USAID OFDA Team Visits Eritrea:

An assessment team from USAID’s Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), comprised of experts on agriculture/livestock, water and sanitation, and health and nutrition, visited Eritrea over August 23—September 2, 2003.  The visit is part of USAID’s contribution as a major humanitarian donor to assess current conditions in these sectors in Eritrea and contribute to the formulation of appeals for humanitarian assistance in 2004.  The team met with representatives from UN agencies, international NGOs, and the Eritrean government, including the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission and Ministry of Health.  Field travel included visits to OFDA-funded urban and rural emergency projects in drought affected regions of Debub, Anseba, and Gash Barka Zobas.  The OFDA team found that 2003 will undoubtedly be a much better year than the catastrophic 2002 in terms of crop production and livestock grazing conditions, especially if the rains continue through mid-September.  However, they stress that the lingering effects of the recent years of drought coupled with chronic vulnerability will not be reversed with one season’s rainfall.  Although the team encountered no signs of advanced pre-famine indicators, such as increased mortality among children under five, livestock deaths, or unusual population displacements, in some areas coping mechanisms are stretched to the breaking point.

For further information, please contact Ilya Levin, Public Affairs Officer  of the United States Embassy, at 12-00-04.

Public Affairs Section

Embassy of the United States of America

Asmara, Eritrea 
Tel. 12-07-38

A training workshop on “Striga Management and Control in Eritrea,” co-sponsored by the USAID’s INTSORMIL Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) and the Ministry of Agriculture’s (MOA) Department of Agricultural Research and Human Resources Development, was held in Asmara over September 2-6, 2003.  The INTSORMIL CRSP is a research organization focused on education, mentoring, and collaboration, provided primarily by agricultural scientists at major U.S. universities, for host country scientists in developing technologies to improve sorghum and pearl millet production and utilization worldwide.  Striga is a parasitic weed, whose infestation has become the most significant constraint on the production of these important cereal crops in much of Africa and Asia, causing significantly reduced yields; it is especially prevalent in parts of Gash Barka Zoba at present.  The workshop, which was attended by about 30 MoA extension agents and research department staff, entailed presentations by local experts on weed problems in Eritrea and by foreign experts, on such topics as striga control options and striga management experience in other countries.  The workshop is the first step in a USAID-funded program that will also include distribution of seed of striga-resistant sorghum varieties, seed multiplication efforts, and organized demonstrations of integrated striga management options in selected districts.), supplying them with furniture and office supplies and preparing and distributing training manuals to them.  CASHEN provide services to those who have been excluded from conventional microfinance programs because of disability, old age, gender, or other vulnerabilities.

The Eritrean Puppetry Group, represented by Mr. Besrat Ateweberhan, will receive $7,000 from the Fund to support supervision and monitoring and provide training materials and puppet construction materials to facilitate the establishment of five puppetry and folk media troupes.  These troupes will conduct training and awareness campaigns aimed changing the behavior of Eritrean youth with respect to health, gender, and human rights.

The National Confederation of Eritrean Workers, represented by Mr. Tekeste Baire, will receive $10,000 from the Fund to hold workshops for 300 of its members on workers’ rights under Eritrean Labor Law and collective bargaining. The workshops will pay particular attention to enabling women workers to understand and realize their right

For further information, please contact Ilya Levin, Public Affairs Officer  of the United States Embassy, at 12-00-04.   

Public Affairs Office

Embassy of the United States of America

Asmara, Eritrea
Tel. 12-07-38
Embargoed until 11 a.m., September  5, 2003 

U.S. EMBASSY PROVIDES $100,000 IN SELF-HELP GRANTS TO ERITREAN COMMUNITIES

Asmara, September 5, 2003 – Ambassador Donald J. McConnell and local community leaders today signed grant agreements to fund twelve community projects. The grants for the total amount of $101,900 were provided from the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund.

These grants will help pay for new schoolrooms for  the Qunee Elementary School, a water supply project  at the village of Zaghir,  a natural resource management project by Hazega Committee, a pond construction project at the village of Adi Bidel and other community initiatives.

The U.S. Embassy issues Self-Help grants to non-governmental organizations, schools, community groups, health and environmental associations, and other entities to support projects that directly benefit Eritrean communities. The goal of the program is to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions in communities by encouraging grassroots initiatives.

For further information, please contact Ilya Levin, Public Affairs Officer of the United States Embassy, at 12-07-38.

Public Affairs Office

Embassy of the United States of America

Asmara, Eritrea
Tel. 12-07-38

U.S. EMBASSY PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR FIVE PROJECTS

Asmara, August 5, 2003 – U.S. Chargé d’Affaires  David J. Katz and representatives of the winning organizations signed agreements on five projects under the U.S. Government’s (USG) Democracy and Human Rights Fund worth a total of $50,000 for 2003.

The University of Asmara, represented by Mr. Tekie Ashun, will receive $14,000 from the Fund to establish and equip a resource center for blind students. The center will have a Braille and audio books library, a reading room, and facilities for Braille transcription.

The Eritrean NGO Haben, represented by Dr. Berhane Woldemichael, will receive $15,000 from the Fund to provide training to ten Community Associations for Self Help Enhancement (CASHENs.

The Employers Federation of Eritrea, represented by Mr. Mengsteab Tecletzion, will receive $4,000 from the Fund to support the holding of seminars on such topics as occupational safety and health; and collective agreements, two topics that are not well understood by many employers, particularly owners of small enterprises.  The seminars will be followed by group discussions and the assembling of recommendations. 

For further information, please contact Ilya Levin, Public Affairs Officer of the United States Embassy, at 12-07-38.