As 2008 comes to a close, the world takes note of some special people who are contributing to our world with conviction, tenacity and love. Yohannes Gebregeorgis is just such a man. He is a native Ethiopian and a children’s literacy advocate. He has also recently been nominated by CNN as a “Top Hero of the Year.”

Mr. Gebregeorgis worked as a librarian at San Francisco Public Library. He took his knowledge and co-founded “Ethiopia Reads,” a non-profit group that connects Ethiopian children with books. If that doesn’t sound remarkable, it’s important to know that 99% of Ethiopian schools have no libraries; children don’t have access to books - something we take for granted. 67% of the population can’t read. Mr. Gebregeorgis has created 17 libraries to date.

CNN specifically choose people for their “Top 10 Heroes of 2008″ that showcased the ability to make big change in ways that didn’t require money or status - just regular people like you and I making positive news everyday in often simple ways.

Read more about this amazing man, who is making a big difference in our world.

Positive News for Ethiopian Children