BY LEULSEGED WORKU
The Addis Ababa City Administration is working persistently to lessen the social and economic burden of its residents, especially the poor and the disadvantaged segments through designing various strategies and programs.
As part of this effort, and Administration’s 60 days people-centered project lately, it has inaugurated various development projects, including the recently opened feeding center in Lideta Sub City.
Tesfa Birhan (Light of Hope) Feeding Center, the seventh feeding center in the capital, which is the biggest of all the six centers and is built to feed vulnerable groups of the society, is said has the capacity to accommodate at least 3000 people at once. It also has 8 residential units, 28 shops, Sheger bread and vegetable grocery, as well as urban agriculture and green development projects.
Speaking at the event, City Mayor Adanch Abiebie said that one of the core principles of our political outlook is valuing human kind. “We firmly believe that all activities that we perform should be inclusive and must integrate the concept of supporting each other so as to realize national transformation”
According to her, the project is part of Administration’s effort towards showing love and respect for humankind. “The project is not only a task that we have delivered merely feeding center, shops and houses. Rather it is also a work that we have shown our love and respect for you,” the Mayor added.
“Starting from the time we assume political power, we have made a promise to engage in people- center, humanitarian activities and serve the public. And that is what we are doing now. Through undertaking people-centered activities, we are converting the promise into reality, she remarked.
As to her, since the project is designed in a way to promote modern urban agriculture, the feeding center will have direct access to vegetables from its premises. Serving others committedly, work hard and with that spirit prospering together is one of the duties that the government is performing. This should also be the social responsibilities and duties of all patriotic citizens.
According to her, selflessness and doing good things for fellow citizens should be the responsibility of every citizen. It should be part and parcel of every individual’s social duty. Living for others will not cost us anything. What it needs is willingness and commitment. In this regard, hand in hand government`s effort, citizens should contribute their part to help their fellow brothers and sisters.
“If we all listen and support each other with the sense of fraternity and kindness, putting aside the agenda of our enemies, there would not be any history that we fail to change it,” Mayor Adanech stressed. On his part, Lideta Sub City CEO Asegedew H/Giorgis said that humanity is the center of all projects that we are engaged in now. The newly inaugurated Tesfa-Birhan Feeding Center has enabled the impoverished people who are living in the Sub-City to see a glimmer of hope.
Concerning the Feeding Center, beneficiaries have also stated its incalculable importance in terms of lessening their burdens. According to them, the newly inaugurated projects have shown how the City Administration is dedicated to alleviate the challenges of people living in poverty.
“The City Administration has attested practically its concern, commitment and dedication by supporting the most disadvantageous groups of the society,” said beneficiaries. Tesfa Berhan is part of the City Administration’s target of feeding city’s residents who are economically deprived and cannot eat once a day.
Starting from the time the project became operational; several impoverished people living in various parts of the capital are getting services from the projects. As documents indicate, so far, more than 12,000 citizens have become beneficiaries from feeding Centers that are found in six Sub-Cites.
According to the City Administration Communication Office beside the six centers the Administration has opened, the seventh center (which was opened recently) is the largest one. We are living in an era where selflessness and selfishness are battling each other. Due to the economic constraints some individuals are seen suffering from poverty and hunger. On the other hand there are also some groups who lead their life extravagantly. For this reason, the battle between selfishness and selflessness is a continuous war.
This war, which manifests itself in the form of economic disparity between the have and have-nots, has a direct and indirect impact on the social and political structure of the country. For this reason, policy makers and individuals are trying their level best to narrow the gap.
As part of this plan, in addition to creating job opportunities, providing the poor with food and shelter has become one of the prior targets of the City Administration. As a result, in activities carried out so far successful results are being witnessed. The newly constructed houses that were given to the poor, renovation of old houses and feeding centers that are constructed in six sub-cities to benefit those people on the breadline are good indications of humanity.
As it had been repeatedly indicated by the Mayor Adanech, humanity is the core value of her administration. This principle is not politicians’ election time promise. As one can witness from the testimony of individuals who become beneficiaries from the system, humanity is pronounced more than other agendas. What is more, the feeding center that targeted the impoverished members of the society is a target oriented project that benefits the masses.
The effort of the City Administration is something encouraging and worth praising. However, it is also important to think about what should be the role of other members of the societies and investors in this regard. While appreciating the efforts of the City Administration, individuals, groups, investors and charity organizations should also play their role and support this kind of efforts.
As it was indicated by the Mayor, true love and care can only be expressed through act not talk. While some kind hearted Ethiopians stood by the side of the City Administration, there were also others who used social media for their own agenda. Helping the residents of Addis Ababa goes beyond posting on Facebook pages and circulating nonsense terms that cannot fill the belly of the impoverished ones. Thus, every citizen understanding the good intention of the Administration should appreciate the initiative and play part in this regard.
The Ethiopian Herald July 23/2022
