BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Following the national call for one million Ethiopians in the Diaspora set to come home for the Ethiopian Christmas (Genna), Ethiopians from different corners of the world are coming to their motherland. Huge number of Diasporas accepted the Great Home-Coming challenge of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and is now being part of different national events and activities in various parts of the country.
As part of different events organized for the Diaspora, Green legacy initiative was organized by the Addis Ababa City Administration that mobilized the Diaspora to plant seedlings to leave their legacy in the Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative. Started in 2019 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Green Legacy Initiative is a national agenda which aims to boost the country’s forest coverage to 30 per cent by 2030.
To make the Diaspora part of the National Green Legacy initiative, parallel to the current national issues that forced to call for the Diaspora come to home, the metropolis organized the Diaspora Green Legacy day where a lot of Diaspora community members attended the one-day planting campaign.
During the event, Addis Ababa City Mayor, Adanech Abebie announced that the City Administration has named one park in the city, “Ethiopian Diaspora Park” to help Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origin in the Diaspora to leave their legacy. This aims to make the Diaspora community’s initiatives part of the nation’s green development. During the day, thousands of seedlings were planted within and around the park.
The Diaspora Park is beyond a site of green development; it is a memorial for the struggle of the Diaspora Community to fend off external pressure posed on the country, Adanech said. She added that this historic event of the Diaspora is part of the Green Legacy Initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed under the theme “Let’s adorn Ethiopia” which helps the country to plant over 16 billion seedlings during the past three rainy seasons across the country.
Emnet Tadesse is among the Diasporas came to home following the national call of great home coming challenge. And she has attended the green legacy program. During the event of planting trees, Emnet told ENA that she came to Ethiopia responding to the national call and to contribute her share for country’s national survival as the country is struggling internal and external enemies.
Emnet planted seedlings and leave her legacy in the Diaspora Park and she is attending the national Diaspora programs. She expressed happiness to be part of the Diasporas who leave their legacy in addition to the national events on current national affairs.
Emnet noted that she is planning to continue her participation in the national green legacy initiative by different means and assured that she is committed to fulfill her responsibility to help her country.
Biruk Abebe was also among the Diasporas who attended the seedling plantingeventat theDiaspora Park named the same day in the capital. Biruk is happy to see the newly inaugurated Diaspora Park and have the opportunity to leave his green legacy in the park. In addition to participating in the green legacy, he plans to engage in different development activities of the country.
He said that he came to home to be part of the great home coming challenge. In addition, he planned to involve in different investment activities in his motherland in addition to participating in the national events in which the country is mobilizing the diaspora to lend hands in the fight against foreign interference and restoring the economy.
The Diaspora community members who attended the tree planting program in the park praised the city administration’s initiative of named a park to honor the role of the Diaspora for their homeland. In addition, such kind of activities will strengthen the bond between the Diaspora communities with their home-country and invites the Diaspora community to strengthen their development and investment activities at home.
During the plantation day, the Diaspora community has planted over four thousand seedlings in the park. Besides ensuring green legacy, the recent move of the diaspora is a symbol for #No More# neo colonialism movement of the diasporat Adanech noted adding the participation of the Diaspora in the green legacy helps boost contribution in nation building activities..
Addis Ababa City Beautification and Green Development Bureau head, Tsigereda Worku on her part said that the program was organized for the Diaspora community to leave their footsteps in Ethiopia’s green development expedition. Tsigereda added that this initiative of the Diaspora Community,in green legacy, is part of the great homecoming program.
“Greening Ethiopia is the responsibility of every Ethiopian,” Adanech stated adding that “Everyone should contribute its share for the realization of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s vision of Greening Ethiopia.” The opening of the Diaspora Park in Addis Ababa and the Diaspora community’s engagement in the green legacy initiative has multiple meanings, she added.
According to Adanech, though the meaning of this park is more than green development, it plays its own role in boosting beauty and forest coverage of the metropolis. In addition, It is just as keepsake for the Diaspora community apart from initiate others to participate in every development activity.
Adanech also underlined that the strong participation and mobilization of the Diaspora community especially in hard times, helps Ethiopia to break all pressure imposed from the international community.
The struggle of the Ethiopian Diaspora to defend their country from any pressure and external influence would remain remembered always. Beyond that, the current Diaspora community’s effort to participate in the development and economic activities of the country is also helping the country to challenge the challenges in the economic sector that the country faces due to economic sanctions and the internal crises.
“I hope the diaspora will continue its support in every aspect via strengthening the same activities.” Adanech added. The Diaspora who came to home need to participating in different events organized for this purpose including field visits to support people affected due to the war in Northern part of Ethiopia, mainly in Afar and Amhara states.
The Diaspora communities are visiting displaced people, destroyed infrastructures in Amhara and Afar states and discussed with communities and officials at local, regional and federal levels. Events related to the great home-coming of the Ethiopian Diaspora should continue as they have irreplaceable to up country’s economy through involving in various sectors.
The Ethiopian Herald January 11/2022
