Closure of Scholastic Year of the Eritrean Refugees Elementary School at Wadsherifey.
March 24, 2012
The Eritrean Refugees Elementary School at Wadsherifey, Kassala, which encompasses the elementary and junior high schools, has concluded its scholastic year successfully and closed for summer vacation on March 16, 2012. The school has been educating refugee children with an annual enrolment average of 600 students for the last 27 years.
A great number of parents and invited guests have attended the school’s closure celebrations.
The celebration started with the school Director Mr Teklehaimanot Elfu who took the stage welcoming parents and honourable guests. During his presentation, he gave a brief background of the school’s educational services and values to Eritrean refugees in general and the current year’s performance and achievements in particular. Mr Elfu expressed his gratitude to the humanitarian and charity organizations and emphasized that the school could have not continued to exist and provide services without their generous donations. He extended his appreciation to the administrative committee of ASEE and The Reverend Fr. Marino for their valuable support. The Director also
expressed his gratitude to the head of Catholic Schools in Kassala and to Reverend Fr. Ghebra for all his care and support to the Wadsherifey School.
The teaching staff and students had made fine preparations to inform and entertain attendees with school achievement presentations and creative dramas. The attendees enjoyed watching dramas played by students in languages of Tigrinia, Arabic, Tigre and English. As a result, it was the best day with full of joy for everyone in the school compound.
In conclusion, the guest of honour, The Reverend Fr. Ghebrai presented awards and prizes to the top performing students from each class.
A broader report will follow.
The School Administrative Committee
March 24, 2012
EDA_Reportage_Jan21
Eritrean Democratic Association, Inc. Held a Successful Fundraising Event in Oakland, California, USA
January 22, 2012
The Eritrean Democratic Association, Inc. (EDA) California Chapter, held a fundraising event on January 21, 2012 in Oakland, California.
A number of Bay Area residents, particularly Eritrean younger generation took part in the event.
Eritrean Democratic Association, Inc. a non-profit organization, registered in California, USA eight years ago provides humanitarian
assistance to war disabled Eritreans and Eritrean refugee children who attend elementary and middle school in Wodisherifey (a refugee
camp in Eastern Kassala, Sudan).
The event included presentation on the current state of affairs of war disabled Eritreans, as well as problems Eritrean refugee children
face at a time when the UNHCR assistance is no longer available. In an effort to bring awareness to the importance of the fundraising
event, members of EDA, Inc. presented video clips, showing interviews conducted with war disabled Eritreans in Kassala, Sudan. The
video clips streamed through TV screen also showed Wodisherifey Eritrean refugee children attending school and conducting other
school activities.
The presentation and the video clips were very informative, and members of the EDA, Inc. made every effort to communicate the purpose
of the event. Not only did they showed video clips, which was in Tigrinya but also they translated the presentation into English for the
benefit of younger Eritrean generation who had less command of the Eritrean languages.
The participants were remarkable and made the fundraising event remarkably successful with their monetary contributions. It was by far
the most successful fundraising event that the EDA, Inc. California chapter has ever done. All the contributions raised in this event will go
to the “War disabled Eritreans in Kassala and Eritrean refugee elementary school in Wodisherifey.” EDA, Inc. board members express
their deep gratitude for everyone’s kindness and contributions.
Led by Yacob Endrias, DJ performer, the fundraising event concluded with diverse Eritrean cultural dancing, marking the night one of the
best.
Press Release
Human trafficking in Sinai, Egypt
Eritrean Democratic Association, Inc. (EDA), a non-profit humanitarian corporation registered in California, USA, has been following the refugees saga in the bloody hands of the human trafficking Bedouin Clans in North Sinai, Egypt. The Board of Directors of EDA joins all the humanitarian organizations and democratic associations who have been calling for the elimination of the scam business of human trafficking.
The Eritrean youth deprived of higher education and bright future by the repressive dictatorial regime of President Isaias Afewerki have been left with the option to leave their country desperately to look for better educational and life opportunities abroad. President Isaias who started as a provisional leader since the Eritrean independence in 1991, governs a one party state that brutally repress human freedoms and democratic rights with an iron fist. He called off the implementation of the constitution and deferred elections indefinitely. His gross human and international violations has plunged Eritrea to suffer under United Nations sanctions.
The network of the human traffickers launched the scam business of safe passage promise to Israel and beyond that lured Eritreans along with other refugees from the horn of African nations. The scam business however, turned into making money through hostage holding and extortion is currently holding hundreds of innocent refugees in containers malnourished and deteriorating health conditions that has caused for some to die in misery.
EDA has also learned that there are some Eritrean associates who are vehemently engaging themselves in such a criminal activity for the sole purpose of making money from suffering Eritreans. EDA resources also ascertain the involvement of some Eritrean government officers in this tragic chain of criminal activities. It is reported that some of the hostages’ families residing in the West, in a hopeless attempt of rescuing their loved ones, are being ordered to make ransom money remittances to a bank in Asmara.
EDA urges the international humanitarian organizations, The UN, EU, AU, The US and The Egyptian people to take immediate action to free the refugees held hostage under the Bedouin human traffickers in North Sinai, Egypt.
EDA congratulates the ongoing uprising by the respective people against the dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and others with wishes of success in their peaceful means of struggle to achieve a just and democratic system.
EDA also would like to call an international action to support The Eritrean people in its endeavor to oust the brutal dictatorial regime.
EDA Board of Directors
February 6, 2011