Ambassador Girma Addresses Books For Africa/BFA/ Supporters in St. Paul, Minnesota

/ April, 24, 2011, Tsehaye Debalkew, Washington DC/ The unobstructed flow of the supply of books and” getting even more books into the hands of Ethiopian students of all ages is very important and is in sync with the current Policy of Education that our country presently pursues".

The foregoing remark was made by Ambassador Girma Birru, Special Envoy and Ambassador Extra-ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United States of America, at an evening reception at the University Club of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The Special Envoy spoke to the crowd of Books For Africa/BFA/, a not-for-profit Organization supporters of the timeliness and significance of sending much needed books to Ethiopia.

Ambassador Girma revealed to the audience about the coming five-year Education Plan that Ethiopia has charted out and the subsequent goals envisioned to be attained. In this connection the Ambassador apprised the congregation that by the consummation of the Growth and Transformation Plan period by 2015, Ethiopia is set to be recognized as one of the few expected countries to realize the UN sponsored Millennium Development Goal availing access to primary and universal education to all by attaining the 100% mark in both the sexes on a fair and equitable footing. Ambassador Girma Birru was introduced by Mr. Patrick Plonski, BFA Executive Director, to those volunteers who have been intimately engaged in sending books to Africa. He also met with Mrs. Yeshi Tolessa who is actively fundraising to ship BFA container of books to Ethiopia shortly.

During the occasion, Mrs. Sharon Sayles-Belton, Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters Legal business and former Mayor of the city of Minneapolis gave an updated chronicle of the BFA, Jack Mason Law and Democracy Initiative that sends law books to African law schools.

Books For Africa/BFA/ is the world's largest shipper of donated books to Africa that has sent over 24 million high-quality text and library books to-date to children and adults in 45 African countries since 1988. / April, 24, 2011, Tsehaye Debalkew, Washington DC/