Interviews

UNA Student Alliance Making a Difference in Ethiopia

3 Comments

Above: The UNA Student Alliance at Cupertino High School
in California, formed by students Derek Zhou and Alex Pommier,
held a fund raising event at their school on Saturday, December
20, 2008, raising funds to send school supplies to the the small
village of Gira Dima in Ethiopia.

By Mary Granholm

Published: Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mountain View, CA (Tadias) – When Derek Zhou won the United Nations Association (UNA) Essay Contest in our chapter two years ago he said he wanted to do something that would make a difference in the world. He is certainly doing just that. He and Alex Pommier, students at Cupertino High School, formed a UNA Student Alliance, recruited a Faculty Advisor, Bob Pelz, and 58 student members, and researched needs and organizations through which they might work.

They chose The World Family, a local organization supplying clinics and hospitals in Ethiopia, and now building a community center nearly completed, in the small village of Gira Dima in Ethiopia, that has no electricity or potable water. This center will have a clinic, classrooms, gathering place, and gardens, among other things, and solar panels will be installed to provide electricity. The students feel that education is the greatest key to making a difference in the lives of people and decided to focus in that area. They are collecting school supplies and hope to get a container off by spring.


Sorting School Supplies to Ship to Ethiopia (All Photo credit: Cupertino High
School United Nations Association’s photo stream at flickr)

These remarkable, dedicated, and visionary students held an event on Saturday, December 20, at their school, at which they held an auction and raffle of donated items. Art work, jewelry, restaurant meals, a helicopter ride, a lecture series, and even a 2-week stay for 8 people at a Hawaiian time-share were some of the rewards. They have now raised $6,500 toward their goal of $8,000, which is the cost of shipping a container. Incidentally, if you need an auctioneer, Derek would make a great choice.

Some of the students and their adviser hope to spend a month in Gira Dima in the summer.

Learn more at www.theworldfamily.org

About the Author:

Mary Granholm, a retired school teacher, serves as President of the UNA- USA Midpeninsula Chapter.

3 thoughts on “UNA Student Alliance Making a Difference in Ethiopia”

  1. This is a good start! Good for you guys. I hope you make a big difference for this small world. Please continue what you are doing and let others know about it loudly!

  3. Dear UNA Student-Alliance,

    I am very much pleased learning about your activity in Ethiopia.

    In fact, I am very much interested in launching the African Regional Model United Nations(ARMUN), that will be an affiliate of the Global Model United Nations(GMUN),with the vibrant aim of “strengthening the Role of Youth in the United nations System”,especially in the cores of development and humanitarian activities on the African continent.The focal point of the ARMUN will be at the UNECA in Addis Ababa, Ethipia.

    Hence, I am genuinely asking for your partnership ,in order to make the initiative a success for the betterment of African youth.

    Please, I would be very much pleased and grateful hearing from your active side!

    Warmly regards,

    Joseph kenyi Samuel,
    Coordinator/ARMUN

Comments are closed.