02/03/04 (B236) Communiqué de l’ACA (Afar community association) en Anglais.

AFAR COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 43269. London
E14 7WL
Telephone & Fax: (44) 020-7790 6046
E-mail: afar_community@hotmail.com


COMMUNITY NEWS

It is now officially announced
the establishment of the Afar Community Association in the United Kingdom
and Northern Ireland. The name of the Association is Afar Community Association
hereafter referred to as « ACA ». It shall be voluntary, self-help,
social and cultural oriented non-profit making organisation.

Objects:

– to provide facilities
for promoting the social welfare, the advancement of education, the development
of culture and the relief of hardship of the community in general and the
Afar community in particular, without distinctly excluding others who desire
to benefit from community services.

– Secondly, it will coordinate
supplementary and literacy classes for adults and to arrange classes in the
Afar language (mother tongue for children) to equip community members with
the necessary skills and qualifications in order to improve their living conditions.

– Thirdly, the Association
will arrange cultural or social events and to be involved with multicultural
festival activities in the UK and elsewhere, for the purpose of promoting
and representing the Afar traditions and folklore in the international arena.
It will also work closely in partnership with statutory institutions, NGOs
and the voluntary sector to advance education and culture; relieve sickness,
poverty, and famine; and promote good health and social well being of the
Afar people and of those who are disadvantaged in particular of the Afars
who live both in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea.

The Afar Community Association
is based on the principles of the equal rights and opportunities of all its
members- discrimination on the grounds of political opinions, nationality,
religion, sex, agenda and social status is prohibited.

Area of benefit:

Afar and non-Afar communities reside in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Area of operation:

Afar Community Association operates national and overseas.
Nationally it operates inside England and Wales. Internationally it operates
inside Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea.

Establishing Afar Community
Association in the UK and Northern Ireland is a great achievement, said Mr.
Abdo Youssouf. It will provide the necessary facilities and will identify
and will asses the needs of the Afar community in the UK and Northern Ireland,
added Mr. A Youssouf. Mr. Mohamed Omar (Merito) said on the occasion various
activities have been undertaken over the last year to make the Afar Association
a reality and now the dream is come true. It is an impressive success, added
Mr M. Omar (Merito).

Mr. Adan Bodaya, said
that « establishing an organisation in the UK and Northern Ireland is
a historical achievement. The Association will try to reduce the social and
cultural isolations of the Afar communities, particularly of the families
and children, stronger social relations within the Afar communities and will
improve friendly relations and contact between the Afar community and local
services and other communities in the UK ».

Having an organisation
would give us opportunity to foster friendly co-operation with other organisations
in the sphere of culture to strengthen cultural framework and to develop the
exchange of information, advice and experience with them so far » added
Mr. Bodaya.

The Afar Community Association
in the UK & Northern Ireland welcomes your suggestions, commitments, advice
and experiences that maybe helping us to develop Afar Community Association
in the future.

Should you have any enquires
or need more information about the Afar community Association and the Afar
people in the UK and in the Horn of Africa as well, please do not hesitate
to contact us on the above address

The Association should
be grateful if you would kindly send us news, history, photos, information,
stories, videos, radio cassettes and any other traditional materials relating
to the Afars and their culture.

The Afar Community Association
looks forward to establishing a good relation based upon a mutual respect
and advantages with like-minded associations.

The
Afar Community Association in the UK & Northern Ireland