Olafur Eliasson's NGO 121Ethiopia Nears Completion of Meles Zenawi Memorial Park in Addis Ababa

121Ethiopia, the NGO founded in 2005 by artist Olafur Eliasson and his wife Marianne Krogh Jensen, operates from Berlin, Copenhagen, and Zurich to support orphans in Ethiopia. The organization has renovated a large state orphanage, supported private orphanages, trained staff at over 50 orphanages in the capital, and run its own orphanage for years. Currently, it runs a program helping poor mothers keep their newborns by providing attachment support, housing, education, and employment. The NGO emphasizes ethical practices through its 121 Ethical Charter and Child's Book, advising that distant adoptions must prioritize the child's perspective. Eliasson's architecture studio, Studio Other Spaces (co-run with Sebastian Behmann), collaborated with Vogt Landscape Architects on the Meles Zenawi Memorial Park in Addis Ababa, nearing completion this year. The park introduces native trees and shrubs to restore the landscape, featuring a winding path leading to five buildings housing the Meles Zenawi Foundation: a belvedere and reception, guesthouse, offices, research center, and library. Inspired by traditional and modernist Ethiopian architecture, the buildings offer meditative spaces and panoramic views, reflecting on Ethiopia's past and present while looking to its future.