They all agreed that at the end, we're all just that--Ethiopians.

Your Ideas for New Projects

From an Ethiopian Big Brother Big Sister program to building Ethiopian community centers throughout the world to funding educational projects in Ethiopia, we at the Ethiopian Global Initiative have been given many ideas on new projects from our friends and donors.

In 2011, we will be launching new short and long-term projects designed to promote Ethiopian community engagement in the diaspora and also to implement sustainable projects in Ethiopia. As a natural stakeholder in the work of the Initiative, your ideas are important to us.

Please take the time to participate on our facebook discussion (http://on.fb.me/fkR6UL) giving us your feedback on what kind of projects we should do in Ethiopia and abroad. You can also participate on our blog post (http://bit.ly/dJ1Sbf) to share our ideas.

New Leadership for Ethiopia

By: Samuel M. Gebru

After returning from my third trip to Ethiopia in 2004, I was encouraged by the growth and development in Ethiopia but equally saddened by the severity of poverty throughout the country. It felt like for every one step made forward, two were made backwards. It was not until December 2004 when watching the Oprah Winfrey Show’s special program on the work of Dr. Catherine Hamlin of the Fistula Hospitals of Ethiopia that I decided to get involved in making a difference in my native land.

Its now nearly six years since learning about Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the wonderful work at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals of Ethiopia. This network of six hospitals, with its flagship in Addis Ababa, serves as the world’s exclusive center of fistula repair surgeries.

With six years of experience in community organizing, I have come to quickly learn that Ethiopia has an abundance of untapped leadership within the country and its diaspora, waiting to be unleashed. For a country like Ethiopia, a country that is foolishly labeled as being part of the “third world” as if there are multiple worlds we live in, developing a strong generation of leaders is tantamount to nation building. After the Ethiopian civil war, Ethiopia had to rebuild itself. Largely, the country remains in its rebuilding phase and has a long way to go.

While strides in access to education and health have been made, there is a lack of a strong emphasis of leadership skills and critical thinking in Ethiopia. African countries, rightfully so, tend to focus much on developing the technical side of academics and unfortunately that means that core entrepreneurial qualities are being left out. A nation twice the size of the U.S. State of Texas and Africa’s second most populous country, Ethiopia has just as many problems as opportunities.

Through working at the Ethiopian Global Initiative and other Ethiopia-related endeavors, I have learned much from my peers: young Ethiopians who are poised to become the next generation of leaders. Much negativity has been said about Ethiopian youth; from not knowing enough to meddling in affairs that don’t regard them, Ethiopian youth are discouraged from getting involved in the political, social and economic discourse of their native country.

Young Ethiopians around the world are expressing their interest in getting involved in charting a new course for Ethiopia. This is a revolution; I’m convinced of it. On my recent trip in 2008 to Ethiopia I jokingly mentioned to some government officials that although the previous Ethiopian revolutions were fought with firearms, my generation’s revolution would be that of ideas and solutions, a revolution fought with pens and papers.

There needs to be much more of an emphasis on Ethiopian youth leadership, and the proper development and retention of that leadership from generation to generation. In a matter of one or two decades, Ethiopia’s current political, social and economic leaders will all be left for the history books and if the young Ethiopians of today are not prepared enough to chart the new course for Ethiopia, we will spend years, if not decades, trying to sort out a mess that could have been easily prevented.

From the public to the private sector, older Ethiopians should be promoting genuine leadership from the youth. Government in Ethiopia on all levels should be working with youth, particularly on policy pertaining education, employment, health and youth affairs. On the university and college campuses, Ethiopian students should be encouraged to be thoughtful and critical of the status quo and challenge one another to map a course for new solutions. In the economy, youth should be encouraged by all to create jobs and markets instead of waiting for the government to assign them positions. With a very high unemployment rate, both the public and private sectors should implement creative ideas for job creation.

Coursing a new leadership for Ethiopia will take time. Ethiopia is a work in progress, and with the right amount of initiative and support, youth should continue to ensure that the progress of the past becomes the successes of the future. The young Ethiopians that are being outsourced daily to foreign countries should be kept in Ethiopia and given positions of leadership to creatively chart a new future for Ethiopia.

Combining the social and intellectual capital of the country’s young generation will prove very useful particularly with economic prosperity. All it takes is the commitment to action and not words.

The author is the President of the Ethiopian Global Initiative, an innovative international organization that aims to be the hub of solutions to transform Ethiopia by combining the social and intellectual capital of students and young professionals. To get involved with the work of EGI please email action@ethgi.org and follow @ethgi on twitter.