In stark defiance of normal trends for Ethiopian organizations in the Diaspora which generally seem to come ago quite frequently, ESAI has been around for quite some time. What’s more, they’re still going strong as they look into ushering their second decade of existence with their 10th anniversary coming up soon. We asked Nahom Beyene and Tsegahiwot Belachew to give our readers an idea of how and why ESAI came about, what they do and how its benefiting Ethiopian students from one end of the globe to the other.
By Nahom Beyene,(ESAI Board of Advisors) & Tsegahiwot Belachew (Former External Affairs Secretary)
Ethiopian émigré and Marymount University student Wubeshet Mehari, with a few of his peers formed the Ethiopian Students Association International (ESAI) during the summer of 1999. The initial vision was to forge lines of communication amongst Ethiopian students and to consider ways that Ethiopian students could help one another. After attending one of the very first People to People meetings, Wubeshet was inspired observing the power of connections when various medical professionals of Ethiopian background had gotten together for a common purpose. He envisioned a network of students similarly connected by a common purpose, a network that could pull together and at the same time stretch beyond the small pockets of student communities scattered across universities in North America. With the collaboration of Ethiopian student organizations in the DC area, Wubeshet and his peers started to share this vision with students worldwide through a web site and a mailing list.
Today, ESAI takes pride in well over 2000 members and an international network of Ethiopian students and other organizations. In the 2008 term alone the executive team and ESAI divisions had members from 7 U.S. states & 5 countries (USA, Austria, Italy, Canada, Ethiopia). The executive board (elected annually) oversees the general business of the organization as well as functioning as the leading organ to topic specific divisions such as Education, Publication, Volunteerism and others.
Historically, Ethiopian students in the US and Europe have been able to develop strong organizations organised primarily out of their respective institutions. ESAI recognizes the achievements of these organizations and proudly claims to be a part of their legacy. The ESAI vision is to network such organizations as well as individual students to achieve the advancement of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Holding the dream of an Ethiopia that is self-sustaining and where children can grow in peace, harmony and prosperity, ESAI aims to bring together our strengths in culture, intellect, and history so that students can enable each other, individually and collectivity to find ways towards this goal.
We firmly believe education is a crucial part of a developed Ethiopia and thus encourage and support all Ethiopian scholarship. Today, ESAI continues to celebrate the diverse backgrounds and viewpoints of all its members through its activities and the dialogue which it enables through its web forum; where topics of interest to Ethiopian students have been explored by its members worldwide for many years. The activities of ESAI are highly inclusive and non-partisan. All these activities have the aim of bringing together those who have Ethiopian backgrounds as well as friends of Ethiopia with a desire to form connections and undertake projects of common interest. Primarily, ESAI accomplishes this through its most integral tool, the web platform where students connect globally and benefit from resources, relationships, leadership and mentorship opportunities available to them through the organization.
To date, our organization has completed a wide variety of projects including a couple of book drives, AIDS awareness activities, a literature contest, partnership with various NGOs through which initiatives have been completed, educational counseling and ‘study groups’ where members have explored topics with prominent intellectuals, leadership training, reforestation efforts in Ethiopia and other cultural activities. Furthermore, ESAI continues to be a catalyst for projects affiliated with it. One good example of this would be the very recent effort toward the formation of a new chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers organization in Ethiopia. All interested can find more information about these endeavors in the lower left-corner of the ESAI home page (http://www.esai.org) in the section titled ‘Accomplishments’.
One of the consistent ESAI events has been the gathering of students of Ethiopian descent at the yearly summit held at various North American universities. At these summits, students explore common causes, spotlight their accomplishments, and strengthen their connections with ESAI. Traditionally, ESAI has been able to bring prominent leaders from our community such as Noah Samara , Ephraim Issac, Dr. Ingida Asfaw, Alemtsehay Wedajo to give keynote addresses. ESAI has also used this platform to connect the student community with organizations and NGOs that are doing exemplary work for Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Diaspora communities.
ESAI has seen the birth of many friendships that have enabled notable partnerships and projects within our community. Amongst them, it is worth mentioning the success of members as entrepreneurs in businesses and endeavors such as BlenGrafix, Ethio Tube Ghion Financials, GoogleAmharic, Bernos, BurntfaceMedia/ Blackopia, EthioCorps and DESTA for Africa amongst others. ESAI continues to be a platform to exercise the strengths of its members, by enabling them to grow through their own efforts within the organization. We celebrate the achievements of our members not to claim credit, but to serve as an inspiration to others.
For more on ESAI, please visit their website at www.ESAI.org .
In stark defiance of normal trends for Ethiopian organizations in the Diaspora which generally seem to come ago quite frequently, ESAI has been around for quite some time. What’s more, they’re still going strong as they look into ushering their second decade of existence with their 10th anniversary coming up soon. We asked Nahom Beyene and Tsegahiwot Belachew to give our readers an idea of how and why ESAI came about, what they do and how its benefiting Ethiopian students from one end of the globe to the other.
