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U.S. officials inaugurate education and agricultural projects in eastern Ethiopia

U.S. Embassy Press Office

DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia – U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Ethiopia, Ambassador John Yates, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Tom Staal, U.S. Defense Attaché Col. Bradley Anderson, and U.S. Civil Affairs Battalion Commander Lt. Col Richard Appel today joined Dire Dawa and Shinile zone officials in inaugurating a new Teachers’ Quarters and agricultural demonstration site in eastern Ethiopia. The projects, both representing close collaboration between the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) and local communities, demonstrate U.S.-Ethiopian cooperation in support of sustainable development.

Near Dire Dawa, the U.S. delegation was joined by Zonal Administrator Ali Omar, Dire Dawa City Manager Bahar Ame, Dire Dawa Director of Education Riar Hashen, and other local officials in inaugurating the newly-completed Kebeled Teachers’ Quarters. Over the past two months U.S. military civil affairs teams from CJTF-HOA partnered with the local community in Kebeled to construct a permanent teachers’ quarters. While the American team shared framing, roofing, and concrete work skills with local workers, locals taught the U.S. team traditional construction methods. The new teachers’ quarters will enable the community to attract and house new teachers and the Director of Education from Dire Dawa has pledged to allocate three additional teachers to enable the Kabeled community school to add 9th and 10th grades.

Ambassador Yates and his team next visited Harmekale in Shinile zone to dedicate an agricultural demonstration project. The U.S. civil affairs team installed an irrigation system, agricultural training, and perimeter vegetation for the Harmekale Community Agricultural Cooperative in this chronically food insecure region. Again working in collaboration with the local community, the U.S. team installed and trained local farmers on the use of an irrigation system to preserve water while cultivating a crop to help break the cycle of dependence on relief food assistance. The community planted perimeter vegetation to prevent erosion and hold ground water.

Speaking to guests in Harmekale, Ambassador Yates said, “These civil affairs projects not only make a lasting impact toward the development of their host communities, but demonstrate the strong partnership and collaboration between the people of the United States and Ethiopia.”