Inside the Ethiopian Eritrean Organization

Inside+the+Ethiopian+Eritrean+Organization

Norah Caplan, Sports Editor

Jackson-Reed’s newly established Ethiopian Eritrean Organization (EEO), founded by juniors Lolera Tesema and Setina Dawit, aims to champion the rights of Ethiopian and Eritrean people through activism and community service. 

The organization is sponsored by social studies teacher Robert Geremia and strives to shed light on inequities that are less prominent in the public eye. Tesema explained that “[they] strive to provide humanitarian aid to these countries [and to] raise awareness.” Dawit adds that it was founded to “build a community of Ethiopians, Eritreans, and people at our school who are willing to help.”

Each week the EEO holds meetings where a marketing, social media, and communications team help determine new projects to work on. Currently the EEO is participating in several projects, including a book drive. The EEO organized a book drive to donate to regions in Ethiopia that do not have ready access to literature. (Students can drop off books in rooms 208, 318, 428, and the College and Career Center if they are interested in helping). Although it may only make a small dent, Tesema and Dawit see the importance in donating books to people who really need them.

In addition, the EEO hosted International Night at Jackson-Reed to promote the different cultures of JR and to give people a place to share their background. Dawit explained that “[it’s a night] where people can represent their culture through food, dancing, and a variety of other things.” Dawit and Tesema emphasize how important it is for students to share their backgrounds with others and create communities where people feel comfortable sharing different aspects of themselves.

The EEO is also collaborating with the University of Maryland’s Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association. Although nothing has been set in stone yet, Tesema and Dawit are hoping to work on projects together in the future to expand their outreach. 

In the spirit of collaboration, the EEO also plans on reaching out to other schools with Ethiopian/Eritrean organizations to participate in larger projects in order to raise awareness in multiple communities and expand further than Jackson-Reed. 

Students at JR can support the EEO by donating at resource drives or becoming a part of the organization. Be sure to follow the EEO on Instagram @eeojrhs and spread the word about this important cause.