EMRDA signed new project agreement with Pro-Development Network project entitled “Youth Development through Skill Based Capacity Training” on December 26, 2012.

 The project is focused on youth Development and it is going to be implemented at Amhara & Afar regions with the aim of addressing unemployment  related challenges faced by youths in remote populations, in particular rural adolescents, through enhancing their self employing capacity and raise reproductive health awareness and provide them with sufficient business skills and financial support. The total amount of grant secured for the project is birr 725,325.00. This project is expected to benefit 480 young people directly and 2,731 people indirectly.

EMRDA handed over one of its largest project Young People in Action which was implemented at 9 woredas of Amhara and Afar regional states, to the woredas main stakeholder “Women Children and Youth office” with the presence of beneficiaries’ representative from Government and Community leaders.

The project which was funded by Big Lottery Fund through Interact Worldwide, prominent partner of EMRDA, empowered young people for the past four years from (May 9, 2008 up to May 8, 2012) with a total budget of around 11 million birr. The project was implemented in cooperation with the stakeholders to enhance awareness of young people reproductive health service. Prevention and control of HIV / AIDS and solving other youth related social and psychological problems.

Meanwhile as the project was completed on last 8th may, 2012 based on its agreed schedule EMRDA publicly handed over the constructed youth centers, fixed assets which were donated by the project and the reproductive health clubs to the woredas Women Children and Youth office to ensure the sustainability of the service which had been given to beneficiaries.

Nine youth centers were constructed and served the youth as places of discussion on their Sexual Reproductive Health issues. The youth centers were constructed in Amhara region in Efrata Gdm district (Jeweha kebe1e), Jile Tumuga(Bete kebele), Dawa Chefa(Shekela kebele), Qewot(Rasa kebele), Artuma Fursi(chhefa Robit Kebele) and in Afar region Dulessa, District (Duulesa Kebele) Hadelela, (Hadelela kebele) Amibara, (Werer Kebele) and Argoba (Gachene Kebele). The local community and key volunteers of the project such as Project Advisory Committees, CMC were highly participated in the construction of the centers. The centers were constructed in such a way that they can serve the youths in their local context.

The youth centers are well furnished with necessary equipment and furniture. Such as Generators, Tape recorders, Megaphones, Televisions, DVD players, Game player, Cassettes with Reproductive health and HIV / AIDS messages, tables and chairs, different academic and reference books, packs of batteries for tape recorders, full sport materials and music instruments.

It is believed that the sustainability will be ensuring by local community & stakeholders through.

A National Charities Good Practice day, organized by the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCRDA), was colourfully celebrated at the compound of the Consortium on 7 June, 2012.

The Day’s guest of honor, H.E Ato Hailemariam Desalgne, Deputy Prime Minister of the FDRE and Minister of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated the exhibition organized in connection with the 2012 National Charities Good Practice Day.

On this special event EMRDA had the honor to present its activities and achievements for delegates from different nongovernmental Organization and senior government officials, policy makers, community leaders and other activists.

The main event of the Day was the awarding of the 10 organizations, which won the best practice competitions in two categories; even if we did not won the award the Day’s enabled us to share experiences and exchange information on major development interventions of CSOs. It also plays a considerable role in establishing and fostering partnership among the various development actors.

A total of 1.5 million birr project were secured from Dan Church Aid (DCA) and Christian Aid Ethiopia (CA), to be implemented in the coming one year. The projects are mainly focused on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in an integrated manner among the rural and sub urban areas were selected in Amhara & Oromia Regional state.

Specifically the main objectives of DCA funded project is to contribute to the reduction of HIV/AIDS burden and new HIV/AIDS infections among infants in Jile Timuga woreda of Amhara region through improved utilization of Ante Natal Care (ANC) /Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) services and prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women. While the CA funded project is to improve health status for the most marginalized communities in Oromia region in Jima Zone Mana and Sekoru woredas. It’s aimed at improving health status of marginalized communities (reduction of morbidity & Mortality due TB, HIV and Malaria) through an integrated approach to community based intervention.

The total target beneficiaries of the two projects will be 27,060 direct and 127,788 indirect Beneficiaries will be benefited. It is planned that 65% of the beneficiaries will be Women.

In terms of group, local Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Government stakeholders including woreda HAPCO, health facilities and workers, School Health Clubs, Community Conversation Group, Community Volunteers, Mother Groups and PLHIV are the beneficiaries of the project.

Ethiopian Muslims Relief and Development Association (EMRDA) celebrated the inaugural ceremony of its new office bought in 2011 which was held on December 31, 2011 with assortment of people from General Assembly, Board members, honorable guests and members of EMRDA had attended the inaugural ceremony.

The New office of EMRDA is located at Kolfe Keranio sub city in front of Zeneb Work Alert Hospital along the old road at the back of Ayertena police station. The office has existing offices of around 20 rooms in the compound of 2125m² of land where the new building (G+7 twin) will be constructed with all modern facilities to establish its own multipurpose center in which all of its envisioned programs, offices, Interest free Micro Finance Institution & community Management Training Center that links the programmatic activities with the microfinance scheme. Will took place in a roof. 

During the ceremony, Haji Kemal Seid, the General Assembly Chair Person made an opening speech welcoming the guests for attending the ceremony. Followed by, the Executive Director of EMRDA, Haji Adane Mamuye, gave a brief elucidation about EMRDA’s program & future direction.

The Vice Chair Person of Board of Trustee of the association Haji Abdurahman Yesufe on his part gave the Names of the founder of the association and comprehensive enlightenment about the establishment of EMRDA 18 years ago and its prior magnificent movement. He also made the audience aware of the success factors and accomplishments in providing services to the community.

Furthermore, the current thematic focus areas and its 4^th Strategic Planning Management (SPM) (2011-2015) the first year activities plan was briefed by Ato Maru Suleman, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Manager and likewise the program officer Ato Ahmed Mohammed presented the 2011 accomplishment summary of program report.

More to the point, the audiences had extended their warmest positive response for EMRDA and its efforts. They had also avowed that they would support the exertion of EMRDA in its entire venture. The event was sponsored by Pro Development Network (PDN).

EMRDA secured fund form Interact World Wide UK, after the project proposal for extension was approved. The project focused on Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) thorough community mobilization and enhanced awareness, demand for & use of PMTCT and other sexual reproductive health services for 13,667 women and young girls in Amhara & SNNPR regions of  7 districts. Dessie, Kombolch, Kalu, kemisa, Artuma, Hossana and Alaba district. The total amount of grant secured for the project period amounts to £ 116, 000 equivalents to ETB 3,132,000.00 for three years project.MOU agreement is to be signed early December 2011.

The overall project goal is to contribute to the reduction in the number of children born HIV positive and the success of this objective will be measured against the number of children born HIV negative from mothers living with HIV.

EMRDA participates in the 16^th International Conference On AIDS & Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) which was held in Addis Ababa from December 4-8, 2011 under the theme Own, Scale-up & Sustain.

On this special events EMRDA had the honor  to present its activities and achievements with Christian Aid for 10, 000 delegates from around the world including scientists, Health professionals, policy makers, community leaders and activists working in the field of HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

EMRDA on ICASA 2011 had an excellent opportunity to take stock of the achievements as well as the challenges in the AIDS response and to strengthen partnership among governments, civil societies, the private sector and development partners, not only within Ethiopia but also in the region and around the world.

A visit from Interact World Wide UK office was paid to EMRDA head office. Mrs. Emebet Wuhib-Mutungi held talk with Executive Director and concerned staff members, program Director and program officer of BIG project on the general implementation process as well as challenges related to financial transfers. She appreciated the activities performed by EMRDA to realize the objective of the project and managed to show how the performance of EMRDA is growing.

Mrs. Emebet was joined by the country program Advisor of Interact World Wide, Ato Antenane who also appreciated the general performance of EMRDA and promised to increase the technical support to be extended to EMRDA head office in various thematic areas.

Executive Director of EMRDA, Haji Adane Mamuye attended the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS held in New York, U.S.A from June 8-10, 2011.

The High ­Level Meeting focused, among others, on analyzing the universal access achievements to date; reviewing existing best approaches and practices to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

The Meeting was also aimed at defining strategies to acceler­ate progress where it is lagging; and coming up with new UN General Assembly Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS to intensify efforts of member states against the pandemic.

In reaching out to the needy communities and individuals, in addition to the development activities, EMRDA has enormous experience in intervening in relief, emergency and Qurbani programs.  With Muslim AID U.K it has been working mainly on Qurbani program since 2004. With regard to the intervention with Islamic Relief (IR), EMRDA has been trying to develop partnership with Islamic Relief starting from its presence in Ethiopia. With the consideration of IR, EMRDA is potential Partner to implement development projects that the IR might have in the future. 

In November, 2011 EMRDA has received 3,000 Qurbani Units from Islamic Relief to address those poor needy people in Amhara, Oromia and SNNPR Regions of 37 Woredas in 15 Zones were project was implemented. With a total budget of ETB 1,926,000 for the total of 9,598 needy people were benefitted directly with Qurbani (relief program in most needy locality)

In addition to this, a total of 5,698 needy people in Amhara, Oromia and SNNPR regions were benifeted from Muslim Aid (UK and Australia) relief 1432 program with a total budget of £ 5,573 which is equivalent to 153,848.80 ETB.