Many young people from the Diaspora spent their holidays at the Asmara orphanage and some of them visited group homes where orphans live inside the communities. A few of these young Eritreans took personal initiative and informed their friends to give their love to the orphaned children. Degen Okbay from UK and Lehem Fessehai, from Sweden, were the exemplary Eritreans who organized visits and initiated concerned youngsters. Shaebia.org interviewed Degen Okbay regarding his visit to Eritrea and the orphanage. Excerpts:

Would you introduce us with yourself please?

My name is Degen Okbay. I was born and raised in Rome, Italy. Now, I have been living in London for the last three years to continue my studies. I am attending my third and last year in a degree program in International Relations: Peace and Conflict Studies. I also work part time in a restaurant to sustain myself.

My studies in International Relations basically deal with relations between states, governments, international organizations, state behavior and so on.

You were born and raised in the Diaspora. How did you develop the attachment to your country?

My family is a patriotic and very nationalistic family. I grew up in a nationalistic way. So, I think they passed on me that nationalistic feeling since I was a child. I always felt an Eritrean. Of course, at first I was a bit confused whether I was an Italian or an Eritrean, a problem that many people in the Diaspora face. But at a certain point in my life I had to choose whether to be Degen the Eritrean or Degen the Italian. I don’t know for what reason, but, something inside me told me that I am Degen the Eritrean. I think that is something that comes naturally rather than being a personal decision. That was the inner feeling and it always keeps me working with the Eritrean community in London.

What role do the youth in the Diaspora play on national affairs?

It has been a year now since I started going to meetings of young PFDJ in London. Obviously, there is a big concern about the youths in the Diaspora and we try to encourage as many youngsters as possible to be attached to their country. It is not only in the Eritrean affairs in terms of politics, but also regarding Eritrean affairs inside the British community at different levels. What we try to do is increasing awareness regarding the situation in Eritrea. We also encourage them to participate in the national festivals. For me, for example, the youth conference that I participated in Holland gave huge boost to my national feeling. It was a great experience.

How would you rate the participation of the youth in such activities?

I think we should get more people. We are not that large in number compared to the number of Eritreans there. We are working to make it much more than its current size. Of course, we need to improve the way we approach the youngsters in London. Since the youth face many challenges, it is not easy to manage. Many youths mix themselves with other cultures and sometimes they do not recognize themselves in the Eritrean context. They see Eritrean culture as being too distant from where they are and would not accept certain Eritrean traditions because they are born in a different environment. So, such factors are important in order to say I am Eritrean or not and play your role. Basically, if you don’t accept your culture, you don’t accept yourself. Then you live in a limbo. You live in a situation where you are not an Eritrean, may be, you might think that you are a British or an Italian which you are not either, for your back ground is different.

What about regarding the Eritrean youth and the educational opportunities there? Are they benefiting from it?

I think they do well but they could do much better. I can speak from the Italian and British points of view. As far as I am concerned, in Britain the Eritrean youth could do much better than what they are doing now. First, there is big difference between the boys and the girls. The tendency is that boys do less than the girls. Of course, Eritreans perform differently in different countries. I had a chance to speak to an Eritrean from Australia. She told me that Eritreans perform very well there, both boys and girls. In Italy and Britain the issue is different. After all, the point is that you can do better but to what extent can that improve the situation in Eritrea? Then we go back to the issue of feelings and traditions about being Eritrean. You should first consider your self Eritrean and think about doing something for your country. Then you could find mechanisms for acquiring the ability to do things that your country benefits from. If you got a degree in economics or other fields, for example, you could contribute something. If you have acquired the degree, but not those feelings, the country would not benefit. So, you would be like a lost person. You could be Eritrean by birth but not by feelings and participation which is more important, I think.

This is your sixth time to visit Eritrea. What is your observation during these trips?

We know that Eritrea is passing through tough times. Politically, it is a difficult time for the country due to foreign interventions. The government is doing a lot in order to improve the situation on the ground. I had a chance to visit my country this year, thanks to the Zura N’Hhagerka, and I realized the tremendous efforts the government is doing in terms of infrastructure. I can also learn that the resilience of the Eritrean people is remarkable. I can see the situation on ground is really tough, but I can also observe a bright future for this country. The government is working hard to be economically and politically independent.

You have been closely working with the orphanage here in Asmara. What inspired you to do that?

It just came as a personal interest. I decided not to come to Eritrea just to enjoy myself in parties or other entertainments; rather I decided to do something for my country at a social level. So, because I love kids, I decided to contribute in that and I was given the opportunity first by our ambassador in Italy, Mr. Zemede Tecle and then by Ato Tecle Tesfai at the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare who introduced me to Irmias Tsegay, head of the Asmara Orphan Center. I had a chance to work with the kids which has been a good experience and motivating. I also met and worked there with a very caring person from Sweden, Lehem Fessehai.

What exactly did you do for the orphans?

I don’t think I have done something special. I just gave them a little thing they needed—something like love. I have been there every morning since I came here, except for the Sawa festival and the Zura N’Hagerka program. I was there trying to give them my best in order to make them feel loved. Of course, they have been raised with utmost love and care from the government and the workers. That is absolutely great and commendable. It was something like sharing my love with the orphaned children and I think they liked it. The more people go there and show them love, the better they would be and the better they grow up. Although the organization behind the orphanage is doing very well, I think everybody could provide a little contribution in terms of love and donation which they would greatly appreciate. So, it was not about the little assistance that we provide but it is about sharing love with them.

What is your observation regarding the way the orphans are treated?

That is encouraging. To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be in such a way. I realized the effort the government is exerting to help its needy. Despite the fact that the government is going through difficult times, it has not forgotten to show its love and care for the kids. I could see that the orphanage is in its self sufficient stage. They have sheep, poultry and animal farm and their own harvest. So, being self sufficient is a power by itself. Rearing children is not an easy task after all, and the government is handling it devotedly realizing the role of these children for the future.

What kind of role do you think the youth in the Diaspora could play in helping the kids?

Thanks to Eri-TV, we reached out a lot of people. Many people have learned about the orphans because of the program that was broadcast on the National TV. Of course, many people know about the orphans in the country, but they do want to see things in order to take into account the problems and lend a hand. So, I hope, and I believe that people from the outside would soon provide their assistance. It is not just about the orphans but also about the people they need help at large. I am confident people in the Diaspora, and especially young people like me will act to help.

People in the Diaspora should recognize that we are very lucky with the opportunities we have; we grow up properly and have access to quality education. So, we should contribute to our country in different perspectives in the way we can. Everybody can make his own contribution. Somebody can contribute at the social level, and someone else at the political level. Some people want the country to give something to them for what they do, but at this stage I think it is unrealistic. The current national situation is just like what once US president John F Kennedy put it. We are at a level of thinking about what we could do for our country not about what our country can do for us. So, if we, the youth, develop that kind of thinking, we would soon be able to see a prosperous Eritrea.

This summer many people have visited the orphanage. What was their reaction?

I think it is not the right word to explain what they felt; but, in short, they were impressed. There are many youths who come here to spend their holidays, but at the same time who want to help. They felt more responsible, that they have to help these kids and when they return back they would tell many other people. Some of them have immediately send donations to the kids. Eritrean youth in Milano, Italy, for example, arranged a party where they raised about 24,000 Nakfa.

What is your future plan in regards to the orphans?

This has been my first and best experience. At first, I didn’t know how to meet the orphans and what they needed. The next time I come to Eritrea, I will definitely contribute more and I will try to involve as many people as possible. I will work to raise the profile of the orphanage in order to show the Eritrean people outside that there are people who have not been lucky in their lives and that they need our help. I cannot tell you what exactly I am going to do. But, I will think about it the whole year and me, Lehem from Sweden, and other organizations in Italy, will be in touch with the orphanage. We will work to raise a lot of money and materials for the orphans.