Board of Directors - USA


AntenehAnteneh Gebreselassie

President

Pastor Anteneh is a native of Ethiopia. He holds a degree in Theology from the Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary in Ethiopia and Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and is currently a pastor at Advent Lutheran Church in Olathe, Kansas church, where he also served as Pastoral intern years ago. Prior to this Pastor Anteneh also served at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church as Associate Pastor. Pastor Anteneh is married to Sophia Y. Fekade. Together they have three children..

Tequam WorkuTequam Worku

Vice President

Tequam Worku is a committed public health leader and nonprofit strategist with a deep passion for service and equity. She has led high-impact projects focused on pandemic preparedness, community health systems, and cross-sectoral partnerships. Tequam’s journey with Give Hope Africa is grounded in the core belief and the mission of the organization: that every child deserves the chance to grow, learn, and reach their full potential—no matter where they are born. Born and raised in Ethiopia, serving with Give Hope Africa allows her to give back to the communities that shaped her and to help build pathways for children to thrive. 

SolomonSolomon Gemeda

Secretary

Solomon works at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as Registered Nurse.  He is also licensed real estate agent in Ohio. Prior to moving to the US, Solomon worked with School of Americana as Assistant Principal. He holds BA in Foreign Languages and Literature from Addis Ababa University, Associate Degree in nursing from Cincinnati State College, and Masters in Informatics Nursing from Walden University. Solomon moved to the US thirteen years ago and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and has three children.

SolomonSamson Asfaw

Executive Director 

Samson became a board member of Give Hope Africa in 2023, inspired by a deep connection to the organization’s mission. Having grown up in Ethiopia, he developed a strong awareness of the impact poverty has on children’s lives. This perspective fuels his commitment to creating opportunities for children, uplifting vulnerable populations, and advancing the mission of lasting change.

Professionally, Samson is an engineer in the pharmaceutical industry. He holds a B.S. in Packaging Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from Franklin University. Beyond his career, he is a devoted husband and proud father of two wonderful children.

Martin ZuchMartin Zuch

Officer

Martin’s career background was in finance until, in 2005, when he made the decision to invest in Africa. Having witnessed the depth of poverty and lack of basic needs, such as schools, he set up Give Hope to help the community by providing education and other economic and social support. Martin completed an MSc in Community Wellbeing in Disaster and Development at Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK. He, a father of three children, lives in Northumberland, UK, and travels to Zambia regularly.

TilahunTilahun B. Tesfaye

Officer

Tilahun is the founder of Give Hope in Ethiopian and served as Director since its establishment in 2010 to 2017. Tilahun holds MSc in Community Wellbeing in Disaster and Development from University of Nortumbria in the UK and MA in TEFL from AAU. His experience ranges from teaching at university to working with development organizations. Tilahun is also co-founder and General Manager of Kab Consulting, which provides support to NGOs and multilateral agencies. Tilahun is married and a gather of three children.