Daniel Gebretsadik was born
in Tigray Province, Ethiopia, 1951. His inspirational story is one of survival
and the grist for a Hollywood movie. Escaping oppression and poverty, Daniel
fled Ethiopia, 1978, arriving in Dijbouti with a determined vision of immigrating
to Canada. It took 18 months, but he made it to Canada, a smile on his
face, settling, first, in Hamilton, Ontario, where he began attending Mohawk
College during the day and drove a Toronto taxi at night. After three tough
years, he was able to save enough money to return to Africa, via Sudan,
and with the help of supportive rebels, was able to reconnect with his
wife, Berhan, and both his son and daughter, and prepare them for their
long journey to Canada. At the time, Ethiopia was facing very severe drought
and famine. Rather than leave behind multitudes of expatriates seeking
comfort and refuge in Sudan, Daniel spent nine months as a volunteer assisting
fellow Ethiopians overcome the devastation of hunger and poverty. Re-established
in a new world, Daniel, today, is a successful salesman for Daimler Chrysler
Canada. His daughter attends the University of Windsor and his son is studying
computer graphics at Sheridan College. Daniel and his wife are happy in
their adopted homeland. [Photo, courtesy Charles J. Humber]
