About this Site

Ever since the foundation stone of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was laid in April of 2011, a patriotic uproar has been heard from Ethiopians residing across all corners of the World. Many Ethiopians have contributed their resources, skills, and labour to the Dam. See examples of amazing gifts to GERD under 'WhyGerd'.

Because of the lack of a centralized online platform, however, contribution has not been easy for many Ethiopians whose lifestyle and geographical location do not allow them to give their resources physically. For this reason, several GoFundMe accounts have been created, and some communities and individuals had to travel hours to deliver their gifts to the construction of the dam. For Ethiopians living outside their country, the high cost of wire transfers has discouraged them from giving smaller amounts as their economic means allow.

Such inconvenience and concerns of fraud over fragmented online donations have not gone unnoticed. With generous support from Chapa S.C. and Zemen Bank, the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the official project owner, is launching this online platform in collaboration with the GERD Public Participation Coordination Office to make it easy for Ethiopians to contribute financially to the construction of GERD. Our purpose is to provide a platform that suits everyone’s needs and yields a trouble-free experience while they contribute to this staple national project.

Towards this goal, Chapa S.C., a homegrown fintech company, has developed and donated the platform, which has been reviewed and cleared for cybersecurity by the Information Network Security Agency, as part of their contribution to GERD. Similarly, Zemen Bank has generously agreed to cover the full cost of international money transfer so that 100 percent of the gifts from Ethiopians go to the construction of the dam.

We would like to assure you that when you give through this website, whether directly by clicking Give or through joining one of the community campaigns created on this website, 100 percent of your gift will go directly to the official account created for the purpose of collecting gifts for the construction of GERD. 

                                                                                                         

Your online transaction on MyGerd is secure with the highest levels of transaction security currently available on the Internet. MyGerd uses 256-bit encryption technology to protect your information while securely transmitting it to the respective payment processor Flutterwave. All credit card and debit card payments on Flutterwave are processed through secure and trusted payment gateways with a PCI-DSS Level 1 certificate managed by leading banks. Banks now use the 3D Secure password service for online transactions, providing an additional layer of security through identity verification. MyGerd won't store any sensitive or card information throughout the whole process.  

The objective of this website platform is not only to collect your gifts but also to provide you with the most up-to-date information about GERD and progress in project implementation so that you will be able to see how your gift is making a difference. Every penny collected through this platform would also be transparently displayed on this website, even by geographical region and by community campaigns.      

Please take a moment to read messages from HE Dr. Eng. Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, and HE Ato Ashebir Balcha CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power. 

Update Oct 6, 2021

To Ethiopians and Ethiopian Friends Please find attached a letter that confirms any gift given for GERD construction fully goes to the intended objectives.