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Nile Day Staged in Philly in Support of
building the Grand Renaissance Dam

By Tsehaye Debalkew
July 01 2011

In what could be characterized as an exceptional expression of a continued show of solidarity in support of the on-going process of constructing the Grand Renaissance Dam/GRD/, members of the Ethiopian Diaspora who reside in and around the city of Philadelphia staged a unique occasion of fun and entertainment filled fund raising event for the second time in a few weeks dubbed " Nile Day in Philly" raised over a Quarter of a Million Birr. In terms of committed pledges last Sunday.

Ambassador Mulie Tarekegn, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington DC. Who was present on the occasion addressed the event by appreciating the momentous resolve of the people and government of Ethiopia for boldly initiating the huge project by continental standards and the reverberating enthusiasm of the Ethiopian Diaspora in the unreserved support towards the GRD.

He underscored that the currency that is presently sweeping across the Diaspora Ethiopians clearly demonstrates the significance of the timely participation of the Diaspora Ethiopians who he said have understood the importance of the dual-edged benefit that the project entails ultimately for the nation and themselves who in the final analysis stand to reap the fruits of their involvement.

By charting out a bedrock strategy through the instrumentality of the gigantic measure by the timely launch of the GRD, Ambassador Mulie underlined that the huge project is poised to benefit the nation enormously by enabling it to traverse into becoming an industrial hub and a member of the club of middle income countries of the globe in the not too distant future.

According to the Ethiopian Diaspora Association of Philadelphia, soccer tournaments involving teams from Allentown, Lancaster and Philadelphia were held by several Diaspora teams that were actively engaged in fierce and friendly contests where Barbeque and other refreshments were served to the joyous participants. T-shirts emblazoned and adorned by sketches of the Grand Dam showing the close of the heretofore notion and paraphernalia associated with the Nile and the opening up of the newly surfacing chapter of the multifaceted benefit that the Dam surely entails were on sale.