New York, NY (June 18, 2014) – The National Minority Business Council, Inc., (NMBC) and The Network Journal (TNJ) announced a joint humanitarian/professional venture with Vision on Africa (VoA) for health enhancement and capacity building among women and youth in Africa. The announcement was made at TNJ’s 16th Annual 25 Influential Black Women in Business Awards Luncheon in March.
Senedu Araya Sellassie, an Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen, established VoA (http://www.visiononafrica.org/), a nonprofit organization, in Virginia in 2003, and set up its offices in Ethiopia upon her return to that country after some 30 years in the United States. In addition to her title as founder, Ms. Araya Sellassie serves as the organization’s CEO.
This June, the NMBC and TNJ will host the New York visit of Ms. Araya Sellassie, who is internationally recognized for her work through VoA. Ms Araya Sellassie’s visit serves to shore-up the partnership with the NMBC and TNJ, which will solicit the involvement of TNJ’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business honorees in providing focused mentoring and training opportunities. The partners will collaborate to advance women as entrepreneurs and enhance small business growth on the continent.
“Our participation is in response to an expressed desire from a number of our 25 Women honorees over the years to put their knowledge and expertise to use in Africa,” Rosalind McLymont, TNJ’s Executive Editor, offered. “We believe that VoA, is an excellent vehicle for them to do just that.”
Ms Araya Sellassie’s U.S. visit provides the partnering organizations an opportunity to discuss a menu of group and individual activities, as well as the opportunity to begin to plan for a contingent of leading African-American business women to travel to Africa in the near future. A private reception with Ms. Araya-Sellassie will take place on Friday, June 20, at the offices of the NMBC, 1633 Broadway (at 50th Street), 30th floor, N.Y.C., from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., where she will articulate the value that TNJ’s 25 Influential Women and the NMBC can bring to VoA and to Africa.
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