Tag Archives: Ethiopian-American

Ethiopian Americans May Swing the Vote in Virginia

August 8, 2008 Tadias Magazine 9 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, August 8, 2008

New York (TADIAS) – The U.S. State of Virginia, which is home to one of the largest Ethiopian American communities in the country, hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in four decades, but some say it might turn blue come November.

“I really believe for the first time in 44 years that we have a great chance of getting the electoral votes in a blue column for Sen. Obama this Fall,” Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine recently told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

And, if the predictions hold true, the Ethiopian American vote could become the deciding factor in November that would deliver Virginia to the Democrats in a close general election.

“In states like Virginia, Ethiopians are in a unique position to swing the vote”, says Selam Mulugeta, a Field Organizer with Obama for America campaign in Northern Virginia. “If all of us who are eligible to vote do so, then we could potentially win the state.”

Obama himself is not taking any chances. “Ethiopian Americans have contributed so much to
our country and our culture, and it is an honor to have so much support from your community,” he said in a recent letter directly appealing to Ethiopian American voters. “We are working to break all records for voter participation in this election, and I hope you’ll become a part of that effort by registering and voting.”

“I read and reread the letter Barack Obama wrote to the Ethiopian American community. I am delighted that Obama clearly acknowledged the contributions of the community to the country and to the culture,” said Ayele Bekerie, Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University.

“He also hinted that, if elected, he is going to have an active foreign policy with the intent of helping people in Africa. That means we should exert even more efforts to make sure that he is elected. By supporting his candidacy and by actively participating in the political process, we are empowering ourselves.”

Of course, not all Ethiopian Americans are crazy about Obama. “What bothers me about him is his extreme leftist position on almost all issues,” writes one person with the alias Aris Tatalis on the Tadias blog. “He was rated the most liberal Senator in the year 2007 by the trend of his vote in the senate. For some reason, I don’t trust these leftists that keep on endorsing him.”

“The brother is doomed,” writes another reader. “There is no way that this country will elect a black man to take over the White House.”

But, most Ethiopian Americans agree that registering to vote is the key.

Meron Wondwosen

Meron Wondwosen (courtesy photo)

“Why should Ethiopians register and vote this November?”, asks Meron Wondwosen, a lawyer who lives in Washington, DC, and a member of Ethiopians for Obama (E40). “The vote determines who gets what, when, where and how. Quite simply, your vote is your voice in a democratic society. While it is not a panacea, it is one of the many strategies we must employ in order to organize ourselves and ensure that our needs are met.”

Mike Endale:

Mike Endale (courtesy photo)

For Computer Programmer Mike Endale, 26, from Maryland, another member of E4O, voting is not only a right, but also a responsibility. “Voting is the ultimate expression of an idea,” he says. “Many Ethiopians who have migrated to the United States never had a chance to vote once in their life time. This is their opportunity to redeem themselves for the lost time.”

Emebet Bekele:

Emebet Bekele (courtesy photo)

Emebet Bekele of Alexandria, Virginia, an insurance agent who works for a family owned agency, says the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the current economic downturn are good enough reasons why Ethiopian Americans should vote in November.

“We are in a war and yes there are a number of young Ethiopian-Americans serving in Iraq & Afghanistan. We need them to come home before they die or get injured. There are a lot of Ethiopian-Americans losing their homes in foreclosures, there are a lot of Ethiopian Americans uninsured because they cannot afford it, there a lot of Ethiopian Americans who cannot send their children to college because it is too expensive,” she said. “The only way we can overcome these obstacles is if we get involved in the political system and get our voices heard. Voting is a right given to us, but it is also a responsibility, we need to exercise that right to protect our community and the larger society.”

Lulit Mesfin:

Lulit

Lulit Mesfin, a small business owner who lives in Portland, Oregon, agrees:

“We cannot afford to remain silent. We must make our voices heard this year. We must vote, and make our votes count. Let’s all remember that African adage it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a whole village to elect a president,” she said.

Mistella Mekonnen:

Mistella Mekonnen (Courtesy photo

Mistella Mekonnen who works as a Licensed Professional Counselor and a member of Ethiopians for Obama adds:

“American citizens of Ethiopian descent are invited to exercise their right to vote as it will enhance our ability to fully participate in this Democracy and voice our concerns in our new home. Voting is a precious right that was bestowed on us citizens through a lot of struggle and we owe it to ourselves to register and to vote in order to participate in the decisions being made that will affect our lives, our families, and our communities at large.”

Teddy Fikre:

Teddy Fikre (Courtesy photo)

“Ethiopians for Obama has been active for the past 12 months working hard to ensure that Ethiopian-American turn-out in record numbers for Senator Obama. We have seen an overwhelming enthusiasm for the Senator; however, we have to turn this enthusiasm into action”, says Teddy Fikre, a business consultant who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and a member of Ethiopians for Obama.

“In battleground states such as Virginia, Minnesota, and Georgia, a large turnout of Ethiopian-American votes could be decisive. It is for this reason that we have been conducting registration drives on a weekly basis for the past three months and registering hundreds of Ethiopians. Our vote is precious, Senator Obama says that this campaign is more about us than it is about him. Now is our time to act, we have to register and vote in order to help elect Obama our next president.”

Team Obama has gotten the message. The campaign has hired an Ethiopian American as a Field Organizer in Virginia, which coupled with the letter from the Candidate, is a clear sign that the Democrats are taking the Ethiopian American factor in the state seriously.

“The letter is historic. This is the first time that the community has received a letter from a presidential candidate”, Professor Bekerie reminds us. “It is indeed a great achievement for the community to be recognized in such a manner. I think we should take his advice seriously regarding voting. We should stand up and ‘be counted as Americans demanding change’, as he puts it. That means those of us who have not registered to vote should immediately register to vote in the coming crucial presidential election. Our voices are being heard and that indeed is good news.”
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Related:
African Immigrants Among Obama’s Enthusiastic Backers (The Washington Post)
Obama Team Hires Selam Mulugeta (TADIAS)

News

Analyze This: Last Ethiopian Immigrants to Israel?

August 7, 2008 admin

By CALEV BEN-DAVID
Photo by Ricki Rosen (The Jewish Journal)

The Jerusalem Post – Aug 6, 2008

The announcement by the Jewish Agency that the age of Ethiopian aliya is now ended with the last official airlift of olim from that nation on Tuesday should not be taken too literally.

Even the JA admits that among the some 9,000 remaining Falash Mura still hoping to immigrate, about 1,500 might yet qualify on grounds of family reunification or for other reasons.

As to the rest, fierce debate still rages between the Ethiopian advocacy organizations and their political supporters calling for their transfer here, and opponents such as Housing Minister Zev Boim, who two weeks ago charged that American Jewish groups, “who knew how to bring other Jews to their communities [in the US] and spent a lot of money doing so, don’t behave that way with Ethiopian Jews. So they shouldn’t come here and tell us what to do and how to act on this issue.”

This issue will probably work itself out in the coming years with some kind of compromise over the last Falash Mura in Ethiopia, possibly with final passage of a Knesset bill designed to ease their immigration here. Read more at The Jerusalem Post.

Featured, News

Jolie to Build Daughter Zahara a Clinic in Ethiopia

August 6, 2008 admin 3 Comments

By Tadias Staff
Photo – Jolie with daughter Zahara, NYC, 2007 (Purseblog.com)

Published: Wednesday, August 6, 2008

New York (Tadias) – Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is reportedly planning to build an AIDS clinic in Ethiopia, her adopted daughter Zahara’s country of birth.

“We will be building a Tuberculosis/AIDS clinic in Ethiopia. The one we plan for Zahara to take over when she is older,” Jolie told Hello magazine, which printed its world exclusive pictures of her newborn twins Knox and Vivienne earlier this week.

Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt already have a daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, who was born in Namibia in 2006. In addition to Zahara (aged three from Ethiopia), they are also adopted parents to Maddox (six-year-old) from Cambodia, and Pax (four-year-old) from Vietnam.

According to Contactmusic.com, the clinic in Ethiopia is an initiative of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, a charity the celebrity couple established in 2006 for international humanitarian aid.

Jolie also has plans for her Asian children. “The next trip for our foundation will most likely be Asia to follow up on the situation in Burma and our work in Cambodia. The boys have been asking to go there, so we will take them when Knox and Vivienne are a bit older,” she added.

News

Obama Reaches Out to Ethiopian American Voters

August 6, 2008 Tadias Magazine 5 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, August 6, 2008

New York (TADIAS) – In a letter sent to the Democratic support group Ethiopians for Obama (E4O), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee reached out to Ethiopian American voters and acknowledged their growing support for his campaign.

“Ethiopian Americans have contributed so much to our country and our culture, and it is an honor to have so much support from your community”, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois said in his letter.

“We are working to break all records for voter participation in this election, and I hope you’ll become a part of that effort by registering and voting.”

“I am committed to renewing America’s global leadership and helping people like those I met when I traveled to Africa in 2006, not just because it is right, but because it will help America as well”, the letter continued.

“But in order to do this, I need your help and participation first. I need you to stand up and be counted as an American demanding change.”

The Senator concludes his letter by encouraging Ethiopian Americans to get inloved at the grassroots level of his presidential campaign.

“If you have any questions about voting or you want to get involved in our campaign, I hope you’ll talk to your local organizers”, he said. “Thank you again for reading this letter and for voting. Together, we will create the change we seek.”

The letter was sent to Tadias by members of E4O (Ethiopians for Obama):

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Related:
Ethiopian Americans May Swing the Vote in Virginia (TADIAS)
Obama Team Hires Ethiopian-American Congressional Staffer (TADIAS)

Featured, News, Profiles

Obama Team Hires Selam Mulugeta

August 2, 2008 Tadias Magazine 16 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008

New York (TADIAS) – The presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama has hired Selam Mulugeta, an Ethiopian American, who formerly served as a Congressional Staffer and Special Assistant to Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), founder and Chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Caucus.

“I will be a Field Organizer in the Northern Virginia region,” Selam told Tadias Magazine. She formally joined the Obama campaign earlier this month.

“This means that I would be doing community organizing at the grassroots level to increase the number of registered voters, and most importantly, to increase voter turn-out in November.”

Members of the Democratic support group Ethiopians for Obama (E4O), which is active in Virgina, often say that the November election may be decided by a few thousand votes, and the robust Ethiopian American presence there may end up being a deciding factor.

Selam Mulugeta agrees. “In states like Virginia, Ethiopians are in a unique position to swing the vote,” Mulugeta said. “If all of us who are eligible to vote do so, then we could potentially win the state.”

Selam added: “The responsibility is tremendous, but doable. We can accomplish this by investing more time in the campaign and fully extending the reach of our influence. I am a member of the steering committee for E40. I have always supported the organization, even from its days as a loose discussion group formed in someone’s living room. I am so proud of the work that has already been done, and even while I was on the Hill I was quite adamant about engaging its leaders. My role in E4O will be to empower Ethiopians to realize that they can support the Obama campaign by volunteering.”

Selam Mulugeta with Capitol Hill Backdrop

Asked about the high level of excitement within the African immigrant community particularly about the prospect of electing the first African American President, Mulugeta says the candidate’s background is attractive to Africans in general.

“African immigrants can identify with Barack Obama because he himself is a second generation African American. More than that, he identifies with his own African heritage in a way that we all can be proud of”, she said. “He was able to achieve a level of success that our parents or first generations dream of for their children.”

She pointed out that Obama, because of his African background, will be in a strong position to advocate for better governance in the African continent.

“We also believe that his shared appreciation for Africa makes him the ideal President” she said. “He will not be afraid to engage and confront the challenges of achieving political stability and economic independence throughout the African continent, while preserving the dignity of its people. It is all the more reason that Diaspora Africans in this country should remain visibly involved in the campaign.”

The gregarious and young former Congressional staffer landed her gig on Capitol Hill fresh out of college and says she was attracted to the job by her former boss’s dedication to advocate on behalf of his Ethiopian American constituents in San Jose, California.

Selam Mulugeta Campaigning on behalf of Congressman Michael M.
Honda for Keith Ellison for Congress. September 2006.

“I interned for Congressman Honda during the summer after college graduation. I had the opportunity to work on building the Caucus because of the open-mindedness and dedication of the Congressman to the Ethiopians in his District. There was a clear need to create a voice for Ethiopian Americans in the legislative process, and I was hired to exercise that potential. The Congressman wanted to create an institution that could maximize that potential, so there was a clear need for someone to develop this institution on a full time basis”, she said.

“The Caucus is an organization of Member of Congress who all believe that the Ethiopian American agenda is a priority, or that Ethiopia is a strategic ally in Africa. Members of this Caucus usually have a strong relationship with the Ethiopian community in their districts, or believe that Ethiopia can play a leading role in achieving peace and economic stability on the continent.”

Asked to name what she considers as the significant achievement of the Caucus, Selam said: “The most significant achievements are passing language in Appropriations Bills on Ethiopia, and organizing a huge effort to recognize the Ethiopian Millennium. On Appropriation, Congressman Honda was able to pass language to encourage the Administration to fund development programs in Ethiopia that are led by Ethiopian Americans.”

“Mr. Honda advocates for the support of Ethiopian American NGOs because he believes that they should play a role in guiding US development policy toward Ethiopia,” she noted.

“On the Millennium, the Caucus was able to seize the moment by organizing a festival on the Hill and passing legislation that would draw attention to the development concerns of Ethiopia”, Selam said. “The Caucus hosted a festival with live cultural performances, art exhibit, and food from the best Ethiopian restaurants in Washington DC.”

The event, attended by Tadias Magazine, had generated a crowd of over 500 people among whom were Members of Congress, USAID and State Department staff, NGO directors, grassroots leaders, and diplomats. “It was a joyous occasion that drew a lot of attention, so the Caucus was able to promote its development priorities most effectively,” Selam said. “Rep. Honda introduced a Resolution honoring the Millennium that passed a few months later. This was significant because it was truly the work of several Ethiopian American organizations – the Caucus made a concerted effort to seek the input of community leaders across the country, and it was the first project that proved how strong the community can be when leaders cooperate with one another.”

And her personal role in this achievement?

“I was the lead staff on the Appropriations related to Ethiopia in my office,” she said. “I also proposed and implemented the planning for the Millennium event on the Hill. And with the guidance and mentoring of Ted Dagne (CRS, Africa Policy Director), I helped to draft the Resolution. I thought that it would be much more meaningful to have the endorsement of several community organizations before seeking co-sponsorship.”

Equipped with Capitol Hill experience and youthful zeal, Selam Mulugeta has embarked onto her next challenge. “Most Ethiopians are registered to vote, but their responsibility to electing the new President does not end there,” she said. “They will have to join the movement by registering their family members, their children, their friends at church or mosque. Our strength is in volunteering.”

Selam has joined the ranks of thousands of like-minded and optimistic young professionals who have answered Senator Barack Obama’s call for change.
—
Related:
Ethiopian Americans May Swing the Vote in Virginia (TADIAS)
African Immigrants Among Obama’s Enthusiastic Backers (The Washington Post)

Featured, News

Pankhurst’s Memories of the Aksum Obelisk Issue

August 2, 2008 Tadias Magazine 3 Comments

Personal Memories of the Aksum Obelisk Issue (Capital Ethiopia)

By Richard Pankhurst

Part Three

Saturday, August 2, 2008

We saw in the last article how the original Aksum Obelisk Committee, an entirely private body composed of less than a dozen individuals, albeit people of good will, helped to launch a movement for the return of the Aksum obelisk which Mussolini had looted from Ethiopia a generation or so earlier: Please read on:

The Obelisk Return movement at this time was not without a useful international dimension. Having formerly been Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies several decades earlier I was on good personal terms with most of the international scholars of Ethiopian affairs, many of whom, when approached, expressed support for our campaign. This enabled me to issue a succession of statements to the essentially sympathetic press – announcing that such and such Ethiopianist was demanding the Obelisk’s repatriation. This helped to keep the issue virtually every week in the public eye.

Such supporters, who rallied to the cause, included Professor Sven Rubenson from Sweden, Professor Angelo Del Boca from Italy, Professors Richard Greenfield, Christopher Clapham and Frederick Halliday from Britain, Professors Donald Crummey, Frederick Gamst, Pascal Imperato, and Alberto Sbacchi from the United States, Maria Rait and Yuri Kobischanov from Russia, Hagai Erlich from Israel, Viraj Gubta from India, Katsuyoshi Fakui from Japan – and many, many others. Support was likewise announced from not a few prominent writers, among them Wilfred Thesiger, Thomas Pakenham, David Buxton, Graham Hancock, and Germaine Greer, as well as Rita Marley, widow of Bob Marley, and Lutz Becker, producer of the remarkable historical film The Lion of Judah, as well as the two leading British historians of modern Italy: William Deakin and Denis Mack Smith. Mrs Winthrop Boswell, an American scholar who had some years earlier used the IES library to study ancient Ethiopian-Irish relations, most generously supplied us with much appreciated “Return Our Obelisk” car stickers. They bore a representation of an Aksum obelisk as reproduced by the Scottsih traveller James Bruce in 1790.

The movement also rallied extensive support among the Ethiopian Diaspora, most notably from Ato Samuel Ferenje in Canada, Dr. Asfawossen Asrate in Germany, and Ato Zaudie Haile Mariam in Sweden, as well as Professors Achamele Debele, Ashenafe Kebede, Ephraim Isaac, Getachew Haile, Syum Gabre Egziabher, and Ato Kassahun Chekole, all in the United States. Support was also received from prominent Americans of Italian decent, among them our friend Professor Pascal Imperato. Many articles on the Obelisk likewise appeared in the Italian media, many supportive ones from the heroic pen of Professor Angelo Del Boca. Other writings on the obelisk, by the present writer and others, also appeared in the Ethiopian Diaspora press, the Ethiopian Review, the Ethiopian Register and others. As well as, in Ethiopia itself, in Addis Tribune and other papers.

The Obelisk Return Movement gained further impetus once again as a result of an Anniversary – this time the Centenary of the Battle of Adwa of 1896. In the lead-up to that anniversary Professor Andreas Eshete, Chairman of the Ethiopian Centenary Committee, and an old family friend, seized the occasion to appeal to the Italian Government, on Ethiopian TV, for the monument’s restitution – and was joined by Fitawrari Amede Lemma and several other members of the Obelisk Return Committee. A few days later the Ethiopian Parliament held a Public Hearing on the Obelisk, the first such hearing in its history, at which several of us urged the case for repatriation. We were joined in this by Professor Marco Vigoni, a teacher at Addis Ababa’s Italian School.

Then, on 8 February 1996, the Parliament voted unanimously – to demand the Obelisk’s return – just as its predecessor, the Emperor’s Parliament, had done three decades earlier.

The cause of the Obelisk’s restitution, first voiced by a few isolated individuals in different parts of the globe, had thus at last become official Ethiopian Government policy; and a matter to be discussed at an inter-governmental level – but that is another story.
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Tadias Added to Index for Google News

August 1, 2008 Tadias Magazine 3 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Friday, August 1, 2008

New York (TADIAS) – Tadias Magazine has been added to the index for Google News. The Ethiopian-American publication, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, joins Google’s global network of original content and news publishers — including some of the top news agencies in the world, such as the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, UK Press Association and the Canadian Press.

Founded in January 2003, Tadias Magazine is the leading lifestyle and business publication devoted exclusively to the Ethiopian-American community in the United States. The word Tadias is a popular casual greeting among Ethiopians. It means “hello”, “hi,” “what’s up?” or “how are you?”

The magazine serves as a medium of communication for those who have academic, business, professional or personal interest in the Ethiopian-American community.
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Hello Magazine Wins Bid for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Twins Pics

August 1, 2008 admin 1 Comment

By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, August 1, 2008

New York (Tadias) – Hello Magazine has won an exclusive deal for the first photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s newborn twins, Knox and Vivienne, born on July 13 at the Lenval hospital in southern France.

The celebrity couple are also adopted parents to Ethiopian American Zahara (aged three), Maddox (six-year-old) from Cambodia, and Pax (four-year-old) from Vietnam. They already have a daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, who was born in Namibia in 2006.

An insider for Hello!, which outbid rival magazine OK! for the rights for the photos told ITN: “This is one of the publishing sensations of the decade – Brad and Angelina are the dream couple of the glossy magazine world and we expect to triple our circulation because of the public’s fascination and interest in the couple and their children.”

The magazine will be published on Monday, August 4.

News

Ethiopia to Take FIFA to Court

July 31, 2008 admin 1 Comment

Above: Ethiopia’s Grum Siyoum (R) fights for the
ball with Morocco’s Benjalloun Abdessalam (C) during their 2010 World
Cup qualifying soccer match in Casablanca May 31, 2008.
REUTERS/Rafael Marchante(MOROCCO)

Ethiopia to go to court over FIFA ban (The Guardian)

ADDIS ABABA, July 31 (Reuters) – Ethiopian soccer authorities said on Thursday a suspension by FIFA was illegal and that they would take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

FIFA suspended the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) on Tuesday after it repeatedly failed to comply with a February 2008 agreement aimed at restoring its officially recognised leaders.

“The ban imposed by FIFA is illegal and EFF will take its case to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the body said in a statement.

Unless the suspension is lifted, Ethiopia will not be able to play their next international match, a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Morocco on Sept. 7.

The statement urged FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to send a delegation to Ethiopia to investigate the problem. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Sonia Oxley). Read More.

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UN Terminates Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Force

July 31, 2008 admin

Above photo: undispatch.com

UN council disbands Eritrea-Ethiopia border force (Reuters)

By Louis Charbonneau

Thu 31 Jul 2008

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council voted on Wednesday to disband its peacekeeping mission to the volatile border between Eritrea and Ethiopia after Eritrea forced out most of the U.N. troops.

The mandate for the 1,700-strong force expires on Thursday. The council unanimously approved a resolution drafted by Belgium that calls for the mission to be terminated and all peacekeeping personnel to be withdrawn.

The resolution calls on the two sides “to show maximum restraint and refrain from any threat or use of force against each other, and to avoid provocative military activities.” Read More.

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African First Ladies Coming Soon to LA

July 31, 2008 admin

Above: Ted Alemayhu, Founder & CEO of U.S. Doctors for
Africa, hosts the market close at NASDAQ on Thursday, March 23,
2006.

U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) to host African First Ladies Health Summit in Los Angeles

By Tadias Staff

Thursday, July 31, 2008

New York (Tadias) – U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA), founded by Ethiopian-American social entrepreneur Ted Alemayuhu, announced earlier this week that it will be hosting the first Annual African First Ladies Health Summit in Los Angeles in April 2009.

USDFA in collaboration with African Synergy, an NGO founded by African First Ladies, has formed a strategic partnership to efficiently mobilize and deliver needed medical resources to African countries. The summit will highlight current and prospective projects to be taken by USDFA and African Synergy.

“This is probably one of the most empowering initiative we have ever been involved in,” says Ted Alemayhu, Executive Chairman and CEO of USDFA. “What is exciting about this particular partnership is that the entire movement is initiated and mobilized by the First Ladies themselves. And it is a great testimony, commitment, and dedication that needs to be encouraged and supported by all stake-holders around the world.”

The summit is held in collaboration with the African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, an NGO founded by African First Ladies. Mr. Alemayhu described this strategic partnership as a way to re-ignite the dialogue and work on key African health initiatives. “It would help to mobilize women’s strength & commitment to a better Africa” he said.

USDFA seeks to help advance the First Ladies efforts to create an effective and sustainable complementary approach in the fight against public health issues affecting Africa’s development.

The first Annual African First Ladies Health Summit will particularly focus on the threat of HIV/AIDS on children in Africa. “USDFA is prepared to be engaged in the helping the people of Africa with the full support and direct assistance & participation of the First Ladies” Mr. Alemayhu told Tadias. “USDFA and African Synergy share the common belief that healthcare is a basic human right, and recognize that a healthy population is essential for growth, development, and prosperity in every society.”

Above: (Standing, left to right) First Lady of Kenya, Mrs
Lucy Kibaki; Mrs Edith Lucie Bongo Ondimba, First Lady of
Gabon; Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director; Mrs
Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of the Republic of
Rwanda and President of the Organization of African
First Ladies against HIV/AIDS; Mrs Maureen Mwanawasa,
First Lady of Zambia; Mrs Toure Lobbo Traore, First
Lady of Mali; (seated, left to right) Madame Denise
Nkurunziza, First Lady of Burundi; Mrs Viviane Wade,
First Lady of Senegal; and UNICEF Deputy Executive
Director Rima Salah together at the launch of the
“Treat every child as your own” campaign, an initiative
of the Organization of African First Ladies against
HIV/AIDS, in New York on 15 September.
Photo credit: UNAIDS/Peter Serling

In addition to the summit, USDFA will mobilize volunteers and other resources from the United States and strategically distribute these resources in regions where they are most needed, in accordance with African Synergy’s recommendations.

Although details for the Summit are still being worked out, the event is currently set for April 20th – 23rd and the planned location is Beverly Hilton. Mr. Alemayhu told us that more information about the Summit schedule will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Photo Journal: Ted’s Keynote at Columbia (Tadias)

USDFA to Deploy Mobile Clinics to Ethiopia (Tadias Exclusive)

Ethiopian Business and Lifestyle