Yohannes Gebregeorgis
Encyclopedia
Yohannes Gebregeorgis, an Ethiopian
native, is the founder of Ethiopia Reads, a philanthropic organization committed to bringing literacy to the children of Ethiopia
. In 2008, he was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Heroes of the Year”
by CNN.
. His mother could not read, and his father could only decipher a few words, but he was committed to providing his son with an education. At age 19, he picked up his first book outside of school. ‘“Books saved my life,’ Yohannes says”. From this point on, Gegregeorgis sought to read what he could get his hands on.
. He sought political asylum in the United States and emigrated there in 1982. Once in the States, Gebregeorgis pursued his B.A. and eventually got his Masters of Library Science at the University of Texas. He was then offered a job as the children’s librarian at the San Francisco Public Library. There he was responsible to collect foreign language books for the children’s collection, and he soon discovered, “The library had books in more than 75 languages, but I could find none in Amharic”. This spurred him on to find books written in Ethiopia’s predominant language. When he found none, he took it upon himself to write the book Silly Mammo, a traditional Ethiopian folktale, in an Amharic and English translation. He also connected with Jane Kurtz, a children’s author, who had lived much of her childhood in Ethiopia, and she helped him publish Silly Mammo. They used the proceeds from the book to begin raising money for a literacy campaign to get books into the hands of Ethiopian children.
and moved back to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with 15,000 books and ready to open his first free library for children. On April 5, 2003, the Shola Children’s Library opened for the children of Ethiopia. Since then, the organization helped open 10 free school libraries. The organization also sponsors the Mobile Donkey Libraries program, designed to bring books to children in rural parts of the country where they cannot access one of the many other libraries Ethiopia Reads sponsors. Ethiopia Reads also publishes books in Amharic for young Ethiopian readers.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
native, is the founder of Ethiopia Reads, a philanthropic organization committed to bringing literacy to the children of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. In 2008, he was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Heroes of the Year”
CNN Heroes
CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is an annual television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. It is hosted by Anderson Cooper...
by CNN.
Early life
Gebregeorgis grew up in the town of Negelle Borena, about 12 hours from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. His mother could not read, and his father could only decipher a few words, but he was committed to providing his son with an education. At age 19, he picked up his first book outside of school. ‘“Books saved my life,’ Yohannes says”. From this point on, Gegregeorgis sought to read what he could get his hands on.
Education and Professional Life
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Yohannes Gebregeorgis was politically active and joined the resistance against the ruling military dictatorship of Ethiopia, the DergDerg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
. He sought political asylum in the United States and emigrated there in 1982. Once in the States, Gebregeorgis pursued his B.A. and eventually got his Masters of Library Science at the University of Texas. He was then offered a job as the children’s librarian at the San Francisco Public Library. There he was responsible to collect foreign language books for the children’s collection, and he soon discovered, “The library had books in more than 75 languages, but I could find none in Amharic”. This spurred him on to find books written in Ethiopia’s predominant language. When he found none, he took it upon himself to write the book Silly Mammo, a traditional Ethiopian folktale, in an Amharic and English translation. He also connected with Jane Kurtz, a children’s author, who had lived much of her childhood in Ethiopia, and she helped him publish Silly Mammo. They used the proceeds from the book to begin raising money for a literacy campaign to get books into the hands of Ethiopian children.
Ethiopia Reads
In 1998, Ethiopia Reads, the program dedicated to fostering literacy in Ethiopia, was born. In 2002, Gebregeorgis quit his job at the San Francisco Public LibrarySan Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
and moved back to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with 15,000 books and ready to open his first free library for children. On April 5, 2003, the Shola Children’s Library opened for the children of Ethiopia. Since then, the organization helped open 10 free school libraries. The organization also sponsors the Mobile Donkey Libraries program, designed to bring books to children in rural parts of the country where they cannot access one of the many other libraries Ethiopia Reads sponsors. Ethiopia Reads also publishes books in Amharic for young Ethiopian readers.
Selected publications
In addition to his book, Silly Mammo, Gebregeorgis also wrote many reviews for School Library Journal during his time at San Francisco Public Library. A sampling is listed below.- Gebregeorgis, Yohannes. "Junior High Up: Nonfiction." School Library Journal 42.7 (1996): 104.
- Gebregeorgis, Yohannes. "Grades 5 & Up: Nonfiction." School Library Journal 43.7 (1997): 100.
- Gebregeorgis, Yohannes. "Preschool to Grade 4: Fiction." School Library Journal 44.8 (1998): 140.