Officers

Officers

Abdi Zeynu

Children have great potential to become Great people. They just join this world and face whatever is given to them by their parents or the society. Their future is considerably affected by what they are exposed to, during their development time. The question is, what is the society providing? It is a daily event to see street children and orphans neglected, living in destitute … as if it is normal and acceptable. I believe we all have to take coordinated ACTION to change the situation! RDL is targeting this change by Redefining the way of life that these children are living, building a self-sustaining system; this is the reason why I become a member since the establishment. For me, this is one of the few things that make life worth living and with the committed efforts of fellow brothers and sisters, I strongly believe that we will reach the GOAL that RDL is targeting, which is, to provide the children with the opportunity to become people of hope and dreams, ambition and goals, and most of all to become achievers.

Yoseph Demisse

No matter what country I reside in, Ethiopia will always be my home! It’s a home that I take great pride in. As we all know, we come from a country where the smallest contribution would make a substantial difference in the lives of many people, especially children. Children are our most valuable resource and we must do everything in our power to preserve their future. Redefining Life will allow me to preserve the future of Ethiopia by reaching out and facilitating needed services to help provide street children and orphans with food shelter and education. I believe that one generation plants the trees so the next generation gets the shade. I am blessed and truly fortunate to be in this country that puts me in a position where I can help plant the trees that provides the shade for our children future, and that is why I joined RDL!

Nolawit Debebe

E-mail: nolawitd@gmail.com

Jara Tekleab

E-mail: j_tekleab@yahoo.com

Andy Tessema

E-mail: andy.tessema@redefinelife.org

Liya Abebe

E-mail: lee_shkt@yahoo.com

Amaha Sellassie

E-mail: amahasellassie@yahoo.com

E-mail: abdizk@yahoo.com

E-mail: yoseph@wccnet.edu

Why I joined RDL...

I was born and raised where so many children were being robbed of opportunity, peace of mind, and self-respect! Surprisingly, much too often the robber's name is POVERTY. The irony is that people suffer of poverty in the midst of plenty and children go to bed hungry and lack of education while there is so much waste and so many unused resources! Certainly, the cost of breaking the cycle of poverty amongst Ethiopian children would be high; however the cost of doing nothing is immensely higher.
I was one of the fortunate Ethiopians who got the chance to come to the United States and was able to pursue my degree at Eastern Michigan University, concentrating in Accounting. Currently, I’m employed as a Mortgage Underwriter for CitiMortgage.

I joined my friends to start RDL (Redefining life) charitable organization to help the unfortunate and homeless children in my native country, Ethiopia. This was our way of reaching out and helping children that are not as fortunate as us. I have realized how lucky I was. I have become much more aware of those less fortunate. The happiness you get when helping poor children and the subsequent joy at the changes and new opportunities you see in their lives is priceless. I am really proud of "RDL". If we put a smile on one face, one kid, one poor, one homeless family at a time; we will have done our job.

I have always felt the need to contribute to my community in a significant way during my life time. It is my view that all people feel the need to belong to a community and contribute to that community in a way that makes a big difference in the life of others.

Joining the Redefine Life Foundation is a continuation of a sequence of events toward living the very dream of giving back to my country in particular the street children. I joined the foundation to Re-Define the life of these kids, which in turn Re-Defines my existence.

It is said that giving is sharing, in our own little way; we ought to share our blessings with our brothers and sisters especially the less fortunate. By sharing the stories of the kids whose lives are positively affected by our foundation, I am constantly reminded of the inadequate conditions that more than 10 million kids experience daily across Ethiopia , but I also think of the great potential within each of these kids.

The thought that there are so many poverty stricken children without a chance to eat for days at a time and without people to care for them is my motivation for joining RDL. Imagine what life must be like for that undernourished child wandering the streets looking for scraps left on the floor. That picture is forever ingrained in my head reminding me that I cannot take for granted the fact that I am blessed for living the life that I lead; to be born into the family that I have. It is my duty and my obligation to help out those who are in need to the best of my capacity.

I know that it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by the extent of absolute poverty. Millions of children in the world don’t have the privilege to be provided with the most basic needs. But I believe that giving even one child the opportunity to have a shot in making it in this world is worth every bit.

Through RDL, we strive to find the resources to provide children with their basic needs, with the opportunity to go to school and with the necessary tools to build their self-confidence so that they can have equal opportunity in life and the chance to help others. We might not be able to change the lives of millions of children but nine is certainly a good start.

I joined RDL because it is a great opportunity to make a difference and impact the lives of the present and future generation. The vision of RDL is very practical and do-able. By creating a sustainable system we create an environment of active participation and ownership not only for those in need but for the college students as well. This is done by providing them the opportunity to utilize and develop their skill sets along with developing a life long passion for service. If everyone does a little we can achieve a lot
by Gods grace.