Save the Children in Ethiopia marks centenary with New SCI CEO

In a centenary event that brought virtual reality experience to the fore, Save the Children in Ethiopia marked the 100th year anniversary on November 3, 2019 at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Abeba. On the occasion, Inger Ashing, Save the Children International CEO, made a keynote address after being introduced by Ekin Ogutogullari, Country Director for Save the Children in Ethiopia. Inger said that as a country where Save the Children has worked for a long time and runs one of its biggest Country Offices, “Ethiopia is the first country I chose to visit at my current position as CEO of Save the Children International, and I am delighted to be here and be able to celebrate the 100 years with you.” Inger also spoke of the bravery of Eglantine Jebb, the founder of Save the Children, who she quoted as saying “We are at war with Germany, but we are not at war with German Children.” Inger said Jebb even went to prison for making that statement which was not a popular thing to say in the UK in 1919, and she expressed her commitment to helping children in need. Jebb’s determination to work for the wellbeing of children manifested itself in more ways than one, and Inger reminded event attendants that Jeb drafted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1923 which was later adopted by the United Nation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In her speech, Inger also highlighted Save the Children’s work in Ethiopia in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Child Protection and Child Rights Governance and Livelihoods and Resilience.

Right after the keynote speech by Save the Children International’s CEO, honorable guests including his Excellency Awwol Arba, President of the Afar National Regional State, Daniela Fatarella, Deputy CEO of Save the Children Italy, Ian Vale, Director of our East and Southern Africa Regional Office, members of the media, leaders of UN agencies and International organizations and other invited guests were introduced to some of Save the Children’s work through Virtual Reality. Immersed in and interacting with the 3D world, event attendants viewed a sample of our impactful interventions making a difference in the lives of children. Arguably, the occasion brought the first ever VR experience for Ethiopia in an event setting.

Around 200 people attended the centenary event.