Jun 04 2015
Making a Change in Ethiopia, Part 1
“If people protect the environment, it will be kind to us.”
I am inspired to blog today after meeting Mr. Tesfaye Mekonnen (Tes-fai), an Ethiopian entrepreneur who designs, produces and sells eco-friendly, recycled paper products. Currently all paper products are handmade. He invited us into his factory to see the paper production process. The materials are collected from the vast excess resources in Ethiopia, including recycled paper, cotton, and banana or coconut husks. Tesfaye makes postcards, bookmarks, notebooks and folders of different sizes, wedding cards/gifts, and even custom orders.
Tesfaye has been involved with the Arc Initiative since its inception in Ethiopia. Since attending the first conference in 2010, he has developed international partnerships, resulting in the procurement of German and Chinese paper press machines, attracted international academic interest – and most recently, submitted a 40 page business proposal to the government for a $50,000 grant, beating out almost 90 other applicants for the award.
I am honoured to work with Tesfaye over the next 2 months.
Tesfaye’s dreams are indeed grand. “In one month, this will not be enough”, he says, gesturing around his factory, which still has plenty of open and empty space.
“We can change our lives in Ethiopia. The right time is coming”, he says. “My colleagues, they always talk about going to Canada, to America. Why go? We can make a change here, in Addis. In our own community. I believe we can change: first ourselves, then everything around us.”
And as my finance friends fly off to Toronto, to New York, to London to join and work for big firms, Tesfaye’s strong words sincerely moved me. His commitment to his own community was powerfully genuine. Why go? Why not improve our community? Why not our city?
Tesfaye also does not take no for an answer. He recalls when his application for imported equipment was denied. “So”, he recounts with a sparkle in his eyes, “I camped outside his office for 2 months”.
Do you think your work would be easily copied, we ask? We know that competition becomes fierce when you start seeing success. Tesfaye agrees. He recently turned away offers of millions from businessmen: “Many rich businessmen, they say, Tesfaye, I want to see your factory. I want to know about your production. Why? I have spent 6 or 7 years learning and creating this process. Why give it away in minutes? I have tested the waters. I know the ups and downs.”
We are growing quickly, he says. In just two weeks we can make over 100,000 bags per year. I need you.
No problem, I say. I will make you a beautiful website. His eyes smile and he clasps his hands together. “Thank you”, he says. It is such a warm and generous show of gratitude that a grin splits my face from ear to ear and I feel as if I almost cannot accept it.
Tesfaye invites me to sit. He carefully explains that some friends have made suggestions to his current website and requests changes. No problem, I say. I already have some ideas in mind.
What about Facebook? He asks. He has heard about Facebook. No problem, I say. I would love to.
And LinkedIn? And Twitter? He is now getting more and more excited. I cannot stop from smiling. Not a problem, I say. To find such a great person, whose business needs fit my skill set perfectly is rare.
He is unsure how to ask the next question. And coaching or training, he asks?
Tesfaye, I say, smiling widely now, this is exactly what I do in Canada. I design and create websites. I help businessmen like yourself use technology to grow your business. I teach workshops for LinkedIn, for Facebook, for web design. I know what you need. I am so excited to work with you.
After, we walked around the city (like normal teenagers), grocery shopped for junk food, visited Edna Mall and an amazing bakery. We cracked open our first beers as a team sitting on small purple stools at a tiny beer stand outside our guesthouse.
I spent the rest of the evening creating financial management practice questions for our entrepreneurs. They had to be useful, they had to be understandable, relatable to the business landscape in Ethiopia, and most of all, they had to be easily explainable to someone whose first language was not English.
I aimed to answer 5 crucial questions:
- Should I Invest?
- Which Project?
- Should I Borrow?
- Should I Sell?
- Should I Buy?
Our conference is in 2 days. I cannot wait to learn and teach.
Last week, we walked around the city and I felt overwhelmed. Quietly observing and absorbing was enough for me. The cultural differences were immense and I was intensely aware of my foreign appearance, my foreign actions. After having visited the museums, some businesses, and very friendly locals during the first few days, I felt as if Ethiopia had much more to teach us than we had to teach Ethiopia.
After all, who am I to visit a new land and begin pushing our foreign business concepts on people who know more about running a business than I do?
But this is why I love technology. Because, more so than any other field, I have been fortunate enough to spend time building websites, learning code, implementing software, using Facebook, and using LinkedIn – not only for my own pleasure but also to grow businesses rapidly. I was extremely humbled to be asked to be the team web lead and asked to design and create websites for many of our key entrepreneurs.
Being wholly against “voluntourism”, “donations”, and foreigners who do more harm than good in developing countries, I was apprehensive about what I could have offered as a stranger in a strange land. The way foreign aid has been given to countries in Africa helps perpetuate poverty and hinders economic growth. This is the opposite of what Arc stands for.
Meeting Tesfaye today was the beginning. I began to believe that I could help enhance his business in small ways. The Arc Initiative ultimately gives a small number of Ethiopian entrepreneurs something many charities do not: governance over their own future in hopes of working towards governance for their country.
So many entrepreneurs are on the cusp of something great, and my goal is to help guide them towards this enormous success. My work is my passion, and I am SO excited to share this passion with the entrepreneurs in Addis.
This week, I am inspired to help make small changes as a visitor in this world.
“You have come at the right time”, Tesfaye said in an email to me. With such conviction that I almost believed that I had.
Signing off, with passion,
Patricia