Chachi is most known for her musical career as one of the first Ethiopian artists to blend the sounds of reggae with Amharic. After releasing her first album, ëAjebí in Washington D.C., she traveled extensively and got involved in acting, modeling, voice lessons, and fashion design. Chachi returned to Ethiopia in 1992 with her first album selling over 90,000 copies worldwide, but her focus was honed in on the plight of street children rather than on her musical success.

ìI cried because after seeing their distress I realized itís not worth it to simply make money,î she said. A portion of the proceeds from every show she performed thereafter went towards helping street children in her native homeland. Few musical artists have as long a charitable career as they do their musical one, and Chachiís philanthropic contributions stand as a testament. In 1993, alongside other Ethiopians, Chachi worked with an NGO called ëForum on Street Childrení and staged a tour in many towns in Ethiopia including Nazareth, Debre Zeit, Awassa, Shashemene, Dire Dawa, and Harrar. Her sold-out show at the National Theatre raised an additional 30,000 birr and helped raise more consciousness about the plight of street children. The money raised was donated to local schools.

Chachi then embarked on a journey to Jamaica to further develop her unique musical blend of reggae with Amharic lyrics. The result was a collaborative effort with reggae stars Buju Banton and Sizzler and a new album entitled ëHoya Hoyeí. Chachiís efforts put Amharic/Reggae blend in the international spotlight with her music becoming popular in countries like Jamaica and Japan. Her insistence to adorn herself onstage with clothing highlighting the colors of the Ethiopian flag revealed her pride in her ancestral heritage. She served as a music ambassador to future generations of Ethiopians but more importantly she tells us she wanted ìto display the best of what we have as a nation and a culture to the rest of the world.î

Chachi continued to work on social programs in Ethiopia and returned in 1995 to start an aerobics exercise gym for women and trained others to continue to run the classes. She also started a program for Ethiopians abroad to sponsor street children in Ethiopia and helped close to 200 families throughout a seven to eight year period. In 2000, she created her own non-profit organization, Hohete Tesfa, based in Atlanta, GA, to help Ethiopian children orphaned with HIV/AIDS. She contacted and collaborated with reggae artist Boom Shaka and Tamesol Communications to start the first annual Adwa Day Reggae Benefit Concert as a fundraiser for Hohete Tesfa.

With companies such as Coca-Cola and Ethiopian Airlines signing on as sponsors Chachi agreed to have the annual festival for five years in a row. ìWe decided to have the festival on Adwa day because we donít celebrate it enough,î she said. ìIn Jamaica, Adwa Day is celebrated with a big reggae festival but we have no such musical celebratory event in our own countryî, she noted. Chachi went one step further and contacted Ethiopian patriots to attend the festival and be honored in public. She compiled a special song entitled ëYesetitu Arbegnochí [Female Patriots] on her ëGlobal Rhythmí cd in celebration of their heroic efforts, which is most likely the first pop song to highlight their unforgettable achievements.

The fundraising has aided in sustaining a home for 13 orphaned children who are attended to by a live-in manager and a resident cook. The children were aged three to four years old when they first came to live in a Hohete Tesfa funded home, and are now between the ages of nine and twelve. Chachi would like to recognize the efforts of other artists and in particular, Boom Shaka, Tilahun Gessesse, Teshome Wolde, Johnny Reggae, Roots Africa, as well as Tamesol Communications and Ethiopian Airlines who made the Reggae Benefit Concert possible. She also thanks God and her family for giving her direction and strength to carry out her philanthropic work. ìOne thing I learned in life is that you cannot forget who you are,î she says, ìGod didnít just bring us here to pass through. When I give, I feel alive.î The name of her organization Hohete Tesfa literally translated means ëGate of Hope.í Chachi envisions it as a gate that will allow others to pass through and to donate their time and efforts towards helping others.

As a person of Ethiopian heritage, Chachi is extremely proud of her roots and culture and is devoted to teaching and sharing it with others. ìIíve traveled almost everywhere in the world and discovered that people outside of Ethiopia have so much respect for us. Jamaicans have an orthodox church and have brought priests all the way from Ethiopia because they worship our culture. But some Ethiopians try to hide from it,î she notes. ìDonít hide from who you are. Itís not worth it. Be Proud. Letís have respect for our music and art. No matter where you are in the world you cannot forget who you are. You cannot forget your language. You cannot forget your people. î The motto of her organizations puts it more aptly, ìThe love we give away is the only love we keep.î And after using her music to create cultural and social awareness for decades, Chachi says ìthe only people who never fail are those who never, never try.î

For more information about how you can get involved in Hohete Tesfaís work or retrieve dvd copies of the first annual Reggae Benefit Concert contact Chachi at htesfa@telecom.net.et or hohetel@yahoo.com.