Tewolde Family Scholarship Fund

The Tewolde Family has lost their gentle patriarch: Mr. Zerezghi Kidane Tewolde on September 7, 2021.

Zerezghi came to Canada in 1982 from Aqaba, Jordan where he worked in his beloved profession as an accountant. He completed his education at General Wingate Secondary School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and University of Asmara (then called ‘Catholic College of Santa Famiglia’) in Asmara, Eritrea.

While he enjoyed all of the pleasures of a professional life in the Middle East and, most importantly, met and married the love of his life, Meaza Berhe, due to social exclusion, he did not plan to build and raise his family there.

After having their first child, Zerezghi was adamant that they move to Canada as he was determined that Canada was the best place for their kids to receive an education.

So, on a cold and snowy December day in 1982, during the most severe economic recession since WWII, Zerezghi and Meaza arrived in Canada. They knew nobody and had very little. Determined to re-enter his profession, Zerezghi worked in contract positions as an accountant for nonprofit organizations. Though he enjoyed the work, it was quite unstable. With a second child on the way, he decided to join Yellow Cab Co. as a driver to make ends meet while he took courses to re-certify as an accountant.

In the midst of coursework, he was told that he would need to complete another Bachelor’s degree. This was bad news for him. As the sole provider for his family, and having no extended family in Canada, this was not a viable option.

Zerezghi made a choiceless choice at the time: to continue to work as a cab driver. Though he missed his profession terribly, he often remarked how having no social supports made the option to re-certify impossible. He was very diligent and resourceful and used his sense of humour and love for everyday people to connect with clients. He made many long term and loyal friends as a driver. He also put his accounting skills to good use and became a careful, generous and proud provider for both his immediate and extended family.

His ambition for his kids - and in fact all kids - was simple: to become who they wanted to be. He left Jordan to ensure that his kids had access to a good world-class education in Canada so that they could follow their dreams whether it was education or entrepreneurship. He did everything in his power to make this happen.

In his honour, the friends and family of Mr. Zerezghi Tewolde are establishing a modest scholarship fund. The Tewolde Family Fund will be dedicated to three groups to support with post-pandemic educational pursuits:

We know the economic devastation that the pandemic brought with it. Low-income families have been hit the hardest. We know that Zerezghi would be overjoyed to know that the memory of his life supported more people to obtain an education during these difficult times.

We are grateful for any donation you are able to contribute. The application process will be simple - as it is intended to be as low-barrier as possible.

We will share the names and profiles of scholarship recipients with donors as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Tewolde Family & Friends