Jane Kurtz to Speak at the Naval Academy Primary School - November 17

You are cordially invited to spend the evening with children’s authors Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz.

Date- Saturday, 17 November 2007
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Naval Academy Primary School,
74 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402

Light refreshments will be served.

Jane Kurtz, renowned children’s book author and Board president of Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization that was established for the purpose of promoting children's book publishing, reading, literacy and the development of education in Ethiopia will present a slide show and speak about Ethiopia, literacy, and her life experiences. Her presentation will be complemented by her brother, Chris Kurtz, also an author, board member of Ethiopia Reads, and accomplished speaker telling his story and doing a reading. Jane and Chris grew up in Ethiopia, children of missionaries, and have fascinating stories to share.

For more information about Ethiopia Reads, please visit their website at www.ethiopiareads.org. The organization was featured in the October issue of Good Housekeeping magazine: you can download the very informative article, written by Melissa Fay Greene, about their projects from their website.

For more information about Jane Kurtz, please visit www.JaneKurtz.com.

Books will be available for purchase – all proceeds will benefit EthiopiaReads.org and its projects.

An RSVP is not required, but would be appreciated to EthiopiaReads@aol.com – or leave a voice mail for Catie Dupont at 571-243-1411.

Let's Read about Africa - National Museum of African Art

Let's Read about Africa
at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
Ages: 5--10
Introduces young audiences to current and classical children's literature about Africa. Each reading is followed by an art activity. Suitable for ages 5 to 10.

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela
Sat., Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m.
By Cristine Kessler, illus. by Leonard Jenkins, 2006

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela tells the story of a determined young girl who defies tradition and becomes the first girl beekeeper. Read by Yohannes Gebregeorgis, an Ethiopian children's author and Director of Ethiopian operations of the non-profit EthiopiaReads.org.

(You can purchase copies of The BeeKeeper of Lalibela by visiting www.silverchicks.com or contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org. For more information about titles published by Ethiopia Reads in Amharic and English, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.)

Fistula Fast Facts - for more information visit www.fistulafoundation.org

Fast Facts
Fistula used to be present in the U.S. and Europe, but was largely eliminated in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century with improved obstetric care in general and the use of c-sections in particular to relieve obstructed labor.
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
In Ethiopia, alone, there are an estimated 100,000 women suffering with untreated fistula, and another 9,000 women who develop fistula each year.
Less than 6 in 10 women in developing countries give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. In Ethiopia, only 1 in 10 women have a trained attendant. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death.
The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls. In Ethiopia, the poverty and malnutrition in children contributes to the condition of stunting, where the girl skeleton, and therefore pelvis as well, do not fully mature. This stunted condition can contribute to obstructed labor, and therefore fistula.
But, fistula is both preventable and treatable. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.

WaterAid.org in Ethiopia from their Website

Ethiopia, the fourth largest and second most populous country in Africa. It is Africa's oldest independent country and, with the exception of a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, has never been colonised.

Despite a rich and unique religious and cultural history it has become better known for its periodic droughts and famines, and for its long civil war and subsequent border conflict with Eritrea.

Though improving, literacy levels in Ethiopia are still low and Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with an economy that is highly dependent on agriculture. Ethiopia is still among the least well served countries in the world in terms of water and sanitation. Water-related diseases are rife, child mortality high and health services are limited.

Achievements to date:
-Helped over 820,000 people gain access to safe water
-Helped establish the local NGO Water Action and supported the formation of the water unit of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Inter Church Aid Commission
-Influenced the development of water projects managed by community boards and is seen as the main proponent of large sustainable gravity flow water schemes in the country
-Coordinated WASH Ethiopia, a country-wide water, sanitation and hygiene movement linked to the international Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
-Helped set up and now hosts the Ethiopian Country Water Partnership (ECWP), the Ethiopian branch of the Global Water Partnership, an international network focused on promoting integrated water resource management
-Piloted rope pumps and composting latrines

WaterAid helps some of the poorest people in Ethiopia set up and maintain their own water, sanitation and hygiene projects.

We started funding projects in Ethiopia in 1983 and began working through established non governmental organizations (NGOs) in 1986. A country office was set up in 1991 and two sub-offices opened in Benishangul Gumuz and Oromia Regions in 2004 and 2005.

We work closely with eight local NGOs, the local private sector and local and regional government departments in water, sanitation and hygiene projects. We also work with a wide range of other organisations in networks to influence water and sanitation policies.

Our aim is to improve the livelihoods of poor people in Ethiopia through the provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene education using technologies that are appropriate to local conditions, affordable and easy to maintain. However, projects vary from region to region depending on the natural environment which varies greatly.

Most Ethiopians live in densely-populated arable plateau lands of middle-altitude. However, the country includes some of the highest peaks in Africa with scattered rural communities living in the cold highlands at over 2000 metres above sea level.

Many lowland pastoral communities live in the sparse arid semi-deserts of the east, while hunter-gatherers and shifting cultivators still live in forested parts of the south and west of the country.

In Oromia Region, water projects tend to be spring-fed gravity schemes; some of which are very large, providing water for tens of thousands of people. In Southern Nations and Nationality People's Region schemes have included deep boreholes as water is sometimes only found below 200 metres.

In Amhara and Tigray the main technologies so far have been hand-dug wells and spot spring development where springs are simply tapped and protected at their source. In Benishangul Gumuz, as well as hand-dug wells, WaterAid is testing simpler and cheaper rope pumps.

In its sanitation and hygiene education work WaterAid and its partners have been involved in supporting the construction and use of latrines for both households and institutions, particularly schools. Latrines vary from simple pit latrines to composting latrines, bio-gas, mobile toilets and ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines.

Hygiene education has increasingly focused on the close links between proper handwashing at critical times, like before eating and after going to the toilet, and improved health, particularly in reducing the numbers of young children that die from diarrhoeal diseases.

In all cases WaterAid works closely with communities from the start, to raise awareness of how water and sanitation impact on disease and poverty. Communities are also actively involved in the planning, building, managing and evaluation of projects. Particular attention is now being paid to engaging women in projects and increasing the ways in which the poorest and most marginalised in society, including the elderly and those suffering with HIV/AIDS, can be supported.

Despite recent progress, communication systems are still poor and road coverage one of the worst in the world. It is therefore not uncommon for partner organisations to facilitate building access roads so that they can transport materials at the beginning of a project.

This is not only in remote regions - WaterAid has also encountered this within 250 kilometres of the capital Addis Ababa. The need to ensure an effective supply chain that can deliver spare parts through government or private sector involvement is another challenge facing the sustainability of projects.

Although WaterAid mainly works in rural areas, since 1998 it has been engaged in the slum areas of Addis Ababa, and urban initiatives in other towns are also expanding. Projects include establishing communal water points linked to the city's piped systems, wastewater management, shower and latrine blocks and mobile toilets managed together with small kiosks by ex-homeless young people.

Where there are very few public toilets these fill a critical gap in the sanitation services for urban people.

For more information please visit www.wateraid.org.

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

(You do not want to miss this event!)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

From 5:00 PM to Midnight

at the Holiday Inn Eisenhower Metro
2460 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

for more information call - Zethiopia
202 518 0245

or e-mail dereje@zethiopia.com

Cardiac surgeon lends a hand in native Ethiopia

October 18, 2007:The first open heart surgery in Ethiopia was performed by the Detroit Medical Center's Dr. Ingida Asfaw on a 19-year-old patient.

That was four years ago.

"There was literally nobody in the country to do it," said the Ethiopian-born cardiac surgeon.

That's why Asfaw established the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association in 2001. Through ENAHPA, he has corralled the services of nearly 1,000 medical personnel internationally and made 10 missions to Ethiopia -- all to address the medical needs of a country with a life expectancy of only 49.

Close to a cardiac surgeon's heart

In 1958, Asfaw's parents bought him a ticket to America on a cargo ship. He made the two-week voyage alone and was greeted on these shores by a sponsoring family in Virginia.

"I was only 16," he said. "It was scary: a new environment, new faces, new culture. But I had to leave my country to become a doctor. At the time, there was not one medical school in the country."

Ethiopia's monarchy was overthrown by a Marxist junta in 1974. Since then, coups, famine and refugee problems have hindered the nation's ability to address basic human needs. According to the ENAHPA, there is one nurse for every 5,000 people in Ethiopia, which is now a democracy. In the United States, where we complain about a nurses shortage, there is one for every 110 people.

Asfaw always knew he wanted to do something to address that gap.

"Somehow I found myself looking at a book in the library when I was in sixth grade," he said. "It talked about these tiny organisms called bacteria microbes. I was curious why they made people sick. At that time, I made up my mind I was going to be a doctor."

Making a world of difference

Asfaw said people always ask him why he's helping people overseas.

"What you consider poor health care in this country is equivalent to what middle-class people get in Ethiopia," he said. "It's a matter of degree. This is a humanitarian effort."

Indeed, ENAHPA is treating children and adults with HIV/AIDS, providing free HIV/AIDS medications, training new physicians and establishing maternal child health centers. The infant mortality rate is 125 deaths per 1,000 live births in Ethiopia, compared with 6.9 deaths per 1,000 in the United States.

But even those efforts aren't good enough for Asfaw. Now in his late 60s, he's talking about extending his model to other nations.

"Once you have a vision, you have to continue to drive toward it," he said. "It takes persistence and consistency. And it takes faith." (FREE PRESS)

Siiqqee Women’s Development Association

A name with a symbolic meaning
A Siiqqee is a carved stick traditionally given to women of the Oromo peoples of Ethiopia on the day of their wedding, a tradition that has mostly disappeared today. It symbolised the importance of their role in the houselhold. As this symbol, it clearly embodied the respect due a wife and mother. If or when a married woman ever had difficulties with her husband, she could take this Siiqqee and walk out into the village streets. Other women, upon seeing her, would take their own Siiqqees and join her at a rallying place. There they would wait until the men in the village came to find them and the issue was resolved.

In this way, the term Siiqqee can only embody the respect owed women. It is the ideal symbol for the work undertaken by Siiqqee Women's Development Association, or SWDA

Siiqqee Women’s Development Association
Siiqqee Women’s Development Association (SWDA) is a local Ethiopian NGO, working towards women’s empowerment in rural Ethiopia. SWDA was founded in 1997 by a committed Ethiopian woman with the strong belief that poor women should be assisted in their self-help efforts and ultimately empowered to control their livelihoods and their futures. SWDA is registered with the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice and with the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC), since 1997, and is a member of CRDA (Ethiopian NGO association) since January 2002.

SWDA began its operation in Alem Gena Woreda of Southwest Showa Zone, Oromia Regional State, and still focuses most of its efforts in this area.

For more information about the Siiqqee Women't Development Association, please visit their website at http://www.siiqqee.org/.

NACOEJ - North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry

FOOD & EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN ETHIOPIA
NACOEJ, founded in 1982, has long been responsible for rescue and relief services for the Jews of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, NACOEJ is the sole support of compounds which daily provide thousands of meals to babies and children, schooling for students in K-8, adult education, employment programs, monthly community food distributions, and religious facilities.
NACOEJ Funded Compounds in Gondar Province
The compound has its own democratically elected leadership committee. NACOEJ funds all operations.

No programs are functioning at present in Addis Ababa. In Gondar, where the great majority of Jews live, all programs are fully functional.

Feeding Programs

Feeding Center Program for Children Under Age 6 & Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
The Feeding Center in Gondar is open six days a week. Adults—usually mothers—bring children under age six to the center, sometimes walking for up to four hours to complete two round trips. Each child receives half-ounce servings of eggs with oil and iodized salt (essential to warding off iodine deficiency, a common problem among Ethiopians), fafa cereal; grated carrots; mashed bananas; mashed potatoes or beans; avocado; collard greens (gomen); and oranges or bananas. Pregnant women and nursing mothers receive the same menu, as well as a bread roll. Take-home dried beans are provided to help ensure an evening meal for the child and the rest of the family.

Lunch Program for School Children
For most of these children this is their only significant source of nutrition. NACOEJ provides each child with lunch, six days a week. Sponsor a child’s lunch: $72 sponsors a child’s lunch for the whole year! Click here to download the Lunch Program flyer.

Bean and/or Grain Distribution
Monthly distributions of beans and/or grain are distributed to community members according to family size.

Donate to the NACOEJ Feeding programs

Health & Education

Nurses
The compound nurse sees each child every two weeks (more frequently if the child is ill), and measures height and weight. If the child is sick or severely malnourished, the child receives a slip to take to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee medical clinic. The nurse also teaches hygiene and child-care classes for parents.

School
The school in Gondar serves 1st through 8th grade. Although the school was already filled to capacity, in 2004 we had to add another 1000 children, all eligible for aliyah. As a result, the school is now on triple session.

High School: We pay all fees and transportation for students who gain admission to a local high school.

Library
A compound library contains hundreds of books in Amharic (bought), English and Hebrew (donated and shipped by the American donors). Children use these libraries to do homework and to read for pleasure.

Adult Education
Previous attempts at literacy programs did not work, so material is taught orally (those participants who can write, do). Educated community members teach Bible stories, religious customs, Jewish history, and Israeli culture. Before Passover and Rosh Hashana we send educated Ethiopian-Israelis to Ethiopia to teach the adults about the holidays, conduct holiday services, and teach the regular teachers.

Employment

NACOEJ funds a variety of jobs for community members, including guards, maintenance workers , cooks, servers, builders, clean-up crew, teachers, and others, gainfully employing hundreds of people each year.
In Addis, we also housed a needleworkers’ co-op (now closed), giving the workers space to work and contracting with them for a certain number of embroideries per month. In addition, employment was given to community members who purchased materials, sewed the backings, laundered and packed the embroideries (over 700 people). Our goal was to provide work to one family member in each household.

Religious and Cultural Facilities

Synagogue
The compound houses a synagogue, with two Torahs, kiddush cups, an ark, bima, menorah, siddurs, tefillin and tallitot. Services take place three times daily during the week, on Shabbat and all Jewish holidays. Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is also celebrated. There are children’s Shabbat services and classes, and Shabbat afternoon Jewish cultural activities.
We also facilitate a weekly distribution of Shabbat candles to families, and house a mikvah (ritual bath).

Matzah-Baking Factory
About 170,000 matzot are baked on the compound grounds before each Passover!

New Grant for Restoration of Mohammed Ali House Highlights U.S. Cultural Support: Agreement Helps Preserve Historical House in Addis Ababa

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 (Addis Ababa, U.S. Embassy) – U.S. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto joined Her Imperial Highness Princess Mariam Senna Asfaw Wassen, Founder and CEO of Addis Wubet, on Wednesday, September 5, to sign a grant for the restoration of Mohammed Ali House, a pilot project for the Piazza District Revitalization Project of Addis Wubet in the heart of Addis Ababa. The Mohammed Ali House is listed on the World Monuments Watch List. The grant, in the amount of $25,000, was provided through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, an annual competitive program of the U.S. Department of State.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ambassador Yamamoto noted that Ethiopia’s successful participation in the 2007 Ambassador’s Fund competition was a sign not only of deep U.S.-Ethiopian cultural ties but also of the American people’s recognition of the richness and depth of Ethiopia’s cultural heritage. He pointed out that the site preserved through this funding is itself a cultural symbol of Ethiopia. The Ambassador added, “The Mohammed Ali House is an exemplary demonstration of Ethiopian-American friendship and cooperation. Its location in the heart of Addis Ababa will make it a key showcase site for Ethiopia’s Millennium Celebration.”

Established in 2001, the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation is the only U.S. Government Program that provides direct small grant support to heritage preservation projects in developing countries. The U.S. Congress said of the program, “In efforts to assist in preserving the heritage of other cultures, we show our respect for them.” Previous grants to Ethiopia have supported conservation efforts at Hager Fikir Theater in Addis Ababa; Sheikh Nur Hussen Shrine in Oromia; Guzara Castle in North Gondar, and a needs-assessment study for the historic monument at Yeha in Tigray. This year, 94 countries participated in the Ambassador’s Fund. Ethiopia’s successful program was one of 57 projects chosen for funding out of a total of over 177 proposals.

Girls Gotta Run Foundation

Girls Gotta Run Foundation, Inc.

The Girls Gotta Run Foundation, Inc., raises money to buy athletic shoes for Ethiopian girls to support their participation in sports and help them continue their formal education.

In her December 2005 Washington Post article ("Facing Servitude, Ethiopian Girls Run for a Better Life"), Emily Wax pointed out that Ethiopian girls' enrollment in school is among the lowest in the world, and women and girls are more likely to die in childbirth, due to early marrige, than reach sixth grade. Ethiopia also has the highest rate of vaginal fistulas, a tearing of the vagina during childbirth that requires painful reconstructive surgery, often unavailable, in the world; and one of the largest caseloads of AIDS, forcing many girls to quit school to care for sick or widowed relatives.

Today, however, seven of the 10 top-earning athletes in Ethiopia are women. Therefore, many girls and their parents have begun to see careers as professional runners as viable options in a country where girls as young as 12 can be sold as brides by parents desperate for dowry payments. Many who train in order to stay in school and keep their options open, can, with the help of caring others, overcome many of the obstacles in their way. Getting athletic shoes, however, is tremendously difficult. Inspired by their spirit and determination, and moved by their plight, a group of artists and committed others came together in early 2006 to form an organization to raise money to buy shoes for the girls; the Girls Gotta Run Foundation was born.

We are in the process of putting together an international team of people and organizations committed to helping us set up a reliable identification, distribution and verification system to get shoes to the girls in training in Addis Ababa. We are also committed to raising funds in the long term for shoes for girls in a program to educate rural girls that is administered by PACT Ethiopia.

All labor to administer GGRF, including that of the Director, is volunteered and most services are donated, so almost 100% of our funds will go to buy shoes. PACT uses a very small percentage for administrative costs. Contributing artists must donate at least 50% of the sale of their artworks. Many donate 100%. Thank you to Artspan, for this donated website space.

Girls Gotta Run is grateful for the support of our corporate sponsors: Etete Restaurant, Perfect Organics, Photocommunications, The Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, and Universal Settlements. We are also grateful for the support of Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia.

Girls Gotta Run Foundation's 2006 Annual Report is now available, as is the 2007 Girls Gotta Run flyer. To read an article about Girls Gotta Run that appeared in the international emagazine Art'ishake, published by Arts for Global Development, Inc., email artishake@art4development.net and ask for Art'ishake, Issue No. 5. To read an article about Girls Gotta Run in the emagazine Tadias, visit "Shoes, Shoes, Shoes...Girls Gotta Run." For further information about Girls Gotta Run Foundation, contact pat@girlsgottarun.org.

Ethiopia Reads to produce Children's Book Collection in Amharic and English

Ethiopia Reads pairs with Elizabeth Laird and the Christensen Fund to produce the first-ever English/Amharic children's story collection

Ethiopia Reads is honored to announced our partnership with the beloved British children's author Elizabeth Laird. Ms. Laird is well-known for her collection of Ethiopian stories, Where the World Began.

In April 2008, we'll release the first of two collections of children's stories, printed in English and Amharic. Each of these dual-language story collections will feature 12 traditional folk tales collected by Ms. Laird during her travels throughout Ethiopia. Illustrated by local artists, these high-quality volumes will both preserve and celebrate traditional cultures from around Ethiopia while encouraging a love of reading.

This project is made possibly by a generous grant from The Christensen Fund of Palo Alto, California, which works to realize its vision of an ecologically diverse world brimming with cultural expression and bountiful livelihoods. The Christensen Fund has a long tradition of attention to conservation science, visual arts and education. For more information on this wonderful organization, please visit http://www.christensenfund.org/.

For more information on Ethiopia Reads, please visit their website at www.ethiopiareads.org.

A Blast from the Past - Take a look at Zethiopia's first issue!

Subscribing to Zethiopia Newspaper

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Project Mercy - Yetebon - Ethiopia

Project Mercy, Inc., is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit relief and development agency that promotes education, health care, and other holistic community development projects to create economically independent communities with high ethical and social values.

For more information on the programs that have been implemented in Yetebon and the progress Project Mercy has made - or to get involved, please visit their website by clicking HERE.

Relief Bulletin: Weekly Humanitarian Highlights in Ethiopia 01 Oct 2007

RESPONSE TO SOMALI REGION
Based on the recommendations of the recent UN inter-agency assessment mission, an inter-agency response plan is currently under development. The response plan will address needs in all sectors including food aid, health and nutrition, agriculture and livestock, water and sanitation, protection and human rights issues. The Government has in principle approved the allocation of food for some 600,000 beneficiaries in the five zones under military operation - Fik, Degehabur, Korahe, Gode and Warder. As part of UNICEF’s health and nutrition response, several trucks with health supplies left for Jijiga and Gode last week, to replenish essential drugs and nutritional supplies in health facilities. WHO has also deployed a consultant in Jijiga, a surveillance officer, and an Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) focal point. For more information contact: ocha-eth@un.org and wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

AFAR FLOOD ASSESSMENT REPORT
A team comprised of the Afar Regional DPPB, the Regional Water Bureau, UNICEF, CARE and OXFAM Great Britain visited the flood affected woredas of Gewane and Bure Mudaytu. The findings of the team indicate that out of a total of 14 kebeles that were inundated, Meteka, Adbaru and Brieforu kebeles in Gewane woreda, and Debel, Gefremu and Beidaforu in Bure Mudaytu woreda were the most severely affected. These communities have no safe water supply. In addition, public facilities, including schools and the health clinic in Debel have been submerged by the flood waters. Although, no major epidemics have been reported thus far, there is an increased risk of malaria and other waterborne diseases including AWD. Among the outstanding needs identified are: boats for the relocation of people in Beida and Adbaru kebeles; medical supplies and drugs including ITNs and Coartem; the continuation of food aid for the coming three months; health education; strengthening the woreda AWD and flood control committee and the provision of potable water to the affected community. For more information contact: ManderT@care.org.et

REPORTS OF LANDSLIDES
There are reports of landslides from Tigray, Amhara and SNNP regions. The affected woredas include: Atsbi Wenberta (Eastern Tigray); Meta Robi (West Shewa); Kindo Dadiye (Wolayita); and Bonke (Gamo Gofa). The landslides in these areas resulted in displacements and have caused damages to crops, grazing areas, residential houses and soil conservation structures. For more information contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

ACUTE WATERY DIARRHEA UPDATE
Four new woredas were affected by AWD during the week namely Awbere and Erer woredas in Somali Region and Alamata and Tahtay Koraro woredas in Tigray Region. AWD cases continued to be reported in the six affected regions: Amhara, SNNP, Oromiya, Tigray, Afar and Somali. The hot spot areas are Lode Hitosa and Digsis woredas in Arsi zone, Oromiya Region, Dara and Chuko woredas in Sidama zone, Alaba Special Woreda in Alaba zone, SNNPR, Asgede Tsimbala woreda in Western Tigray zone, Naeder Adet in Central Tigray zone, Tigray Region and Jijiga and Erer woredas in Somali Region. Provision of safe drinking water and promotion of environmental and personal hygiene with strong coordination and collaboration of stakeholders are among the key interventions needed to tackle the disease. Shortage of staff and medical supplies in the health facilities are among the major challenges. For more information contact: who-wro@et.afro.int

FINDINGS OF VERIFICATION ASSESSMENT IN SNNPR
The findings of the recent joint Government-humanitarian partners’ verification assessment in nine woredas of SNNPR indicate that approximately 81,000 people have been affected by both natural and manmade disasters. Flooding affected 40,536 people in five woredas - Humbo, Mirab Abaya, Dasenech, Hammer and Loka Abaya. In Kindo Dadiye and Bonke woredas, an estimated 12,720 people were affected by landslides. The most severe impacts of which were particularly felt in Kindo Dadiye woreda where 12 people were killed and 218 households were displaced. Tensions in Burji and Amaro woredas, following intense conflict between the Gujis and Amaros and Burjis in October 2006 continues to prevent agricultural activities in certain areas due to security concerns. The assessment team has recommended that assistance should be extended for the last four months of the year to 21,576 emergency beneficiaries that were identified in the visited woredas. For more information contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

A spotlight shines on Ethiopia's poor

September 30, 2007:Candle-bearing Ethiopians massed in the main square of the capital celebrating a holy day Thursday for the "founding of the true Christian cross," which coincided with the observance of the Third Millennium.Just as this ancient country marches to a different calendar and bakes its special bread, Ethiopia uniquely links its Festival of Meskel to claims that a fourth century Greek queen divined the exact spot where the cross of Christ was buried.Presiding atop a grandstand overlooking a million celebrants, Patriarch Abune Paulos, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, hosted a pride of frocked and crowned religious eminences from six nations - along with the bare-headed Rev. Calvin O. Butts, leading a 165-member pilgrimage from his Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.National pride pumped by the holiday spirit overshadowed, at least for a day, the pressing problems Rev. Butts had brought his church pilgrimage to Ethiopia to observe and to help alleviate.Earlier, in the United Nations' sleek office building here in Addis Ababa, government ministers faced off with African-American specialists who politely peeled back scabs from sores of one of the world's poorest nations.Dr. Bert Petersen, a cancer surgeon and Abyssinian member, came with medical expertise and an analytical scalpel familiar with the tissue of bureaucracy. Upon entering practice at a city hospital, Dr. Petersen rejected the policy of seeing paying patients on one day and uninsured patients on a separate day. "I told the administrator," he said, "that I'm going to say nothing to a nonpaying patient that I wouldn't say to a paying patient." The scheduling of office hours, he said, was accordingly reformed.Similar battles earned Dr. Petersen the reputation as a committed champion of the underprivileged and impoverished. Health-care parity, Dr. Petersen admits, may prove daunting indeed in 80 percent agrarian Ethiopia, where, according to government figures, $21 is spent annually per person on health care, according to the World Health Organization.The "harsh reality," he said, is that Ethiopia has one of the highest infant mortality rates, with about 90 percent of mothers receiving no prenatal and little postnatal care. An Australian-run model hospital here treats a fraction of women suffering from obstetric fistula, a debilitating rupturing of the womb, a condition eradicated a century ago in the United States. On the bright side, the death rate has been reduced to 77 mothers per 1,000. But it remains about 40 times greater than the rate in the United States.With an HIV prevalence of 2.1 percent in the country, the minister of health reports that infectious diseases are the dominant threat, with malaria as the No. 1 killer. Another physician in the delegation, Dr. Myra White, said Ethiopia should attack the scourge of infectious diseases, most of which have been eradicated in the West, at their very root. "The country has to develop infrastructure, improve sanitation and build effective systems for getting rid of waste. Once this is done - and it won't be easy - the infectious disease problems will start resolving themselves."Dr. Petersen cited as a major challenge the drain of doctors from Ethiopia, where they average salaries of $300 a month, to other countries such as South Africa. Programs must be devised, he said, to retain skilled professionals. In addition to health care, the Abyssinian specialists took a preliminary look at establishing what Rev. Butts said would be ongoing relationships with officials in education and economic development.Asked at a closing press conference about the country's human rights abuses, Rev. Butts said, "I've not come here on a political mission to criticize the government." Still, he fired off a letter to the U.S. Congress asking it to hold off on a bill that would curtail assistance to Ethiopia because of concerns about human rights violations. Noting that the government had released "political prisoners," Butts said that, based on our visit here, it was a bad time for the United States "to hold back resources [from Ethiopia] ... when you consider the poverty."(Les Payne on Newday.Com)

United Nations International Day of Older Persons

United Nations International Day of Older Persons
October 2, 2007
Washington, DC, USA
Online Registration
Click here to register for this event.

Event Info
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Forum - Harman Center for the Performing Arts
610 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Contact AARP International at: intlaffairs@aarp.org

With generous support from the BBC, the UNA-USA Council of Organizations, and the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA); AARP is sponsoring My Generation: Connecting, Giving, Enjoying on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, in celebration of the 2007 International Day of Older Persons.

The program will feature an exclusive screening of the American debut of the BBC acclaimed Documentary "Power to the People: the Great Granny Chart Invasion" documenting the formation of the UK senior rock group “The Zimmers”. The film will be followed by an interactive dialogue with Peter Oakley of "The Zimmers" and Neil Reed, Music Producer of the group's debut hit single My Generation.


The program will also present the YouTube contest "AARP’s U@50+" submissions and film clips from directors age 50+.

Commentary will be given by the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Dr. Robert Butler, President & CEO of the International Longevity Center-USA. Line Vreven, Director of AARP International, will host the event as master of ceremonies.

Please join us for a special reception following the program. Doors open starting at 4:30 PM.

For directions to the Shakespeare Theatre, visit: www.shakespearetheatre.org/visit/index.aspx.

Visit the AARP website for registration information: www.aarp.org

Zethiopia Promotes the Take One Book Campaign for Ethiopia Reads

Take One Book Literacy Campaign for Ethiopia

One book can change a life. That is what Ethiopia Reads founder Yohannes Gebregiorgis discovered at 19 years of age when he held his first book. Now you have the opportunity to change a life through Ethiopia Reads’ “TAKE ONE BOOK” campaign. In recognition of the Millenium celebration in Ethiopia this year we are committed to donating at least 2,000 books to children in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Reads, founded in 2003, works to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia. We do this by planting libraries and publishing books in local languages as well as offering continuing education programs to help educators in Ethiopia nurture a love of reading.

Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading. The library received 60,000 visits to the library in 2006. Ethiopia Reads sees first hand the difference that one library, ONE BOOK, and one story can make in the life of a child.

If you or someone you know is traveling to Ethiopia during 2007, Ethiopia Reads challenges you to TAKE ONE BOOK with you, because we believe that education is hope and books can change lives. Books can be dropped off at the Shola Children’s Library in Addis Ababa. Shola is located in Beklo-Bet, behind the Dashen Bank off of Debre Zeit road.

If you are not traveling this year but want to make a difference in Ethiopia, we are collecting books in Washington, DC to send over with other travellers. Books can be dropped at Zethiopia’s office at 11th and U Street, NW.

For more information on the TAKE ONE BOOK campaign, please contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org or Katie Douglas at katie@ethiopiareads.org.

WILL YOU TAKE ONE BOOK?

Suggested book list:

1. Any type of non-fiction books are appreciated. The kids wear out the DK type books with nicely detailed pictures.

2. Suggested fiction titles:

· Baby Baboon
· Crafty Chameleon
· Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, by Verna Aardema
· Bringing the Rain to Kaputi Plain
· Anansi Does the Impossible
· Kaldi and the Dancing Goats, the story of Ethiopian Coffee
· Anansi and the Talking Melon
· Anansi the Spider
· Babu’s Song
· Fatuma’s New Cloth
· My Rows and Piles of Coins
· Once Upon a Time
· What’s Cooking Jamela
· The Day Gogo Went to Vote
· Silly Mammo
· Aida
· Kings and Queens of West Africa
· Sundiata: The Lion King
· Seven Spools of Thread
· Journey to Jo’Burg
· Saba: Under the Hyena’s Foot
· Storytellers’ Beads
· Moonlight Bride
· The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Child
· The Other Side of Truth
· Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope
· Weep not Child
· Song of Lawino, Song of Ocol
· Purple Hibiscus
· So Long a Letter
· Nervous Conditions
· No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
· The Magic Gourd
· Bintou’s Braids
· My Great Grandmother’s Gourd
· Tutankhamen’s Gift
· No Turning Back
· Hatshepsut: His Majesty Herself
· Year of No Rain
· Many Stones
· The Ugly Goddess
· Beduin’s Gazelle
· Mother to Mother
· Midaq Alley
· Dreams of Trespass

Visit www.janekurtz.com for more children’s books related to life in Africa.

About Hope For Children

Hope for Children United States (HFC-US) is a US-based section 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the lives of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia. We are an entirely volunteer-run organization; every dollar of sponsorship monies goes directly to your sponsored child in Ethiopia.

Today, there are over 1.2 million children in Ethiopia who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. By 2010, this figure is projected to reach over 2 million - 20% to 30% of all children under age 15.

On top of the overwhelming grief of watching one or both parents slowly die from AIDS, these children have to deal with ostracism, uncertainty, fear and starvation.

Together, we can offer hope to these children!

WHAT WE DO:

Support a child sponsorship program - For $300 a year (less than $1 a day), you can pay for a child’s food, shelter, school fees and materials, and basic health care. Your sponsorship can mean the difference between life and death for a child.
Support targeted projects at Hope for Children - Ethiopia (for more information, click on HFC-Ethiopia and the Youth Learning Center, our biggest undertaking yet)*
Raise awareness and advocate for these most vulnerable, but often forgotten, victims of the AIDS pandemic - the children.

* HFC-US is an independent organization that is not acting on behalf of any foreign organization. All funds raised by HFC-US are for specific projects that have been pre-approved by HFC-US’s Board of Directors as being in furtherance of our exempt purposes. HFC-US at all times exercises control and discretion as to the use of all contributions made to it.

For more information about Hope for Children and their current projects visit www.hopeforchildrenus.org.

About Zethiopia

Zethiopia is a diversified news and information Independent newspaper that represents America's local and national Ethiopian community.

Zethiopia is published bi-monthly by the Ze Ethiopia Corporation. The newspaper's motto is, "Not just both sides, all sides!" The newspaper is free and bilingual with production based in Washington, D.C.

Zethiopia just celebrated it's third year anniversary and at this time is distributed in major metropolitan areas. 10,000 copies are circulated per printing and each week our subscription and advertising base continues to grow.

A large well educated and rapidly growing base of Ethiopian-American citizens and residents are indicative of the importance and necessity of a media source to channel information throughout the community.

The Ethiopian population is estimated at approximately 1 million people, concentrated in major geographic regions to include Washington D.C, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Houston and Atlanta. The goal of Zethiopia is to create a sense of community and respect of Ethiopian culture through our publication - linking each of these geographic areas through news and an exchange of ideas, thoughts, and interest.

For more information about Zethiopia, please visit our website: http://www.zethiopia.com/.

Announcing Zethiopia Radio

Zethiopia is proud to announce its first foray into the broadcast media with the launch of Zethiopia Radio. Zethiopia Radio is an independent news outlet that will provide news and be a forum for diverse views targeting Ethiopians living in the Washington Metropolitan area. Zethiopia Radio is an extension of Zethiopia, a bilingual Amharic-English newspaper that started publication in July, 2002.

Zethiopia Radio will start out as a one hour news program, to be broadcast every Sunday from 5-6 PM on WZHF 1390 AM. The one hour program will consist of news, reports, current affairs, interviews and entertainment.

By launching Zethiopia Radio, we hope to better serve the Ethiopian community in the Greater Washington Metropolitan area and to build upon the solid reputation we have achieved with Zethiopia newspaper. It is our goal and desire to bring forth the same level of commitment and professionalism that has distinguished us in the print media.

Look to Zethiopia Radio to inform the public and be a positive factor in creating well informed discussions on topics related to both Ethiopia and the day-to-day concerns of its community.

For more information and access to archives of previously broadcast shows please visit:
http://www.zethiopia.com/radio/

Dereje Desta
Zethiopia
202 518 0245
dereje@zethiopia.com

Ethiopia Reads - News

LATEST NEWS

Ethiopia Reads is thrilled to be featured in the October issue of Good Housekeeping! The eight-page feature story, "Hope Volume I," was written by the wonderful Melissa Fay Greene, with photos by J Carrier. Look for your copy on newsstands now.

This spring, Melissa spent a few weeks in Addis Ababa and Awassa, getting to know Yohannes Gebregeorgis, Ethiopia Reads' co-founder and Executive Director. Melissa also spent lots of time with children at Shola Children's Library and the Awassa Reading Center, and saw first-hand the power of books in the lives of children.

As Melissa reports, books for children are a rarity in Ethiopia, as are so many educational resources and opportunities that Americans take for granted. Yet Ethiopian children -- like children everywhere -- love books and stories, as well as the sanctuary of a library. Literacy is the tool that will improve their lives and the lives of future generations of Ethiopians.

For more information about Ethiopia Reads, click here.