The government has announced plans to award some 40 members of the Ethiopian diaspora community with outstanding contributions to serving their homeland, Ethiopia, during the past two years of historical-level challenges.
Currently, the Ethiopian Diaspora population is believed to have reached more than 5 million, according to information from IOM. Out of this more than 1 million live in the US, an equal number in Europe, and more than 2 million in the Middle East and various African countries.
There could be many reasons people leave their homelands and dwell away from home. Among such reasons, the main driving forces are war, poverty, lack of justice, and freedom at home, and the Like.
It is so baffling to summarize the countless contribution of the diaspora community in various parts of the world. Yet, what the diaspora did at least in the past two years alone demonstrate that they always have their heart pinned to their motherland, land of origin. They always live with expectations to return home either temporarily or permanently.
Their commitment to their country shows that they left their country due to a certain reason; nevertheless this does not mean that the country of origin is a use-and-throw object. Rather it is a place where someone would return in a lifetime or even after they pass away, their children and grandchildren would have a strong feeling about the land of their ancestors.
Living far away from home the diaspora has been doing all the best for the home land. Withstanding the challenges of time shortage,
cost of living … etc of the country they live in, the diaspora has been working day in and day out to safeguard the country of origin in all fronts. Regardless of the income they make they never refrained from pooling money in response to any call made to help an initiative at home whether an emergency issue like drought or disaster, supporting a development project like GERD.
Despite having all privileges including citizenship in the country of residence they have fought tooth and nail against coercive economic and diplomatic impositions that are tantamount to aggression. They have demonstrated their heroism by travelling home heeding the call of the government when the country was portrayed as unsafe to travel.
Ethiopian diaspora has also demonstrated their strong affiliation to their homeland. Accordingly, they have established many communities to make timely, well-organized and adequate support to their country of origin.
As the diaspora communties have continued discharging their responsibilites to their country, the government has also taken a commendable measure to reward the heroic deeds. The award to be given to the communities is a significant milestone in further bolstering the role of the diaspora in their national affairs as well as for the government to reciprocate their deeds by delivering efficient and quality service to them as a diaspora community.
The government should further reward the diaspora by bolstering the activities it executes through dedicated government agencies like the Ethiopian Diaspora Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as through respective diplomatic missions.
The Ethiopian Herald January 26/2023
