(ynetnews) – The Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the Ethiopian National Project have launched a joint project aimed at fighting domestic violence and enhancing the Ethiopian community’s standing in Israeli society.
The project was introduced by the ministry and the ENP Tuesday, and is expected to address several key issues which are considered the thorn in the Ethiopian immigrants’ integration’s side.
The project wishes to explore questions such as the Israeli society’s real approach to Ethiopian immigrants; is there discrimination against Ethiopians when applying for positions in the public and private sector; is the multitude of associations dedicated to the immigrants’ absorption in society helping or harming the process, etc.
The Immigrant Absorption Ministry also hopes the project will be able to tackle questions such as the community’s representation in the media as a contributing factor to its integration, or lack thereof; the various ways in which to spring young community leadership; raising community awareness and activism; and above all –raising community awareness to domestic violence and the ways of dealing with it.
The Ethiopian sector in considered weaker than other immigrant sectors in Israeli society. Many in the community feel the cultural change is damaging its fabric and subsequently damaging to the domestic equilibrium customary in it.
The past five years have seen a concerning rise in domestic violence cases within Ethiopian families, as 10 Ethiopian women were murdered by their husbands.
In addition to helping the community fight the problem from within, the project will also train an initial 10 Ethiopian social workers, who will be stationed in 10 communities, as well as train several of the community’s spiritual leaders to act as mediators in cases of domestic disputes.
By Teddy Fikre
In large numbers, Ethiopians from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. united to support Barack Obama for President on March 4th. Overall, Ethiopian-Americans and Americans from DC and beyond—including German visitors who are inspired by Obama’s message of change—gathered together at the Renaissance Hotel to watch the results of the March 4th Primaries.
All in attendance realize that they are at the cusp of a historical moment. It has been a long time indeed since a presidential candidate inspired so many to do so much. Those who came to support Barack Obama did so in spite of the torrential downpour of rain that inundated Washington DC on this particular night. Fekadu Mariam and Lullit Marcos braved the bad weather to support Barack Obama and contribute their part to ensure his election. What they—along with the rest of the supporters—realize is that democracy demands action. It is not enough to talk about the election at the water cooler or over coffee.
Becoming a citizen of the United States of America is a blessing, a blessing that many people in Ethiopia and countries throughout the world yearn for. Thus, there is a special responsibility that comes with being a citizen; one of those responsibilities entail being involved as active citizens by voting. Our nation—the United States of America —is noble and extraordinary; as citizens; we enjoy freedoms that are not imagined by the majority of the global denizen. It is our duty to be involved in the political process. A muted voice is not heard; if the Ethiopian community does not speak through the ballot, their voices and their interests will not be heard. Democracy does not heed the nattering of idle complaints; however democracy listens to the fierce urgency of motivated voters.
On this night, a multitude of Ethiopians did not take for granted their responsibilities as citizens. The large and diverse gathering of Barack Obama supporters showed up in significant numbers and raised significant contributions for the Obama campaign. In the coming months, Ethiopians will have a chance to make a real difference in states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Ethiopian community can have a significant impact in these states; all should follow the lead of Eyasu Theodros in being active participants in our vibrant democracy.
Ethiopians — and all Americans — email [email protected] for ways to actively support Barack Obama’s campaign for President.
The chief editor of the newly launched Awramba newspaper, Ato Dawit Kebede, was taken to the 6th police station by Woyanne gunmen in Addis Ababa this morning.
Ato Dawit was recently released from jail along with the Kinijit leaders. Ato Dawit’s associates told ER sources that he was taken away without an arrest warrant or any explanation.
Other journalists and editors continue to receive threates from the Woyanne regime as political repression and crackdown on the free press in Ethiopia continue.
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) has submitted an application to the Woyanne-controlled Electoral Board of Ethiopia to operate under a new name… Read more at zikkir News Service
የቅንጅት የስራ አስፈጻሚ ኮሚቴ በአዲስ ፓርቲ ለመንቀሳቀስ የሚያስችለውን የፊርማ ማሰባሰቢያ ፈቃድ ለማግኘት በዛሬው እለት ለምርጫ ቦርድ ማመልከቻ አቀረበ፡፡
አመራሩ ባለፈው ሳምንት የላእላይ ም/ቤቱን 33 አባላት በማወያየት አዲስ ፓርቲ የመመስረት ሃላፊነቱን እንደተረከበ የሚታወስ ሲሆን በጉዳዩ ላይ በተለያዩ የአገሪቱ ክልሎች ያሉ ወኪሎቹን የማነጋገሩን ሂደት በም/ሊቀመንበር ብርቱካን ሚደቅሳ አማካይነት በዚህ ሳምንት መጀመርያ ላይ በአዋሳ ከተማ በማድረግ ውጤታማ ውይይት አካሂዷል፡፡
ምርጫ ቦርድ የቀረበውን ማመልከቻ ከመረመረ በኋላ በነገው እለት የፊርማ ማሰባሰቢያ ፈቃዱን ለመስጠት ቀጠሮ እንደሰጣቸው ለማወቅ ተችሏል፡፡
By Sam Graham-Felsen
AUSTIN — Obama Texas State Director Adrian Saenz issued a statement on the projected primary and caucus results that show Senator Obama won more Texas delegates than Senator Clinton.
“By fighting the primary to a near-draw and earning a resounding victory in the caucus, the people of Texas have moved Barack Obama one step closer to claiming the Democratic nomination for president,” said Adrian Saenz. “Texans in both parties and of all ages sent a clear message that the American people are ready for the kind of change that Barack Obama will bring to Washington, DC as our 44th President.”
Because of the close finish, Senator Clinton will likely net only two delegates up-for-grabs in the Texas Primary. Based on a large sample of caucus results in all 31 state senate districts, Senator Obama is projected to post a substantial victory in the Texas caucus and, thereby, net at least seven delegates. This means that Senator Obama will win at least five more pledged delegates from Texas than Senator Clinton.
