Jember Teferra (1943-2021) was an Ethiopian development worker, director of the Integrated Holistic Approach Urban Development Project in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

and a great-niece of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Life

Jember Teferra was born on 21 May 1943 in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, the daughter of Generemaria Tereffa and Shiferraw Tereff. Her great-uncle was

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

, the last emperor of Ethiopia. She attended primary school in Ethiopia, but received her secondary education at

Clarendon School for Girls Clarendon School for Girls was a girls' independent boarding school, which began in 1898 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It moved three times: first to Kinmel Hall near Abergele in Denbighshire in 1948 and then to Haynes Park in Bedfordshir ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. She then studied nursing at Tunbridge Wells School of Nursing, becoming a registered nurse in 1965. She later studied for a master's degree in primary health care from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

. Returning to Ethiopia, Jember worked at

St. Paul's Hospital, Ethiopia The St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa is the first largest hospital in Ethiopia. History The hospital was built by Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1969 with the help of the German Evangelical Church. It aimed to serve th ...

before working for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. Her husband, Dr Haelegiorgis, was

Mayor of Addis Ababa The Mayor of Addis Ababa ( am, የአዲስ አበባ ከንቲባ) is head of the executive branch of Addis Ababa's municipal government. The mayor's office is located in Addis Ababa City Hall. Adanech Abebe is the first woman mayor and 32nd ma ...

from 1969 to 1973. When the

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

seized power in 1974, both she and her husband were imprisoned. The pair would spend a total of 13 years in prison. While imprisoned, Jember opened a clinic and school in the prison. In 1990 Jember started the Integrated Holistic Approach – Urban Development Project (IHA-UDP), a community development project tackling slum areas in Addis Ababa. Project staff, all Ethiopians, worked together with community representatives who set project priorities. Jember Teferra lived in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from 2017. She died unexpectedly in hospital there on 14 January 2021.Dr Jember Teferra
Testa Sponsorship Trust, 17 January 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jember Teferra 1943 births 2021 deaths People educated at Clarendon School for Girls Alumni of the University of Manchester Urban planning Ethiopian nurses