Alumni

Tilahun Bekele Tesfaye

Where are you doing now?

I am currently serving as Director for Give Hope Ethiopia. It is a charity working with the vision of 'seeing every child growing and living their full potential.'

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals / give your career an edge?

Studying at Northumbria also means amazing opportunities to meet people and establish connections that help you pursue and achieve your vision. That's what happened to me. I met Martin Zuch, a fellow student who also did the same course as me. He helped me to establish Give Hope Ethiopia which is now helping hundreds of orphaned and vulnerable children, training thousands of young people (with a focus on female high-school and tertiary-level students), and helping women to access finance and engage in income-generating activities to help them make their own money.

What was the best thing about your course?

The course is so diverse and included heath, ethics, research methodologies and practice which are really crucial for practitioners working with communities in the context of disaster and development. 'United we stand; divided we fall'. Individually, we may be able to achieve something but there is even much more energy and impact in synergy. I feel so lucky that Northumbria gave me the opportunity to help me connect with people who contribute greatly towards the realisation of my vision.

Who inspired you the most, and why?

I was very much inspired by Richard Kotter, one of the professors at the university who taught me on a couple of courses and who also volunteered to advise me during my research work. I was always amazed by the depth of his knowledge and his ability to communicate and explain his knowledge but also his eagerness to help others know what he does and how voracious a reader he is. Wow - he is amazing!