As the most recent EBA representative to Ethiopia, I am thrilled that EBA is becoming involved in another project in Ethiopia! The GROW Ethiopia Project will help achieve sustainable forestry development within the West Gojjam region of Ethiopia while providing much needed employment for the planting, nurturing, protecting and managing of their future forests.
As far as “improving our communities”, this program definitely qualifies. Over time, the rural landscape in Ethiopia has become barren and eroded due to many contributing factors including war, famine, growing population density, chronic over grazing and poverty. In spite of the 
progress made toward the development of more efficient cooking ovens and heating systems, wood and charcoal remain the primary fuels in the rural areas. The GROW Ethiopia Project is a grass roots initiative that can provide the support needed for sustainable recovery of the environment.
The people of West Gojjam have demonstrated incredible commitment during this first year of EBA’s involvement in water development projects achieving milestones six months ahead of schedule and on budget. It’s really amazing to see the focus, passion and personal ownership that I witnessed during my visit. All the people I met including everyone from individual community members to government representatives were deeply committed to improving their quality of life.
The EBA team has another extraordinary global citizenship opportunity to help bring real changes to communities experiencing very difficult circumstances. Thanks for your interest and support for this project that I believe truly reflects our core values.
Jack Willms
This page was last updated on: 9/24/2009 2:21:00 PM
