A Message from the Chairman of EDF Board of Directors, April 30, 2003

Thursday, May 22, 2003:
EDF Calls to Re-Double Our Efforts In Fighting the Ravages of Drought


Many Eritreans and friends of Eritrea are doing an admirable job of putting their best efforts both to publicize and to minimize the impact of the devastating drought facing Eritrea today. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the problem is so huge and daunting that there is no room for slackening in our efforts to do our share of helping lessen the suffering. Thus, this message is a call to all people of good will to seriously get involved and share their concern and generosity to help the Eritrean people in their time of this devastating drought.

On May 22, 2003, the Eritrean Development Foundation (EDF) is celebrating its Fifth Anniversary in Washington, D.C. The details of this event have been publicized in a number of websites, including on this one. The celebration will be coupled with inaugurating the first ever EDF's Fred Hallows Award to be bestowed upon those who have shown great love and disposition for humanitarian and developmental work towards the people of Eritrean. Needless to say, the whole effort around this Celebration is deliberately and strategically geared towards generating funds that will be used entirely for the benefit of the Eritrean victims of drought.

There are a number of ways people can participate in this important undertaking: 

  1. By buying individual tickets which cost $100 dollars a piece; 
  2. By getting organized or grouped on the basis of localities, organizations, or professional affiliations to sponsor a table of 10 that cost anywhere from $150 to $500 per person ($1,500 to $5,000 per table); 
  3. By sending donations if one can’t attend the event in person; and 
  4. By joining EDF membership now to help organize fund raising activities.

To our delight, the sponsoring of tables seems to generate a lot of optimistic excitement and healthy competition among a number of people and individuals do not have to be present to help sponsor a table. All checks of donations/ticket purchases should be payable to the Eritrean Development Foundation.

It should be noted that it is not enough nor desirable to entirely focus or concentrate our attention on Eritreans only. Each of us should cast our nets wider and approach our friends, workmates, and acquaintances to join in this noble cause. There may not be a better time of heeding the call of the Eritrean people for a positive and concrete responses to alleviate their acute and life threatening distress of hunger and psychological suffering.

It may be a person or two who would start the initiative to do something about this call. This is not the time to wait for others to do the job. It is up to you, up to every one of us, to start to get involved if we have not been and to re-double our efforts if we are already involved.

Finally, for further information, please visit the EDF website at www.edfonline.org, or call at (202) 783-3273, or send an e-mail at edf@edfonline.org.


Yacob Fisseha
Chairman,
Eritrean Development Foundation