TESFA (Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives) was registered in Ethiopia in 2003 as a non-profit making, local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the status of charities in Ethiopia. TESFA is committed to helping communities in Ethiopia to provide a service to tourists to enable them to make additional money.

A group of development professionals envisaged the concept of a network of community run tourism enterprises that would allow tourists to trek across the remarkable landscape, getting closer to the real culture of the Ethiopian highlands, and at the same time put precious money into the local communities for whom farming is becoming ever more precarious a livelihood.

Funding:
TESFA have been operating as part of a Save the Children (UK) project to develop rural livelihoods in the area with funding the Royal Netherlands Embassy. The project which began in 2004, will run up to June 2007.

TESFA has also received a grants from the Irish Embassy/Irish Aid to develop sustainable institutions to support the community tourism initiatives and from the British Embassy Small Grants scheme to develop sustainable marketing and guiding systems and from the German Embassy to support existing operations and provide additional money to begin to work on Abuna Yoseph.

TESFA is still seeking further funding to extend the network of community tourism sites through the mountains surrounding Lalibela. Especially Abuna Yoseph where TESFA are planning to work in collaboration with Frankfurt Zoological Society as it is an important site for the endemic Ethiopia Wolf.

Additional funding has recently been received from the German Embassy, Responsibletravel.com and the Tresillian Trust.

Staff in Addis Ababa:

TESFA has an office in Addis to provide technical support and develop marketing and bookings systems for the community tourism sites and field operations.

TESFA's manager is Million Eshete, a committed and energetic advocate of community empowerment. He has an MA in education planning and management, and has years of experience working with SOS Sahel with local communities as part of an integrated development programme in Meket Woreda.

Mark Chapman is employed as the technical advisor. He worked as a consultant through the SOS Sahel Community Tourism pilot, and has been instrumental in the setting up and developing of TESFA.

In charge of bookings is Hanna Girma, who prior to starting with TESFA was running the floor at the Ethnological Museum, organising special exhibits and guiding tourists.

Staff in Wollo:

Yilma Kebede has also been recruited to manage TESFA operations in North Wollo. A very committed individual, he ran a local micro credit institute for six years and then worked for a charity working with street children. His background is an accountant. He is based in Lalibela.

Berihun Abebe, an energetic addition to the team and himself a Meket lad, cut his teeth in the same SOS Sahel project, learning the values of participation. He is tirelessly working in Meket to assist the local communities to develop their tourism hosting capacity. No one could be more hard working and dedicated to the needs of the farmers.

Esubalew Setegn also a local lad, is working alongside Berihun in Meket to assist the communities.

TESFA also relies on the skills of Dejitnew Bihonegne to train the communities to cook, cater for their guests. In additional she works as Store Keeper and temporarily as cashier.

Holding the financial fort together is TESFA's new accountant Addisu Teshome, who is based in Lalibela, but also operates where the finances dictate.

TESFA's Board and founders:
TESFA is directed by a strong, committed administrative board. The current chair is Judith Sandford who has a Masters degree in Anthropology and years of experience in development and in Ethiopia. The vice chair, Tenna Shitarek, works for Action Aid has an MA from Manchester University (UK) in Environment and Development He has worked with a number of organisations including SOS Sahel (Programme Team Leader MDP), and Save the Children (UK). The secretary, Workneh Bekele has a diploma in accounting and has helped TESFA develop financial and accounting systems. The other board members are the previous chair, Sintayehu Manaye who has a BA in forestry and many years of experience in development organisations and Dawit Dejene a private businessman owning and operating a travel agency and a guesthouse with a Masters in business administration.
In addition to the board, a number of other supporters have helped develop TESFA including founder members: Million Legesse, Yallew Tizazu and Konjit Seyoum who have given freely of their time, and who continue to support TESFA, and Justin Corbet whose vision and ideas have been a key part of TESFA's inspiration.

Million Eshete, TESFA manager

TESFA's Mission Statement:

TESFA seeks to work in partnership with local communities to enable them to generate sustainable improvements in their livelihood through the development of their own tourism related enterprises, while also contributing to the protection of their physical and cultural environments.

TESFA sees its role as a catalyst in initiating a process that will become sustainable on a commercial basis. It considers that solutions to poverty alleviation lie with civil society and the rural poor themselves. TESFA will practice participatory methods by working in partnership with local communities, and use the same principles within its own organisation and with its staff. At the same time TESFA aims to develop longer term communication, understanding and linkages (national and international) between the rural poor of Ethiopia and peoples from other cultural and economic backgrounds.