© 2007 Abesha Care Inc. All Right Reserved. office@abeshacare.org
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It was an ordinary evening where my family gathered to watch ETV (Ethiopian Television) in Addis
Abeba, Ethiopia, as we do each night. I remember being shocked and captivated as a young,
healthy, vibrant, handsome and attractive looking man, named Zewdu Getachew spoke publicly
about living with HIV. He was the first person in Ethiopia to come out and publicly admit that he is
living with HIV without shame. I was stunned by what he was doing, since at that time the stigma and
inevitable isolation associated for people infected with the virus appeared more deadly than the
condition itself. The phrase that he used was "Tiwlid yidan benya yibka!" "Let it end with us, Let’
s let the next generation live!”
That was around 1998 and with that appearance he broke the deadly silence associated with
HIV/AIDS infection and made education possible. Zewdu made an incredible impact in everyone’s
life. The words that came out of his mouth saved countless lives by sacrificing himself as the poster
child, and encouraging generations of youth to understand the virus and how people can protect
themselves.
That first night when I finished watching Zewdu on TV, I was deeply moved and I promised myself to
make a deference by doing all I can for my own people.
Zewdu Getachew was one of Dawn of Hope’s founders and president. And I still remember that
after he came out to publicly acknowledge his status and start teaching about HIV/AIDS those still
unable to let go of the stigma associated with the virus discriminated against him mercilessly. He was
forcefully evicted from his rental residence and other landlords refused to rent a home/apartment to
him.
Since I came to the United States I lost track of Zewdu and his foundation. However his impact on me
always inspired on me to find him and his organization to thank him for his sacrifice of his personal
freedom in order to save lives of so many and see if maybe I could be of some help.
Eventually I managed to locate his foundation’s information and email address and finally I emailed
him my long awaited message. I figured he was very busy helping many others when I did not get a
response back. Unfortunately, I learned that he had actually passed away and I could not find out
when exactly that happened. I was saddened to hear of this news. Even sadder is that those of us
abroad with more resources could have supported his struggle to educate and save lives, as that is
the least we can do now to meet our responsibility for our own people who are in need. And it is still
not too late to learn from his life and example.
Therefore, this website is dedicated to Zewdu Getachew, to all those who silently suffered and
perished, and for all caregivers, survivors and family members in the whole wide world.
Abesha Care Founder
Abeba, Ethiopia, as we do each night. I remember being shocked and captivated as a young,
healthy, vibrant, handsome and attractive looking man, named Zewdu Getachew spoke publicly
about living with HIV. He was the first person in Ethiopia to come out and publicly admit that he is
living with HIV without shame. I was stunned by what he was doing, since at that time the stigma and
inevitable isolation associated for people infected with the virus appeared more deadly than the
condition itself. The phrase that he used was "Tiwlid yidan benya yibka!" "Let it end with us, Let’
s let the next generation live!”
That was around 1998 and with that appearance he broke the deadly silence associated with
HIV/AIDS infection and made education possible. Zewdu made an incredible impact in everyone’s
life. The words that came out of his mouth saved countless lives by sacrificing himself as the poster
child, and encouraging generations of youth to understand the virus and how people can protect
themselves.
That first night when I finished watching Zewdu on TV, I was deeply moved and I promised myself to
make a deference by doing all I can for my own people.
Zewdu Getachew was one of Dawn of Hope’s founders and president. And I still remember that
after he came out to publicly acknowledge his status and start teaching about HIV/AIDS those still
unable to let go of the stigma associated with the virus discriminated against him mercilessly. He was
forcefully evicted from his rental residence and other landlords refused to rent a home/apartment to
him.
Since I came to the United States I lost track of Zewdu and his foundation. However his impact on me
always inspired on me to find him and his organization to thank him for his sacrifice of his personal
freedom in order to save lives of so many and see if maybe I could be of some help.
Eventually I managed to locate his foundation’s information and email address and finally I emailed
him my long awaited message. I figured he was very busy helping many others when I did not get a
response back. Unfortunately, I learned that he had actually passed away and I could not find out
when exactly that happened. I was saddened to hear of this news. Even sadder is that those of us
abroad with more resources could have supported his struggle to educate and save lives, as that is
the least we can do now to meet our responsibility for our own people who are in need. And it is still
not too late to learn from his life and example.
Therefore, this website is dedicated to Zewdu Getachew, to all those who silently suffered and
perished, and for all caregivers, survivors and family members in the whole wide world.
Abesha Care Founder
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How we Got Started
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