On this #GivingTuesday, we want to THANK YOU – our volunteers, donors, friends and supporters – for helping us to fulfill our mission of advancing the Eritrean diaspora through non-partisan community empowerment.
We are grateful for, and humbled by your generosity, which enables us to provide a wide array of innovative programming that helps build solidarity within the Eritrean diaspora, while promoting our community’s collective interests. This year, with our limited resources and awesome volunteers, we’ve been able to:
- Launch the first ever Eritrean Professional Network GroupMe – 527 Eritrean students and professionals strong!
- Host a workshop for those interested in graduate school, featuring a panel of professionals from diverse fields, and advice on how to finance your education.
- Continue to provide ongoing education and materials to help members of the diaspora navigate through ever-changing immigration policy.
- Hosted our first ‘back-to-school’ drive this past August, and provided backpacks and school supplies to 78 youth from the recent arrival community of Baltimore.
- Hosted a workshop with Dr. Yacob Teckie and Shamm Petros on ‘Mental Health and Us: Mindfulness and Stress’, to begin a conversation on mental health in the Eritrean community.
- Collaborated with Deloitte to host a recruitment event for Eritrean professionals interested in careers within their Government & Public Services sector.
- Partnered with other African diaspora organizations to host an informational session and networking event with the NSA.
- This was also the inaugural year of the EDN Scholarship Fund. This year we were able to award $1000 each to freshman Agazeet Haile, senior Ghelatia Araia and Ph.D. student Raymok Ketema.
- For five years running, we have continued to produce our Monthly Professional Development Newsletter that uplifts the work of Eritreans in the diaspora. Sign up here!
- We’ve had a lot of fun!! From our Networking Happy Hours to our killer Independence Party, to our Summer Networking Series – these joyous occasions have been an opportunity for us to come together, network, and shim shim.
In this coming year, we hope to continue to do work that will make our community proud, be innovative, is needed, and continue to bring us together. In 2020, we will be raising funds to continue the conversation around Mental Health and Us, our Professional Development team will be starting a web series for building resumes and interview process, and will be awarding our second round for the EDN Scholarship Fund. We we will also continue to support and work with the community of recent arrivals in Baltimore by planning exciting adventures and outings while also helping them navigate through life in America and its many facets.
In order to continue to do this work, our goal is to raise $3000 this Giving Tuesday. As you embark on this season of giving, we hope you will continue to include Eritrean Diaspora Network in your charitable giving this year. Please click here to make a donation.
With gratitude and warm wishes for the holiday season,
Eritrean Diaspora Network