Marking the end of his diploma program at Coady, Eshetu Gebre of Ethiopia will remember what he considered a very positive learning experience at St. F. X. (Debbie Johnson photo)

Share

Tweet

Eshetu Gebre from Ethiopia was drawn to attending the 19 week diploma in development leadership at the Coady based on what he thought would be a more interactive means to learn and expand upon his work with women and children in his country.
He noted that, as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia, many women have been widowed and children have been orphaned by the death of their parents. His organization, Tikuret Lesetoch ena Lehitsanat Mahiber, focuses on care of women and children through a large orphanage and meal program for children. The organization also arranges for Western orphan adoptions and is a certified non-governmental, indigenous, non-profit, and non-religious organization that was established in 2007.
“In our country primary and secondary education is not free so we have to support them,” Gebre said, regarding children in the orphanage and those who are street children.
HIV and AIDS awareness is very low in Ethiopia and often grandparents are left to look after orphaned or abandoned children. Gebre notes that many grandparents do not have the resources to look after them.
Since 2006 four American universities have funded an education program and anti-viral therapy in the country, located on the Horn of Africa. Their work has involved a mentoring program to educate front line health staff that work with those with HIV or AIDS. Funding from The Clinton Foundation through the President’s Initiative has allowed these schools to implement the programs.
“Awareness is created and many people are starting to take the anti-viral therapy, so now the stigma has become lessened,” he said.
Gebre’s background is medical and his first degree was in medical laboratory technology. After working in a diagnostic laboratory he switched his career path for financial reasons and then realized he enjoyed work in the social work field more.
Within the capital city of Addis Ababa Gebre said there are sub-cities where there is a poor working class who are employed as factory workers. He lives in one of these factory zones and said those living there are not well-educated.
“In my community many people were affected by HIV/AIDS because of a lack of knowledge…husbands and wives are separated and the poverty level is higher,” he said.
Many Ethiopian men moved around as labourers and exposed themselves to unprotected sex with sex trade workers. In turn they carried the disease back to their wives.
As project officer with TLLM he writes project proposals and does mentorship training. The Coady program has helped him strengthen his writing and mentoring skills.
“The 19 weeks is very short,” he said, noting the amount of assignments and reading make for intensive studies.
“I am not only learning from the facilitators but I am also learning from my co-participants because most of them are working in leadership positions and they have a lot of experience,” he said.
He said that an exercise called River of Hope helped diploma students plot a timeline of where they came from as individuals and where they wanted to be headed through the course.
“That exercise made us realize that many of us have similar stories that took us to this point,” he said.
People have been very friendly with Gebre. He noted how receptive locals have been, inviting him and his fellow Coady students to their homes.
“I really like the consideration that people make for pedestrians here, back home you would be hit by a car, even in a crosswalk or drivers would honk their horns at you,” he said.
He noted that the Coady Institution that stands apart from others.
“The Coady uses transformative learning, adult education…the way they facilitate and consider the participant’s needs is so different,” he said.
Gebre added the friendly open doors of the Coady administration and the strong community spirit of the 48 co-participants contributed greatly to his positive experience on campus and with the greater community.