I was very pleased to read the most recent Annual Report of the Eritrean
Aid Society of Canada in Dehai this morning. Thanks to your post,
Eritreans all over the glob are now better informed about the Eritrean Aid
Society of Canada, its objectives, and its accomplishments todate.
More than any other group that I know of, it seems that the Eritrean Aid
Society of Canada has delivered substantial amount of assistance to
Eritrea. We, members of AEPAD, are very proud of what you have
accomplished, and we hope to follow your footsteps. Please keep up the
good work! You can't imagine how much your post today will energize many
good meaning and concerned Eritreans all over, to do more to help their
motherland.
It is important that we work together and coordinate our activities so
that we can be of more help to Eritrea. To this end, it is necessary that
we keep our channels of communications open. I can assure you that AEPAD
is eager to maintain a close working relationship with the Eritrean Aid
Society of Canada.
We look forward to working with you closely.
With best regards.
Sincerely
Araya Debessay,
Chair, AEPAD
==========================================================================
Dr. Araya Debessay Office: 302-831-6890
Professor of Accounting Home: 302-369-3351
University of Delaware Fax: 302-831-4676
Newark, DE 19716 URL:http://udel.edu/~debessay/
============================================================================
On Fri, 26 Sep 1997, Peter Mahaffy wrote:
> Dear Dehai Members:
>
> I was most pleased to read the report on Dehai a few days ago of the
> extensive activities of the Association of Eritrean Professionals
> and Academics for Development (AEPAD). As chair of the Eritrean Aid
> Society of Canada, I was also most appreciative that Dr. Asmelash
> Gebregziabher reported on the activities of our Edmonton-based
> society. We have been grateful for the excellent communication
> link he has provided between the Eritrean Aid Society of Canada and
> AEPAD.
>
> Since the report appeared, I have received several requests for more
> information about the Eritrean Aid Society of Canada, so I thought I
> would post our most recent annual report for your information.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Eritrean Aid Society of Canada - Annual Report, 1997
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> The Eritrean Aid Society of Canada is an Edmonton-based
> non-political, non-profit society, formed in 1994. The Society is
> registered under the Alberta Societies Act, and has charitable status
> from Revenue Canada. While the majority of members are from
> Edmonton, members from Eritrean Communities in Calgary, Vancouver and
> Toronto are also represented. Our mission statement is simple: to
> "Give the gift of education and health to Eritrea after the
> devastation of war." This is fleshed out in five major objectives:
>
> -To promote and establish relationships between Eritrean and
> Canadian educational institutions;
>
> -To provide educational materials necessary for the advancement of
> education and health;
>
> -To promote and encourage Canadian professionals to volunteer their
> services in Eritrea;
>
> -To provide Eritrean health institutions with medical supplies and
> equipment;
>
> -To promote an awareness and understanding, establishing cordial
> relationships between Canadian and Eritrean people.
>
> The Society has no paid staff, but dedicated Canadian and Eritrean
> members have donated thousands of hours of time toward rebuilding
> Eritrea. In three years, about CDN $ 60,000 has been raised by
> volunteers, directed toward two major projects.
>
> Our first major project, completed in 1994, was to ship a 40 foot
> container of university books, overhead projectors and other items to
> Asmara University and the School of Nursing. Books were donated by
> faculty members and institutions, including the University of Alberta,
> The King's University College, Grant MacEwan Community College, Red
> Deer College, NAIT, Augustana University College, Concordia College,
> and the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and Vancouver
> General Hospitals. A major grant for shipping materials was provided
> by World Vision Canada, and additional funds were provided by Oxfam
> Canada, memberships in the society and many individual donations.
>
> Our second project, shipped from Edmonton in the summer of
> 1997, was to send another 40 foot container of materials to Asmara
> University, Asmara Technical School, the School of Nursing, and
> Eritrean Women with Disabilities. Financial support has come from
> the Alberta Wild Rose Foundation, World Vision Canada, the Glenora
> Rotary Club, Edmonton Rotary Club, the Rotary Club De Westmount -
> Montreal, several benefit concerts involving the Edmonton vocal group
> Juba and other singers, Society members in Montreal, the Eritrean
> Communities in Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary, and the Kinsmen Club
> of Moncton. Support from churches includes the Presbyterian Church,
> the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, and local churches, including
> Knox-Metropolitan United Church. This second container includes many
> items donated by the educational institutions listed above, and many
> new items purchased and refurbished by the Society, including:
>
> For Asmara University: Four new and/or refurbished computers (686,
> Pentium and 386 - complete with software), a slide projector,
> overhead projector, 220 Volt transformers, surge suppressers with
> power bars, and about ten thousand more books for the library, in
> areas identified by the librarian.
>
> For Asmara Technical School: Five new and/or refurbished computers
> (Pentium and 386 - complete with software), two new dot matrix
> printers, 7 electric typewriters, overhead projector, 220 Volt
> transformers, surge suppressers with power bars, and over a thousand
> books in areas requested by the Technical School. Materials for
> the Technical School have been purchased primarily through a major
> grant from the Alberta Wild Rose Foundation.
>
> For the School of Nursing: An overhead projector, 220 Volt
> transformers, and 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.
>
> For Eritrean Women with Disabilities: Crutches, bedpans,
> wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and a stationary bike, collected by
> Society members in Montreal, who also raised funds to cover their
> shipment.
>
> It has been most heartening to observe the enthusiastic response from
> ex-patriate Eritreans and Canadians from across the country, who have
> worked side-by-side to provide many resources that will help Eritreans
> rebuild their own country.
>
> In the coming year, the Eritrean Aid Society hopes to assist with
> providing resources to some elementary or middle schools in Eritrea,
> in consultation with the Ministry of Education in Eritrea.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Dr. Peter Mahaffy
> Chair
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> For further information, please contact:
>
> Eritrean Aid Society of Canada
> Oliver P.O. Box 35005
> Edmonton, AB, Canada
> T5K 2R8
>
> Gherezghiher Yemane
> Vice-Chair
> Phone: 403-461-2091
>
> or
>
> Dr. Peter Mahaffy
> Chair, Eritrean Aid Society of Canada
> (Professor of Chemistry,
> The King's University College
> Edmonton, Alberta)
> email: pmahaffy@kingsu.ab.ca
> --------------------------------------------
>