Ambassador Brazeal Visits Bahir Dar: Launches U.S. Library Partnership, HIV/AIDS Care Program

April 20, 2005
No. 16/05

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) - On April 18-19, U.S. Ambassador Aurelia E. Brazeal visited Bahir Dar.  While in the city, Ambassador Brazeal met with local religious and government officials, members of the civil-society and business communities, and faculty and students at the Bahir Dar University, among other calls.  She presided at the inauguration of the Bahir Dar American Corner, a new installation hosted by the Aba Mengesha Geneme Public Library and Information Center.  She was also present for the launch of an innovative new home- and community-based health care program, a collaboration among local and international non-governmental organizations, local and regional government, and local idirs (traditional benevolent and burial societies).  The visit is the latest in Ambassador Brazeal’s travels within Ethiopia, which have taken her to every region in the country over the past two-and-a-half years.

One highlight of the trip was the launch on Tuesday, April 19, of Ethiopia’s second American Corner facility, hosted at the local public library established by the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO); Ethiopia’s first America Corner was established in 2004 in Harar.  American Corners are a U.S. Government program bringing a range of resources, including books, videos, reference materials, and equipment, to partner organizations, to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the United States.  In addition, Bahir Dar’s American Corner will also include a range of educational material on HIV/AIDS, thanks to special funding from President Bush’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.  Speaking at the launch, Ambassador Brazeal called American Corners “a new model of outreach partnerships for U.S. embassies,” saying, “as such they reflect the world in which we live:  a world in which the power of information is rapidly growing, and in which getting information directly to people who can use it is paramount.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Ambassador Brazeal joined regional and local officials to inaugurate a new home- and community-based care program for the care of the chronically ill and their families.  The program, designed by the Organization for Social Services for AIDS (OSSA), supported by Family Health International, and involving collaboration with 11 idirs, will help address some of the most devastating personal effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing high-quality care in the homes of the people who need it most.  Ambassador Brazeal praised the 100 caregivers have received training and will participate in the program, citing their commitment “to making a difference in the day-to-day lives of your community members, to being role models for positive charge, to showing how compassionate care giving is possible.”  She noted as well the unique way in which the program’s organizers have collaborated, calling it “an admirable example of the work that the U.S. Government, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is so proud to be helping make possible here in Ethiopia.”

Ambassador Brazeal heard from faculty, administrators, and students of Bahir Dar University about the University’s educational programs, including the Department of Textile Studies (Ethiopia’s only program in this field) and activities made possible by the presence on campus of a U.S.-funded English Language Fellow.  While in the city, she also met with participants in the Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program, an initiative that benefits young women students at 25 secondary schools across Ethiopia, enabling them to complete their secondary education and so be better prepared to be self-supporting and responsible citizens.

Other stops during the two-day trip included the Felege Hiwot Hospital, where Ambassador Brazeal heard about the Hospital’s Emergency Fund-supported programs; a visit to an urban-garden program for families affected by HIV/AIDS, implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development; calls on both Moslem and Ethiopian Orthodox community leaders; and interaction with the local business community, including a luncheon with members of the Bahir Dar Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking on her return to Addis Ababa, Ambassador Brazeal commented that the trip had been a welcome opportunity to learn more about the city and its role as the Amhara regional capital.  “I am always happy when I am able to travel, to experience more of Ethiopia’s rich history and remarkable culture, and to spend time meeting people and seeing firsthand how Ethiopia and the United States are working together as friends and partners.”

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