Our hiStory

The creation of the Ethiopian-Canadian Solace Society in Edmonton (ECSSE) didn’t happen suddenly or quickly. The idea was developed among a small group of individuals in 2014 who committed themselves to make it a reality. With the sponsorship of the Ethiopian-Canadian Community Association, a Working Group was then established to develop a bylaw and undertake the project to its completion.
 

While the need for such an institution was obvious, the idea didn’t catch on with the wider community right away. There were two challenges, the first and most important of which was a lack of an appreciation for an old institution such as Idir when there are modern insurance products that can cover funeral and burial expenses.

Given its non-profit nature, the ECSSE offers at least an equal if not a bigger benefit than an insurance company for the same level of premium. However, the attractiveness of the ECSSE was that it offers more than monetary benefits which are not offered by an insurance company, such as providing an all-rounded moral and logistical support to mourning families in times of loss of a loved one. Given our socio-cultural background, this support is more valuable than what money can buy.

The second challenge was procrastination of would be members to actually registered even after they made up their mind to join the Idir. This required constant, often tiring reminding and advertising.

In all, it took two years of advertising and convincing individuals one at a time to finally garner a critical mass of committed members to launch the ECSSE formally at the end of 2016.

When it was finally formed officially, the Idir had some 80 single and family members. Once formed and word of mouth spread in the city, membership picked up rapidly initially and then steadily to this day.

As of June 2023, the Idir has adult members of 500 which still is modest by the size of our community in Edmonton. The goal over the next couple of years is to push this number to over one thousand. The bigger the membership the better the support and the benefit offered by the Idir.

Come one, come all. Join Us. We are the ECSSE.