Membership Registration Drive (Phase 1)
Constitution of the Awate Foundation
Preamble
· Whereas there is a need for participation in an organized, institutionalized, and day-by-day work in the ongoing efforts to promote democracy, human rights and good governance in Eritrea;
· Whereas, there are many organizations and foundations that promote education of the values of free press and democracy;
· Whereas, almost forty years of armed struggle of liberation movements and lack of accountability have created an environment of hostilities and institutionalized violent conflict resolution whose circular patterns can only be broken through national reconciliation;
· Whereas, the State of Eritrea, whose first “republic” was instituted in 1993, has demonstrated repeatedly that it is reluctant to take the necessary initiatives to address these needs and that, without sufficient pressure from strong civil societies, it is not likely to do so;
· Whereas it is believed that unless there is a fundamental change in the prevailing political culture of exclusion and winner-takes-it-all, any other party that professes to be an alternative might once more undertake a similar violation of human rights and lack of democracy;
· Whereas lack of institutions, cultural erosion, decades of strife and war, and bad governance and a legacy of conflict will affect inter-generational econcomic, social and cultural milieus in the State of Eritrea;
· Whereas the only guarantee for sustained peace, democracy and justice in Eritrea to bring relief to the long-suffering citizens is the establishment of strong and independent Eritrean civic associations and organization to assume the role of fearless watchdog and assertive ombudsman guarding against governmental abuses and to ensure that a citizen’s rights and liberties are respected;
The Awate Foundation was founded on this day of September 1, 2000.
Objective
The Awate Foundation was instituted as a civil society to act as catalyst for promoting dialogue and to bring about understanding between different sectors and stakeholders of society; to encourage the spirit of tolerance and reconciliation and to promote the values of freedom of expression and democracy; to set a platform for bringing together like-minded libertarians and civil rights activists and to create an environment conducive for honest communication; to fearlessly and indefatigably fill the role of watchdog and ombudsman for the Eritrean citizen by providing current and accurate information about the state of the State of Eritrea.
Governance
Awate’s Interim Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of the Awate Foundation (AF.) Structurally, the BoD is composed of seven seats.
The founding members of Awate Foundation (AF) are Saleh Gadi, Saleh Younis and Dawit Mesfin (Dawit's membership in Awate Foundation was cancelled as of April 2004 by mutual agreement) have been serving since its foundation on September 1, 2000. One other individuals, who, due to the political climate of their residence wish to remain anonymous, also serves on the Board. In addition, effective November 10, 2002, Ararat Iyob joined the board.
AF plans to fill the sixth and seventh post in the very near future.
This constitution is adopted by the Interim Board. Once the membership of AF reaches two hundred, it will constitute a general assembly, which will exercise full authority in the election of the board and the execution of the constitution.
Article 1
Title: This constitution shall be referred to as the Constitution of the Awate Foundation AF.
Article 2
Status: AF shall be a non–profit foundation, operating within the framework of the laws on the countries in which it is incorporated and in which it might have a representative office or a branch.
Article 3
Emblem: The foundation shall be identified by an emblem in the shape of a fish, consisting of two interwoven words that read “Awate”, in Tigrigna and Arabic.
Article 4
Aims and Objectives: To educate the Eritrean public on the merits of democracy, freedom of press and the virtues of justice; to contribute towards narrowing the gaps of social segments and to promote dialogue and, where applicable, facilitate and promote reconciliation. To educate the public on the merits of good governance based on democracy, justice and secularism. To monitor human right abuses through its human rights watch and education arm, Eritrean Human Rights Advocacy Group (EHRAG) and to create a forum for opinion and education on freedom of expression and the press.
Article 5
5.1 Eligibility for Membership: Any individual residing in any part of the world and holding any citizenship or nationality and who agrees with the aims and objectives of the AF is eligible for membership.
5.2 Subscription for membership: Individual membership subscriptions shall be Nackfa 15 per month for those residing in Eritrea and USD 10 per month for those residing elsewhere. Organizational subscription is Nackfa 100 per month for organizations incorporated inside Eritrea and USD 50 for corporations elsewhere.
5.3 Rights and responsibilities of members: Paid-up members except salaried employees of the Foundation shall be eligible to vote, elect and be elected to offices of the AF. Each Corporate member shall have one vote. Voting by mail and teleconferencing shall be permissible with AF mailing forms and envelopes processed by Awate Foundation membership.
5.4 Termination of membership: Submission of resignation letter or failure to pay membership dues for four consecutive months is considered effective withdrawal from membership.
Article 6
6.1 Organs of the AF: The general assembly, the Board of directors and the Secretariat shall be the principal organs. The AF will establish a board of trustees through its board of directors.
6.2 The general assembly shall be composed of all paid up members. It shall ratify or amend the constitution of the AF. The general assembly meeting shall be called once every two years. “Presence” of 50% of the membership shall constitute a quorum. Teleconferencing and Internet assemblies shall be permissible definitions of “presence.”
6.3 The Board shall be elected from among the AF general membership and shall be charged with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of the Foundation. It shall meet at least twice a year to deliberate on the Foundation’s annual report and to decide upon the programs and the annual budget of AF. The Board shall comprise of not less than three and not more than seven persons and shall have the power to establish various organs as it deems necessary for implementing AF’s aims and objectives effectively. The term of office of the Board shall be four years and members can be eligible for reelection. The Board shall have a Chairman, a Vice Chairman and a Secretary.
6.3.1 The Chairman shall provide leadership for the effective implementation of AF’s objectives, submit periodic reports on the activities of the Foundation to the Board and administer the financial affairs of AF for which a special account shall be opened in the USA.
6.3.2 The Vice Chairman shall assist the Chairman in managing the affairs of AF in general and in taking initiatives in organizing fund raising campaigns in particular and shall act on behalf of the Chairman when the need arises.
6.3.3 The Secretary shall take minutes of all Board meetings and assist the Chairman and Vice Chairman in the management of the day-to-day activities of the AF and shall act as co-signatory of the AF account.
6.4 The Secretariat shall consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Board and employed staff of the AF and shall assume the responsibility of managing day-to-day activities of AF.
6.5 The seat of the AF Secretariat shall be in San Jose, but the board can shift the office, as it deems necessary.
6.6 Resignation and Vacancies: Any director may resign effective on giving written notice to any member of the Secretariat. If the resignation of a director is effective at a future time, the board of directors may elect a successor to take office when the resignation becomes effective. Vacancies in the board of directors may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors, even if less than a quorum. A vacancy created by the removal of a director by the vote or written consent of the directors or the general assembly may be filled only by the affirmative vote of the majority of the assembly.
Article 7
7.1 Financial Resources: The AF shall derive its income from membership fees, donations, grants and endowments as well as from the Foundation’s income generating activities.
7.2 Management of funds: All AF funds shall be deposited in a special AF account in the USA and shall be managed in accordance with the rules and regulations of such accounts.
Article 8
Dissolution: AF shall be dissolved upon the decision of 75% of the membership. In the event of dissolution, all assets of the AF shall become the property of any charitable organization as decided by the general assembly or as decided by a court for the benefit of Eritrea.
CONTACT ADDRESSES
In the USA:
Awate Foundation
P.O.Box 580312
Elk Grove, CA 95758 - 0006
U. S. A.
E-mail: foundation@awate.com
