AAUW presentation at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C..

Posted on October 30, 2011 by segenatlibrary

On Sunday, September 25, 2011, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., American Association of University Women of Virginia in partnership with the Tigray Development Association, presented a Fall International Program, Literacy: the Key to Development in Ethiopia at the Ethiopian Embassy. Open to all AAUW members and friends, this free program began with a warm welcome from the honorable Deputy Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma. Deputy Ambassador’s remarks focused on the importance of creating a continuing collaborative partnership with AAUW.

Next, Dr. Gebrewahid Woldu, Chairperson, TDA Board, provided information about the Tigray Development Association and its ongoing humanitarian efforts. Janet Lee, Librarian, Regis University, Denver, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer/Ethiopia, engaged the audience in a special multi-media presentation on the Tigray Library and Literacy Development Project. This project was spearheaded by Yohannes Gebregeogis, a political refugee and trained librarian. Yohannes was named a Top 10 CNN Hero in 2008 for his work in bringing libraries and literacy to children in his native Ethiopia. (www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive/yohannes.gebregeorgis.html). In 2010, he established the Segenat Children and Youth Library in Mekelle, the first children’s library in the region of Tigray.

This flagship library was featured in American Libraries http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/08232010/new-youth-library-ethiopia-makes-impossible-dream-reality and caught the attention of members of the Virginia State Board. The program concluded with a video presentation on the cultural and historical aspects of Ethiopia along with a traditional coffee ceremony. To mark the first anniversary of the Segenat Children and Youth Library, cake was served along with traditional Ethiopian coffee.

This program provided AAUW members and friends an opportunity to make a voluntary contribution that will make a significant difference in library and literacy efforts for children in Ethiopia.