Hope for Children Now Supports More Than 700 Children in Ethiopia

Bethesda, MD – January 9, 2007 - Hope for Children (HFC), an Ethiopian NGO founded by Yewoinshet Masresha in 2000, celebrated its sixth anniversary in December and announced that it now provides comprehensive community-based care and support to more than 700 children in Ethiopia affected by HIV/AIDS. HFC-Ethiopia’s vision is to enable HIV/AIDS affected children and families to live with dignity in their local communities while ensuring that their basic needs are met. To date, HFC’s work has focused primarily on the Gulele Sub-City in Addis Ababa. Funding has recently been obtained to expand into the Lafto Sub-City, and operations have begun in Babile in eastern Ethiopia, as well.

Since its inception, HFC has operated a variety of projects and programs for the children and their families, including:
 Providing much needed financial assistance for food, shelter, clothing and school fees through its Child Sponsorship Program;
 Operating group homes for AIDS orphans;
 Offering psychosocial support and grief counseling to children, families and caregivers facing the terrible losses inflicted by HIV/AIDS;
 Training women from the community who work as home-based caregivers, providing basic care and support for people suffering from AIDS;
 Running a variety of Peer Education Programs designed to ensure that the community has accurate information about HIV/AIDS and its prevention.

Plans are underway to open a Center that will offer educational programs and vocational training for the children, as well.

Hope for Children United States (HFC-US) is a US-based Section 501(c)(3) organization that works closely with Hope for Children in Ethiopia. To find out more about Hope for Children in Ethiopia and our work here in the United States, please visit our website at www.hopeforchildrenus.org or contact Carol Rhees at crhees.hopeforchildrenus@gmail.com.

Kefa Cafe Upcoming Events - Silver Spring, Maryland

This Friday, Dr. Kaung's Salon, 6:30 to 8:30. Silver Spring/Woodside resident and journalist Melissa Robinson talks about her new book The Search for Canasta 404: Love, Loss, and the POW/MIA Movement. When Navy pilot lieutenant Joe Dunn's plane went down off the coast of China, his young wife began an emotional journey of grieving and leadership and advocacy.

This Saturday is the last day to bid on the artwork at silent auction. Bids close at 2 p.m. Peek at the artwork and details posted on the blog (or better yet, stop by Kefa).

Next exhibit starts Monday the 15th (and yes, the cafe plans to be open). Art works from Community Vision Day Shelter for the Homeless (CMMC), with sculptures from Alvin Lewis Thomas, will be exhibited from January 15 to February 10. The reception will be Friday, February 2 from 6:30 to 8:30. Art classes at the shelter are taught by Art For The People and made possible in part by a grant from Maryland State Arts Council.

Upcoming, Feb. 9pm, evening: Live Music by Ocio Jazz, a Washington, D.C.-area jazz quartet with a varied repertoire that includes everything from Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk to John Coltrane and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

--
Space 7:10 at Kefa Cafe
An organic art space exhibiting an evolving mix of contemporary, outsider, visionary, and world cultural artwork

Located at 963 Bonifant Street (near the corner of Georgia Ave., in downtown Silver Spring). A small gallery, a salon series, an intimate performance space. Coffee, gelato, quiche, soup, sandwiches, pastries.

World Bank Provides US$175 Million Grant To Combat Food Insecurity In Ethiopia

Press Release No:2007/200/AFR

WASHINGTON, January 9, 2007 - The World Bank Group board today approved a US$175 million grant to help vulnerable populations in Ethiopia lower their risks of serious food shortage and famine.

The grant finances the second phase of an existing operation, the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), which is reaching over 7 million of the poorest Ethiopians through public works and direct grants. The targeted beneficiaries of the program are chronically food insecure households which are unable to secure sufficient food for their families year after year. The grant will provide continuing funding for the program, while supporting improvements in the program governance and efficiency.

The PSNP was initiated in 2005, after the Coalition for the War against Hunger-- comprising the Government of Ethiopia, its development partners, and key NGOs-- pushed for more sustainable alternatives to the annual provision of large amounts of humanitarian food aid to prevent starvation. The program initially reached about 5 million chronically food-insecure people, then was scaled up in 2006 to reach 7.23 million people. The PSNP supports a large-scale public works initiative which pays wages to food insecure but able-bodied citizens. For those physically unable to work, the program provides direct grants.

Ethiopia’s vulnerability to famine has worsened over the past two decades. When needed, food aid saves lives. However, the Government of Ethiopia and its international partners have wanted to avoid a situation where a segment of the population remains chronically dependent on international food aid. Indeed, by 2005, food insecurity, and widespread dependency on humanitarian aid for survival, had become a pressing national security risk. The PSNP was devised as a sustainable solution.

To boost the productivity of small scale agriculture in targeted areas, the PSNP jobs program has supported a massive effort of environmental restoration. Some of the tangible results: more than 250,000 kilometers of terraces; 20,000 ponds and 2,000 springs; 17 million newly planted trees and the construction and maintenance of 10,000 kilometers of rural roads. By replacing food aid with jobs and cash payments, the program helps stimulate rural economies while also addressing some of the underlying causes of food insecurity. The added benefit of improving public infrastructure and maintaining community assets through public works will also bring long term improvement to rural livelihoods.

“The first phase of the Productive Safety Net Program has dramatically lowered dependence on emergency food aid; instead, we’re supporting targeted populations through predictable transfers for productive investments, which represent a first real opportunity to bring about lasting change by addressing some of the root causes of food insecurity,” said Ishac Diwan, Country Director for Ethiopia. “In the next phase the Government will continue the jobs program and direct grants, while strengthening program governance. The program also introduces a contingency fund to be triggered without delay in the event of a drought.”

The Safety Net Program is being supported by many donors and NGOs. The second phase is co-financed by the Governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, and the United States, as well as by the European Union. The World Food Program also supports the program.

In recent years, Ethiopia has posted a comparatively strong growth performance, while increasing the portion of the national budget dedicated to poverty-reduction spending. Though starting from a low base, the country has begun to show progress toward achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals— including strong gains in increasing school enrolment and lowering malnutrition. It is estimated that between 2000 and 2005, the level of poverty fell from 44.2 percent of the population, to 38.7 percent.

WORLDSPACE(R) Satellite Radio Kicks Off 2007 With Laughs and Memories

SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It's time to break out the bell bottoms, lava lamps and neon, start reminiscing about yuppies, break dancing and big hair, and get down to ABBA, Blondie and Elton John. WORLDSPACE(R) Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: WRSP), one of the world leaders in satellite-based digital radio services, today introduced two new channels to its line-up, 'Retro Radio' (channel 80) and 'Punchline' (channel 700). Punchline will be available on both the AfriStar and AsiaStar satellites and Retro Radio will be available on the AsiaStar satellite which further demonstrates WORLDSPACE's commitment to providing subscribers with access to content unavailable on traditional radio in India or around the world.

"It is our goal at WORLDSPACE to continually develop and deliver creative, unique programming," said William Sabatini, vice president, global programming, WORLDSPACE Satellite Radio. "The content that will be heard on both of our new channels clearly reflects our commitment to engaging our subscribers by creating personal connections. With Punchline, WORLDSPACE brings a new category of content to our subscribers while Retro Radio further enhances the already rich music offerings."

Retro Radio debuted January 2 and will play all genres of hit songs that influenced the culture of the 1970s and 1980s. Additionally, Retro Radio will feature western music and sound bites from movies and television that made an impact during the 70s and 80s.

Punchline is dedicated to bringing the world of comedy to WORLDSPACE subscribers. The channel features a wide range of comedy acts both old and new and unique shows from major stars including the internationally recognized Monty Python, Bob Hope, Jerry Seinfeld and Dane Cook to name a few. Punchline debuted on January 2 on AsiaStar and will then debut on AfriStar on Jan 9.

With more than 40 channels of music and information WORLDSPACE offers something for everyone, in every community, in every country in its coverage area.

About WORLDSPACE(R) Satellite Radio

Based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Worldspace, Inc. (Nasdaq: WRSP) is the world's only global media and entertainment company positioned to offer a satellite radio experience to consumers in more than 130 countries with five billion people, driving 300 million cars. WORLDSPACE delivers the latest tunes, trends and information from around the world and around the corner.

WORLDSPACE subscribers benefit from a unique combination of local programming, original WORLDSPACE content and content from leading brands around the globe including the BBC, CNN, Virgin Radio UK, NDTV and RFI. The WORLDSPACE satellites cover two-thirds of the earth's population with six beams. Each beam is capable of delivering up to 80 channels of high quality digital audio and multimedia programming directly to WORLDSPACE Satellite Radios anytime and virtually anywhere in its coverage areas. WORLDSPACE is a pioneer of satellite-based digital radio services (DARS) and was instrumental in the development of the technology infrastructure used today by XM Satellite Radio. For more information, visit www.WORLDSPACE.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs about future events and financial, political and social trends and assumptions it has made based on information currently available to it. The Company cannot assure that any expectations, forecasts or assumptions made by management in preparing these forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any projections will be realized. Such forward-looking statements may be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks or uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein. Forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE WORLDSPACE(R) Satellite Radio

CONTACT: Judith Pryor of WORLDSPACE, +1-301-960-1242, jpryor@WORLDSPACE.com; or Dan Martin of Brodeur, +1-617-585-2780, dmartin@brodeur.com

Upcoming Events at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

For more information about the following events, please visit the National Museum of African Art calendar website at http://africa.si.edu/calendar.html.

Storytelling
The Story Man
Sat., Jan. 20, 2 p.m.
Master storyteller Baba Jamal Koram combines music and stories to delight children of all ages.

Grandmother Africa
Thurs., Feb. 8
10:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 9 Sold Out!
10:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 10,
11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m.
Ages: 3-8 & their adults
Reservations required, 202.457.1500
Join Diane Macklin for an exciting, interactive storytelling session, which is followed by a treasure hunt in the galleries. For more information, call 202.457.1500 or visit www.DiscoveryTheater.org.

Presented in collaboration with Discovery Theater's Meet the Museum Program



Let's Read about Africa
Ages: 5--10
Introduces young audiences to current and classical children's literature about Africa. Each reading is followed by an art activity. Suitable for ages 5 to 10.

Circle Unbroken
Sat., Feb. 24, 11 a.m.
By Margot Theis Raven, illus. by E.B. Lewis, 2004
A young girl's grandmother teaches her about West African basket-weaving traditions that continue to be practiced by the Gullah peoples of South Carolina.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Announces Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia

January 5, 2007
No. 01/07 - Press Release from the United States Embassy to Ethiopia

Washington -- The Office of the Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State issued the following statement on January 4, 2007, on the announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of humanitarian assistance to Somalia.

The Somali people and the international community have an historic opportunity to begin to move beyond two-decades of warlordsim, extreme violence, and humanitarian suffering. As part of our effort to help parties resolve the ongoing political and humanitarian crises in Somalia, I have dispatched Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer to the Horn of Africa region to meet with regional partners and Somali representatives to urge inclusive political dialogue, reconciliation to build a legitimate, functioning government that will serve all Somalis, and to move forward with the urgent deployment of a regional stabilization force (IGASOM). We will continue to work in the context of the Somalia Contact Group to mobilize the support of the international community in support of the Somali people. To support these goals and a peaceful consolidation of governance in Somalia, the United States will support the Transitional Federal Institutions and the deployment of a peace support mission through a robust assistance package.

In an initial response to humanitarian needs arising from the recent conflict, the United States is providing $11.5 million in food aid through the World Food Program, $1.5 million in non-food assistance through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $3.575 million through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and implementing partners for assistance to Somali refugees. These resources will help an additional 18,000 people displaced by recent floods and conflict. We intend to seek additional substantial assistance to help Somalia with humanitarian, security, and reconstruction efforts.

The United States urges all donor partners, both regional and international, to join with us to provide immediate capacity-building assistance for the Transitional Federal Institutions, as well as humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of the Somali people. The United States further calls on Somalia’s neighbors to meet their international obligations regarding refugees while ensuring that borders remain secure against all dangerous elements seeking to further destabilize the region. Somalia's neighbors and the rest of the international community also have an interest in Somalia not becoming a safe haven for terror.

Community Event - D.C. Metro Area - SEED Celebration of Africa Week

SEED Celebration of Africa Week
January 17-18, 2007

Dear Staff, Parents, Family Members and SEED Community;

Two very special events are taking place at The SEED School. On Wednesday January 17th, 2007, the MS2 eighth grade community will be hosting the 1st SEED Celebration of Africa Fair. This celebration will highlight our student’s work exploring, mapping, and learning about the complexities and treasures of the African continent and a particular African nation. Joining our student presentations will be a short film by SEED students who traveled last summer in Ethiopia as part of the LearnServe Ethiopia Project. A participation-based show by the Malcolm X African Drummers and Dancers will also be part of this special event. Please mark the date and arrive promptly by 4:30 so you can visit all of our student presentations. A 1$ suggested entrance fee will raise money for Ethiopia Reads, which builds libraries for students in the capital city of Addis Ababa, and whom SEED Students will be working with in the LearnServe Program.

What: 1st SEED Celebration of Africa Fair
When: Wednesday January 17, 2007
Time: 4:30-6:15pm
Where: SEED Gymnasium


On Thursday January 18th at 9:00, Jon Dau, a former Sudanese refugee and star of the new film, God Grew Tired of Us, will be visiting SEED to show his film and meet our MS2 students. Mr. Dau’s story is the feature article in January’s National Geographic Magazine. The article is written by him and shares his struggles in his former homeland. I highly recommend you read this amazing story, as it will draw you to want to see his film and meet him in person during his SEED visit.

What: Jon Dau SEED Visit & God Grew Tired of Us film
When: Thursday January 18th, 2007
Time: 8:45-11:00am
Where: SEED Gymnasium

For Additional Information on Both Events Contact:
Eric Goldstein (202) 248-7773 X 5066
Egoldstein@seedschooldc.org

Fistula Foundation Inching Nearer to a Harrar Hospital

The Fistula Foundation held its second annual fundraiser in Metropolitan Washington D.C. to solicit donations for the construction of a Fistula Hospital in the eastern Ethiopian City of Harrar.

Ms. Tsedale Assefa, who chairs the Washington D.C. fundraising effort, said that of the $400, 000 needed to build the hospital, $220,000 has been raised thus far.

Ms. Assefa explained that obstetric fistula is caused by obstructed labor occurring when modern medical treatment is unavailable. A woman with a small or malformed pelvis or an improperly positioned child may be in labor five days or longer. If the mother survives, she may eventually deliver a stillborn baby, but the unrelenting pressure of the child's head interrupts blood-flow to pelvic organs, resulting in fistula, or an abnormal hole between them. As a result, said Ms. Assefa, "The woman is unable to control her bodily functions and the odor that emanates from her."

Mr. Kazzahun Kebede, Fistula Foundation chair, noted that the first fistula hospital was established in New York in 1850, and that subsequent advances in medical technology and transportation have eliminated fistula in the U.S. The last fistula case in the United States was recorded in 1895. As a result most Americans don't know about this condition and do not realize what a devastating problem it continues to be for women in Africa and other developing areas in the world. This is especially the case in Ethiopia, where this malaise has affected women in rural areas who have to travel for days before they can get to a hospital.

The Fistula Foundation's event was chaired by the world renowned supermodel Liya Kebede. Ms. Kebede, who is also the World Health organization's Good Will Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, told the audience that she has visited the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa and that patients "receive wonderful care and are in a warm, welcoming environment."

American Hip Hop artist, MIKE-E, who performed at the fundraiser in support of the Foundation's goals, said that he visited the Fistula Hospital during a recent trip to Ethiopia, and was deeply moved by the dedication and caring of the hospital's medical staff.

The Fistula Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula, the most devastating aftermath of obstructed labor, through support programs of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia.

Contributed by Robert Ellison - printed in December 2006 Zethiopia Issue

Ethiopian Community Events

Please send us your community calendar so that we may add it to our Listings - if you have an event that you would like to post, e-mail Meron@Zethiopia.com.