For the benefit of our AEPAD members in dehai and others who should
consider joining the association, I'm forwarding the Annual Report
(1996-97) as presented at the Annual Meeting on August 16, 1997. Please
feel free to contact me or any of the other Board Members if you have any
questions.
Tomas Mebrahtu - AEPAD Secretary,
Philadelphia, USA
P.S. please note the at the Annual meeting, AEPSA has been renamed to
AEPAD (Association of Eritrean Professionals and Academics for Development).
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ANNUAL REPORT (1996-97)
Association of Eritrean Professionals and Scholars in the Americas (AEPSA)
August 16, 1997
Washington, DC
After the 1996 Annual Meeting in Washington DC, the Board held its first
meeting on February 22, 1997 in Philadelphia. At this meeting, the Board
elected its Executive Officers and charted its activities for the
remaining five and half months of the year. The Executive Officers
elected at this meeting are: Araya Debessay and Kiflai Gebremedhin as
Co-Chairs, Tomas Mebrahtu as Secretary, Tsega Andemichael as Treasurer
and Belay Demoz as Public Relations Officer. The Association also formed
the following standing committees: (1) Seminar and Conference Committee,
(2) Membership Committee, (3) Scholarship and Training Committee, (4)
Resource Mobilization Committee, and (5) Youth Development Committee.
Since February, the Board met three times: 1st in Philadelphia, 2nd in
Piscataway, NJ, and 3rd in Washington DC. In addition, the Board
maintained constant communications through electronic mail. The Board
tried to keep the membership, as well as the Dehai community, informed of
the activities of the Association, and more importantly, to involve the
members in the activities. In this effort, the Secretary sent three
postal mails to each member over the last 5 1/2 months. In this short
period, the Association tried its best to deliver the tasks it sets out
to do. The activities that the Association has been engaged in are
grouped into 7 categories: (1) establishing a working relationship with
the UA, (2) curriculum review, (3) resource mobilization, (4)
scholarship/training, (5) seminars and conferences (6) youth development,
and (7) other activities.
1. Establishing a Working Relationship with the UA. The Association has
now established an excellent working relationship with the University of
Asmara. The University has assigned Dr. Tewelde Zerom to be the
International Projects Coordinator, and the Association has now direct
communications with him. Two AEPSA Board Members (Kiflai Gebremedhin,
Tomas Mebrahtu) have met and exchanged views with Dr. Tewelde during
their recent visit to Eritrea. Recently, AEPSA has been mandated to
assist in recruiting potential applicants, and reviewing applications
for faculty positions at the University of Asmara. As a result, AEPSA
will need the assistance of members who have the qualifications and the
experience in evaluating faculty credentials. AEPSA has recently
facilitated the hiring of two individuals (Dr. Tesfay Yohannes,
Electrical Engineering, and Professor Alan McConnell, Mathematics) to be
faculty members in the University. AEPSA is also expected to assist the
University in identifying qualified individuals who are willing to teach
at the University during their sabbatical leave or leave-of-absence, and
also to identify individuals with appropriate credentials who will be
able to conduct special workshops, seminars, and short-training programs
in their areas of expertise. If you plan to do any of these activities,
it is important that you inform the Association of the nature of your
planned activity, its duration, and the potential audience of your
presentation. It is important that sufficient lead time be given for
planning the event.
2. Curriculum Review. One important area where AEPSA is expected to make
concrete contributions to the University of Asmara is on curriculum
review. Not only is AEPSA expected to play a constructive role in
reviewing curricula for the University of Asmara, but also to critically
examine the elementary and high school curricula as well. As a result,
the Executive Committee is also keenly interested in identifying
individuals who have the expertise on elementary, secondary and
vocational schools curricula and pedagogical matters. Consistent with
these expectations, a critical analysis of the Accounting Curriculum was
completed by Professor Araya Debessay and has been submitted to the
University. The analysis included a suggested curriculum for an
accounting major. Dr. Ephrem Eyob, a member of AEPSA, and Berhane G.
Kristos, an accounting professional and a member of the Eritrean
Accounting Association (EAA) have also separately submitted their
comments on the Accounting Curriculum to the University of Asmara.
AEPSA is collaborating with Thirst for Learning (T.F.L.), a non-profit
organization in the US that focuses on elementary and secondary school
education, and the Educational Attache of the Embassy of Eritrea, to
prepare a brochure/information package on Eritrean education and related
activities. AEPSA would like to urge members with expertise on
educational matters to assist in this effort.
Nine Cornell graduate students developed a "Computer-Based Simulation
Model of the Education System of the State of Eritrea". The model
provides projections of student enrollments at each grade level (from
grade 1 to university level) along with classroom construction, teacher
training, and budget requirements. The model is useful for planning the
development of education system and for projecting the implications of
alternative policy strategies. Three graduate students and their
supervisor went to Eritrea this summer and made three presentations: (1)
to officials of the Ministry of Education, (2) the Ministry of Finance,
and (3) to visiting officials of the World Bank. The Model was well
received by the parties.
3. Resource Mobilization. Recently, 1183 sets of World Book of
Encyclopedia ( 22 volumes/sets) 33 cartoons of textbooks and 3 cartoons
of books shipped from the U.S. have been received by the University of
Asmara. The encyclopedias were donated by the International Book Bank
through the efforts of Dr. Haile Mezghebe. In his letter of appreciation
to Dr. Haile and AEPSA, Dr. Wolde-Ab Yisak, President of UA, said that
the encyclopedias will be distributed throughout the ministries,
institutions, public and school libraries throughout Eritrea. He further
stated that the distribution will definitely alleviate the acute shortage
of encyclopedias in the country. The shipping cost was paid by Project
Concerns International Expenses for land transportation and storage
before shipping (= $1,300) was covered by AEPSA.
A Dehai fund raising project for computer hardware/software for the
Engineering Program at the University of Asmara was recently completed
with some input of coordination and facilitation from AEPSA members.
Funds in the amount of $6,265.12, a desktop, a laptop, several software,
and manuals were raised and donated from the U.S.A., Canada and Europe.
The funds have been transferred to EWAN Technologies Inc., a local vendor
in Eritrea, from which the UA has bought three computers and two
printers. The donated software, hardware and manuals have been delivered
to the University.
Through the efforts of the Edmonton-based Eritrean Aid Society of Canada
in which Dr. Asmelash Gebre-egziabher (AEPSA Board Member) is also a
Board member in the Eritrean Aid Society of Canada, a large (40 ft)
container of materials were shipped from Edmonton to Eritrea. The
container includes many items donated by educational institutions and
many new items purchased and refurbished by the Society. The contents of
the shipment include: (A) For Asmara University: Four new and/or
refurbished computers (686, Pentium and 386-complete with software), a
slide projector, and about 10,000 books for the library in areas
identified by the head librarian. (B) For Asmara Technical School: Five
new and/or refurbished computers (Pentium and 386-complete with
software), 2 new dot matrix printers, 7 electronic typewriters, overhead
projector, and over a 1000 books in areas requested by the Technical
School. A photocopier and fax machine will soon be shipped directly
from a distributor in the area. (C) For the School of Nursing: An
overhead projector, about a thousand books covering various areas in
nursing. Other books for the Asmara School of Midwifery and the Ministry
of Health were also included.
4. Scholarship/Training. Through the efforts of Kifle Ghebreab, six
scholarships for graduate students from the UA have been secured at Clark
Atlanta University (CAU). The students have been pursuing their graduate
education and we are happy to report that they are doing extremely well.
As a result of their outstanding performance, the University has decided
to bring twelve more students this coming Fall Semester.
A full scholarship for one female graduate student to pursue a masters
degree program in engineering at Cornell University has been secured, and
the student will arrive tonight. Executive Committee Members are
exploring similar opportunities at other universities. Your efforts in
exploring similar opportunities to the many bright young men and women at
the University of Asmara, now serving as Graduate Assistants, will
constitute a tangible contribution to the reconstruction of the
University faculty.
It should be recalled that since last year AEPSA has established a
Scholarship Fund at the UA. The commitment has been 10,000 Birr to be
given every year to ten students who have demonstrated academic
excellence and exhibited leadership potential. This year too, the
Association has honored its commitment and has delivered 10,000 Birr (=
$1400 U.S.). AEPSA has promised the University that it intends to
increase the Scholarship Fund in the future as its resource capabilities
permit.
AEPSA has received a commitment for an annual scholarship fund in the
amount of $ 500 from Dr. Luul Gebredingle in honor of her late mother to
be awarded to one or two female students studying any field of science at
the UA and who have earned the highest GPA (3.0 or above). Similarly,
Dr. Eyassu Habte-Gabr also made a commitment to contribute $300 annually
for two outstanding and needy students pursuing their B.S. degree in
Public Health in the College of Health Sciences at UA. We are thankful to
Drs. Luul and Eyassu for establishing the scholarship funds and we are
hopeful that others will be encouraged to follow their lead.
5. Seminars And Conferences. The Seminar and Conference Committee, in
conjunction with the African World Press/Red Sea Press, organized a
roundtable discussion on "Communication Policy for Eritrea" on July 12,
1997 in Washington, D.C. The event was designed and expected to
contribute to a national conference on this issue. The national
conference was organized by the Ministry of Information in Asmara.
The Seminars and Conferences Committee has submitted proposals for two
panel discussions on Eritrea to the African Studies Association (ASA)
Annual Convention to be held in November 12-15, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio.
The titles of the panel discussions are: (1) "Eritrea: The Challenges of
Building a New Democratic Nation", and (2) "The Modern Agricultural
Sector in Eritrea: Examining Present Realities and Assessing Future
Prospects". Each panel will consist of presentations of three papers to
be followed by a discussant. The titles of the papers in the first panel
include: (1) "Constitutionalism and Democratization in Eritrea" by Dr.
Edmond Keller from UCLA, (2) "The Role of the Mass Media in the
Democratization Process: the Case of Eritrea" by Dr. Asgede Hagos from
Delaware State College, and (3) "The Process of Democracy and Development
in the Context of Eritrea" by Dr. Berhe Habte Giorgis from Rowan
College. The second panel includes the following papers and presenters:
(1) "Dairy Processing Industry in Eritrea: Present Contributions and
Future Potential" by Dr. Asmelash Gebre-Egziabher from Saskatoon, Canada,
(2) "Potentials for Agricultural and Rural Development in Eritrea" by
Dr.Tesfa Gebre-Medhin from West Virginia University, and (3) "Present
Status of the Modern Agricultural Sector in Eritrea" by Dr. Yacob Fisseha
from Michigan State University. The Discussant for the second panel
will be Dr. Tesfai Tecle from FAO, Rome. The panels are co-sponsored
with the Eritrean Studies Association (ESA).
The Seminars and Conferences Committee plans to organize seminars and
conferences on topics of interest to the members. Please contact Amanuel
Melles, Chair of the Seminars and Conferences Committee, if you have
ideas that you would like to share with the Committee. The panel
discussion on " Social Conditions of Eritreans in the Diaspora" scheduled
for tomorrow afternoon (between 2:00-5:00 p.m.) is, for example,
co-sponsored by AEPSA.
6. Youth Development. AEPSA has established working relations with the
Eritrean Youth Group (EYAG), publishers of the Eritrean Youth Newsletter.
Presently, discussions are being held with EYAG to setting up the
Eritrean Youth Foundation (EYF), for the purpose of supporting
youth-related activities across North America. AEPSA members can help in
this effort as well as continue to make regular contributions to the
Eritrean Youth Newsletter by editing issues and writing articles. To
date, three articles written by three AEPSA members, have appeared in the
Newsletter, and we hope that more of you will contribute and continue to
encourage and mentor our youth groups. AEPSA has also been contacted by
a Columbus group which publishes another youth-oriented quarterly
newsletter (Eritrean Edition). The Board of the Toronto-based
Eritrean-Canadian Foundation for Youth Advancement (EFYA) have agreed to
cooperate with AEPSA on joint activities, and AEPSA members are serving
as volunteers in the organization's "Adopt-A-Martyr Project". In
addition, several AEPSA members continue to be active in youth programs
in their respective communities such as Chicago and Philadelphia to
mention a couple. Interactions with youth groups in DC, LA and other
areas will be pursued.
7. Other Activities:
(a) The Executive Committee wrote a letter to the Italian Embassy in
the US (with a copy to the Ethiopian Embassy) regarding the return of the
obelisk currently located in Rome to its rightful owner, the Ethiopian
people.
(b) AEPSA helped in facilitating a visit of 15 Professors from the US
to Eritrea. The visitors are scholars of social science and humanities
visiting Eritrea to learn more about the history and culture of the
Eritrean people while at the same time learn Tigrinya and visit
historical sites in the country. The Professors are members of several US
colleges and universities, and the program was sponsored by Michigan
State University under the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Program.
The visitors stayed in Eritrea for 2 weeks this summer and were
accompanied by Dr. Yacob Fesseha, a member of AEPSA.
(c) Belay Demoz, AEPSA Public Relations Officer, presented two
seminars, entitled, "Conquer the Challenge" which dealt about the
conditions of Eritrea's educational system from grades K - 12.
(d) AEPSA was notified about the conference on the formation the
National Association of Eritrean Engineers and Architects (AEEA) that was
held in Asmara on May 29-30, 1997. Tomas Mebrahtu, Secretary of AEPSA,
attended the Conference and gave a message of solidarity on behalf of
AEPSA. AEPSA is very much interested to see the formation of professional
associations in the Diaspora, such as the Eritrean Accounting Association
(EAA), and will do everything possible to assist them in getting
established.
(e) AEPSA is in the process of compiling a professional data base,
and a hard copy directory of members to facilitate the registration of
Eritrean consultants.
(f) Thanks to Belay Demoz, our PR Officer, an AEPSA home page is in
place with technical and management assistance of Ephrem Tekle and full
co-operation of Abraham Yohannes, Education Attache, Embassy of Eritrea.
There is so much to be done on very focused and practical interventions
in all sectors --- not only the University, and Eritrea is fortunate to
have talented and well trained professionals that can make a difference
if we put our heads together. For example, members could be engaged in:
(a) preparing consultancy or advisory papers on selective issues that
have practical values or that may have policy consequences, (b) writing
proposals for funding for specific activities that may include sponsoring
short-term teaching or training programs at the Eritrean Institute of
Management (as an example), and development of curriculum and teaching
modules for the Institute based on Eritrean realities, and (c) assisting
the Embassy by contributing in some small way in outreach efforts such as
conducting workshops that will include basic education on
business/investment, tourism and cultural practices. AEPSA is prepared
to help and facilitate or serve as a vehicle on projects that you are
interested and have the expertise in that are vital to the development
and reconstruction of the UA or any other government institution in
Eritrea. The Board is looking forward to working with you.
Thank you.
Kiflai Gebremedhin,
AEPSA Co-Chair
August 16, 1997