The Heart Behind the Mission: Our Origin Story
The story of the Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) began not as a large international organization, but as a personal mission rooted in compassion, faith, and a deep commitment to vulnerable communities. Founded in 1996 by Dr. Tessema Bekele, EDA emerged from his conviction that marginalized children and families deserved opportunities to live with dignity, hope, and a better future. What began with a personal financial contribution from Dr. Tessema and his family gradually evolved into an organization committed to addressing the underlying causes of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
Our Journey: Nearly Three Decades of Children, Change, and Sustainable Development.
Our Journey
Dr. Tessema Bekele, who continues to serve as EDA’s Executive Director, brought to the organization extensive experience in community development and a clear vision of empowering people rather than simply responding to their immediate needs. His vision has been centered on enabling children, youth, women, and other marginalized populations to reach their full potential through access to quality education, livelihoods, health, protection, skills development, and sustainable community opportunities.
Over the years, EDA has grown from a small family-led initiative into a significant development organization with extensive experience in humanitarian and development programming. Its journey reflects a commitment to local leadership, community ownership, partnership, innovation, and sustainable impact. From its modest beginnings, EDA has expanded its programmes and partnerships across multiple sectors and regions, reaching millions of children, youth, women, and vulnerable families.
The evolution of EDA demonstrates that sustainable development can begin with a single individual’s commitment to serve others and grow through collective action, institutional learning, partnerships, and community trust. The organization’s growth is therefore not measured only by the number of programmes implemented or people reached, but also by the lives transformed, opportunities created, capacities strengthened, and communities empowered.
Today, EDA continues to pursue the vision that inspired its establishment: to work with communities and partners to address the root causes of poverty and injustice and create lasting opportunities for vulnerable populations to thrive. The journey from a family’s personal contribution in 1996 to an organization reporting an impact on more than 48 million people represents not merely institutional growth, but a continuing story of compassion translated into action, partnership, and sustainable development.
At the heart of EDA’s story is a simple but powerful principle: one person’s commitment can become a movement when it is transformed into a shared vision and sustained through service, partnership, and collective action.
Our Story
Phase 1: Foundations of Compassion (1996 – 2002)
The Beginning of a Vision
- 1996: EDA is founded by Dr. Tessema Bekele through the personal financial contributions and deep compassion of his own family.
- 1997: The organization becomes fully operational as a child-focused humanitarian, development, and advocacy NGO.
- Initial Focus: Early programs targeted the most destitute families, focusing on child survival and the realization of basic human rights.
Phase 2: Breaking Barriers to Education (2003 – 2009)
- 2003: EDA begins establishing Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centers, creating over 80 centers in the North Shewa Zone and Addis Ababa.
- 2003 – 2009: Implementation of the first phase of EDA’s education project using the Alternative Basic Education (ABE) approach, reaching children in remote areas who had to walk 10km to reach a school.
- Infrastructure Growth: Construction of the first block of primary schools and libraries begins, which were eventually handed over to the government.
Phase 3: Strategic Shift & Holistic Empowerment (2010 – 2018)
- 2009/2010: EDA makes a strategic shift from purely increasing school access to improving the quality of education.
- 2010: Launch of Climate-Smart Agricultural schemes, eventually empowering over 4,500 smallholder farmers to build resilience against environmental shocks.
- 2012 – 2017: The Partnerships for Success (PFS) project empowers over 4,000 urban youth with entrepreneurial skills and start-up capital.
- 2013 – 2019: Intensive focus on Girls’ Education, reducing dropout rates and empowering thousands of marginalized girls through mentorship and livestock support.
- 2017: Establishment of Centers of Excellence, modernising rural schools with digital technology and advanced laboratories.
Phase 4: National Impact & Global Expansion (2019 – Present)
2020: In response to the global pandemic, EDA pivots to a multi-sectoral COVID-19 Emergency Response, providing food, hygiene supplies, and distance learning tools to thousands of families.
2022: EDA officially expanded internationally, registering with the Ministry of Economy in Afghanistan to implement global programs for marginalized Afghan children and women.
2024: A historic milestone is reached as cumulative data shows EDA’s programs have touched the lives of over 48 million Ethiopians.
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