ትግርኛ    ADF: Update #1 (February 15, 2008)   عربى

Update # 2
March 3, 2007

This update follows update #1, of February 15, 2007.

This memorandum, prepared on 3/4/2008, is our Update 2 on your contributions so far.

I. Financial 

We identified our Phase I target at $30,000.  We are happy, and very grateful to you, to report that, as of today, March 4, 2008, 137 individuals (or individuals representing a group) have pledged $36,791 via online donations and checks.

A portion of the credit card contributions has not been processed yet and some pledged checks have not been received yet.  Moreover, a few credit card contributions have been declined--mostly due to typographical errors--and the donators have been contacted.  In the chart, the total pledged is shown as a "gross amount" and the amount that has cleared as of the date of this memorandum is shown as a "net amount."

Again, we are very satisfied, humbled and encouraged by the contributions so far and we encourage those who have pledged to make sure their contributions are executed by sending their checks.

To balance the need for full transparency with the equally important need to maintain confidentiality, starting the first week of March, we will:

          a. Send each donor a receipt for his/her donation via e-mail or snail mail;
          b. Indicate the full name, initials, or “anonymous” (depending on the donor's request) when we are tabulating the contributions.

For now, here's a truncated report of the pledged and received amounts:

II. CO-CHAIRMEN: Sub Committee of Fund Raisers

Many awate.com supporters have volunteered to be co-chairmen of our fund-raising efforts.  They have argued, persuasively, that Eritreans who receive their information second-hand outnumber those who receive it directly from the source.  We will update you on their efforts periodically.

III. Endorsers

Many civic societies and forces of justice have endorsed our move and we are grateful for all of them. We appreciate the unwavering stand and dedication of all those involved everywhere- the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. This exercise has truly proved the strong solidarity among the forces of good in their struggle for democracy, peace and justice.

IV.  Legal

We would like to inform you that we have retained a lawyer. We will inform you of any developments of the case in a manner that will be permitted by our lawyer and based on legal counsel.