UK Minister, Paul Boateng visits ACORD project in Ethiopia

On Saturday 24 May 2003, Mr. Paul Boateng visited the ACORD Dire Dawa Urban Development programme, where he was briefed by the program staff on the context of the location, program achievements and challenges.

The Dire Dawa Urban Development Program is the oldest ACORD program in Ethiopia, having operated in the region since 1995. The program has succeeded in setting-up sustainable community managed revolving credit fund schemes. Above all, it has strengthened the institutional capacity of indigenous Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and facilitated the emergence of umbrella associations. Presently, there are seven-umbrella associations made up of 100 CBOs with a membership size of 3750 Households. The Umbrella Organisation has given more power to member CBOs and individuals who can now voice their concerns on various social and economic issues.

The program also works in partnership with Government and non-Government organizations and has embarked on joint projects that help to bring together different development actors to coordinate their activities, thereby creating understanding among them and reducing duplication of efforts. The training component of the program has been dealing mainly with strengthening the capacity of CBOs to manage their organizations and institutions. HIV/AIDS and gender are also cross cutting issues across all program activities.

After discussions with ACORD Staff, Mr. Boateng also held brief discussions with the Dire Dawa Administration and exchanged views with the president and council members of the region. He was impressed by the efforts the people and government of Dire Dawa are making to change the region into prosperity and underlined the willingness of the British government to assist the Government of Ethiopia in its development endeavours. He also mentioned that the British Government has committed £60 million in the form of budgetary support to the government of Ethiopia. Finally he thanked the Council members of Dire Dawa for the enabling environment they had provided for NGOs like ACORD. He underscored that without the enabling partnership that the regional government had created with other development actors, the remarkable development witnessed in the area would not have occured.

Community members from Dire Dawa, Ethiopia present their views during the Addis Conference

After this, Mr. Boateng went on to visit Umbrella Community Based Organisations and individual income generation activities supported by ACORD Dire Dawa Urban Development Program. He visited Credit activities of CBOs where the leaders explained to him the operation, achievements, and the impact on the life of individual members. He was very impressed by how these indigenous community organisations had grown into more dynamic and vibrant Umbrella Associations.

These Umbrella Associations are now providing member CBOs with legal and institutional support, linking them to government services, helping them to access funding and negotiating with the government on participation of CBOs in planning and decision making on development activities in the area. The umbrella associations are also providing the wider population with HIV/AIDS awareness raising, library and information services

The climax of Mr. Paul Boateng's visit was the official opening of one of the community libraries established by Goro CBO Association. The inaugural ceremony had been arranged by the community to coincide with his visit, and he officially opened the library. In his speech, he commended the Association and urged them to keep up the good work, which was bound to give them more success in their future undertakings. Mr. Boateng then finally ended his tour by visiting the Addis Alem CBO Association and Assegedech Asfaw old aged people care and rehabilitation centre. He was accompanied in his tour by Lucy Makinson, Dan Rosenfield, and Shazia Ejaz while ACORD representatives during the tour were Dave Waller, Bonaventure Wakana, Asfaw Mekonnen, and ACORD Dire Dawa Program Coordinator, Felleke Taddesse.