(1/7) I took this picture last week when I was in #Addis. As a person who was born & grew up there, it brought a lot of childhood memories. Played soccer with friends, ran in the morning & rode a bike. The several festivities I attended there is a memory that'll stay with me. 
(2/7)Saddens me to see how this landmark isn't maintained well. The mud steps,lack of green space, trees,fountains & lighting makes it substandard for a city square. Had a chance to see many squares in cities around the world & I always desire to see Meskel Sq. with a better look
(3/7) Was thinking about we the people doing a face-lift if getting permission from the respective officials. We can make Meskel Sq. look beautiful by replacing the mud steps with stone (a standard used in city squares), build a fountain, create a green space & stand lighting.
(4/7) So, I sent the picture I took (1st pic) to my talented friend Fanuel & told him my vision for the sq. He recreated Meskel Sq to look like this (2nd pic). If permission is granted, we can make this happen. This design is just to show how the sq will look with the face-lift.
(5/7) When we involve officials, urban planning experts & architects, we'll make it more beautiful! Addis has ~4.5 mil people living in it & there are many former Addis residents around the world who love Addis & willing to support.Meskel Sq can be beautified by its own residents
(6/7) If 4.5 mil people can contribute 25 birr each, that is 112 mil Birr. We can simply raise it via a shortcode campaign. People overseas can also contribute $25 or more via GoFundMe. I am willing to contribute more by sponsoring Addis residents who can't donate the 25 Birr.
(7/7) If the project is to happen, independent board will be formed to oversee the operation. If the contribution money is a surplus, more improvement can be done. The historic Meskel Sq deserves a face-lift.Let's create this campaign by using a hashtag #LetUsBeautifyMeskelSquare
