Premier donates 200,000 USD to expand education opportunity for rural women

June 21, 2006

ADDIS ABABA - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi signed an agreement yesterday to donate the 200,000 dollars award he received from the Yara Foundation, to be used for the effort aimed at expanding education opportunity for rural women.

The agreement was made between Prime Minister Meles and board members of the “Frae” Addis Women’s Fund.

Meles said on the occasion that he is excited to donate the 200,000 dollar to be used as an initial capital for the activities of the fund to expand education opportunities for rural women.

Meles also said he would individually exert unlimited efforts towards helping alleviate the various problems of Ethiopian women.

Providing education opportunity is crucial to protecting women’s rights, Meles said, adding significant activities are being undertaken in constructing primary schools with a view to providing education opportunity for rural women.

However, Meles said women who completed their primary education are still facing problems to proceed their secondary and higher level education.

The activities being carried out by organized women to support young rural women in cooperation with the government are worth appreciating, he added.

Minister of Youth and Sports Aster Mamo, who is also board member of the fund said that the decision of the Prime Minister to donate the money, which he is awarded in recognition of his efforts in facilitating development activities in Ethiopia, to be used in support of economically impoverished women students is exemplary.

Aster said the decision shows the greater regard the Prime Minister has for women.

She said the fund would use the donation to support some 550 academically outstanding but economically poor high school female students for the coming three years.

She indicated that Frae Addis Ethiopian Youth Fund is established this year by voluntary elite Ethiopian women, adding the fund has the objectives of supporting poor women in all woredas of the country to proceed their education.

The fund also plans to sustainably solve problems of women in cooperation with various organs.

Aster also called on investors, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to follow the footsteps of the Prime Minister in assisting women students who drop out of schools due to financial problems.

(ENA)