Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising money for Cheshire Services, in memory of Gebremedhin Bekele, my great friend and colleague for 27 years, who sadly passed away in March after a long battle with cancer.  In his memory, a new Operating Theatre has appropriately been named after him at Cheshire’s Menagesha Rehabilitation Centre just outside Addis Ababa. Although all the building costs of the Operating Theatre have been covered, it is still in need of essential equipment. Any donations towards this equipment would be a wonderful way of helping Gebremedhin's legacy live on. No donation is too small! 

Below is a little more information on Gebremedhin and his role in making Cheshire Services the centre of excellence it is today. This status would not have been possible without the encouragement and support over the years received from Ethiopiaid.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you for any donation you make.

Lilla

Ato Gebremedhin Bekele

From the 1970s until earlier this year, Gebremedhin dedicated his life to supporting individuals and families living with disabilities. A warm-hearted, down to earth and kind man, his mission in life was to help others and to change the status of people living with disability in Ethiopia. He touched the lives of tens of thousands of people (the majority being children and young people). 

An exceptional and progressive leader with a great sense of humour, Gebremedhin was loved by colleagues and patients alike. He diplomatically guided Cheshire Services through many decades and many challenges – learning to adapt in the face of political unrest and famine in the 1980s – to be the organisation and centre of excellence it is today. The centre now provides rehabilitation, mobile outreach, wheelchair and prosthetic workshops, hydrotherapy and more recently, donkey therapy and Livelihoods support.  

Gebremedhin was a visionary, who longed to see individuals with disabilities and disabled-headed households thriving and leading meaningful lives within communities. Any contribution to essential equipment for the new Operating Theatre named in Gebremedhin’s memory at Cheshire’s Menagesha Rehabilitation Centre will continue his legacy in transforming lives for generations to come.