In an African village where only the children, a teacher and a village priest know how to read and write, Zerefa Biru, Level H-Resources, was determined to further educate its inhabitants with a donation of school supplies from Accenture Utilities BPO Services.
“The books and all the school supplies really touched the students. Many of them had tears in their eyes,” Zerefa said. “It was exciting to see the direct impact of Accenture Utilities BPO Services, and it’s encouraging me to do as much as I can for them.”
Zerefa traveled with the Victory Community Development Society, a small charity group based in British Columbia, Canada, to Yerah, a remote mountain village in Ethiopia approximately 330 miles from Addis Ababa. Yerah has no electricity, running water or medical facilities, and most of the town’s 5,000 people live in mud huts.
Yet what stood out for Zerefa during her visit to Yerah was how warm, welcoming and happy the villagers seemed, despite poverty surrounding them. “The villagers don’t talk about it, but I could see it. Yerah does not have telephones, the Internet or even paved roads. The village is virtually detached and technologically isolated from the entire country,” she said.
Zerefa feels that Accenture’s advanced capabilities have plenty to offer to a small village like Yerah: “The villagers are simply not exposed to cell phones and computers, but they very eager to learn.”
Zerefa cites her Accenture career as paving the way for her to give back to her native country. In her role with a Canadian electric utility, Zerefa is constantly communicating with clients, and offering solutions to problems and issues that arise.
“I find that the skills I acquired with Accenture are transferable to my experiences in Africa because at the end of the day—either in Canada or in Ethiopia—I am helping people,” Zerefa said.
Originally from Ethiopia, Zerefa has vowed to return to Africa as often as she can to help. “From my experiences in Yerah, I have learned that the villagers need to be led. There is a lack of leadership,” Zerefa added. “I see myself in that capacity. I have the confidence in myself to lead projects. This is what I can offer to my fellow Ethiopians.”