Learning how to make a difference
Tibebeselassie Awetahegn
15 Apr 2008
When you focus too much on the small stuff, it is easy to become despondent. But when you start thinking about the good you can do - you can actually do it, says Tibebeselassie Awetahegn.
Even though I was brought up in a family where giving was greatly practiced - especially by my mother, who would literally give away half of her bottle of water in the middle of the desert – I had always wanted to do more.
I wanted to reach a certain position so that I would be able to make a bigger impact.
My wife was constantly urging me to give something back to the community, even when we were struggling. However, I had again been against the idea, with the justification that I would do better once I was better. Over the years, I realized that I needed to make small contributions, as my mother does. My wife’s determination helped, and I started to have a couple of youths from our extended family, go to college. This has paid off immensely, as these youths, being grateful for the opportunity, have used it to their advantage.
The main shift came when I joined the InterAction Leadership Programme and got introduced to the concept of "assumptions". The two assumptions that have impacted me more than I would have imagined are "what you focus on becomes a reality", and "there are multiple realities". This made me realize I was focusing on the small stuff, when I could have been impacting others more, thanks to my communication skills and my passion for community. The Young
I thus decided to work on education for Ethiopian kids and through my network, enable my friends to do the same. By God’s grace, between Modules 1 and 3, together with my wife, I have been able to sponsor four more kids who had little or no means to go to school. I have been doing so through an NGO I am a member of. What is more is that before the year ends, my friends have promised that 12 more children will be sponsored. The gratitude and eagerness I have seen in the mothers of those children when I was introduced to them was breathtaking and has made me feel good about life.
I am now promoting this idea actively and as I’m writing this story, I have just been promised by one of the participants of this cohort that he will be sponsoring yet another kid. How about that! The Not so Young Together with my friends, we are also in the process of opening up a shelter for the elderly. This will become a reality, hopefully before the end of the year 2008.
All this has been possible because of the realisation I got in Module 1. I know I am a different person. Better yet, I know I have impacted many to do great work in the process of enabling the less privileged.
Thank you British Council for the idea and initiative to enable Africans through Africans!
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