U.S. Ambassador and Mrs. Booth meet with Amhara Regional Sate President Ayalew Gobeze.

Addis Ababa, July 29, 2010:  U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Donald E. Booth, and his wife Anita Booth, traveled to Bahir Dar from July 28-29 to meet with regional and local officials, visit U.S. assistance

projects and programs, meet with American citizens and learn about economic development issues in the Amhara area.  He was accompanied by the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Ethiopia, Dr. Thomas Kenyon, and other U.S. Embassy staff.

During his first visit to the Amhara region, Ambassador Booth paid calls on Regional State President Ayalew Gobeze and the Bahir Dar City Mayor Alemayehu Sewagegne.  He also had the opportunity to meet with religious leaders from Bahir Dar’s newly launched Interfaith Peace Building Council and hear about their efforts to promote tolerance and interfaith dialogue in the region.

Ambassador Booth and Dr. Kenyon visited the National Defense Force of Ethiopia (NDFE) barracks in Bahar Dar to witness the HIV-AIDS peer education and prevention program supported by the U.S. Government through a cooperative agreement with NDFE.  They also received a briefing on the NDFE’s Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) programs.

U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth meets with religious leaders from Interfaith PeaceBuilding Council.

Ambassador Booth and seven U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers who are working in the Amhara region visited the Aba Megesha Geneme Public Library and Information Center where there is an American Corner Library supported by the U.S. Embassy.  They received a briefing from the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization, which manages the library, about its development programs in the region.  The Ambassador also had the opportunity to meet with library clients, including high school students who had participated in the Embassy’s annual African American History Month essay contest.  Mrs. Booth visited the Children’s Library located on the same compound and participated in a special story hour with children from Bahir Dar.

Ambassador Booth also traveled to the Tana Beles Hydropower Plant, currently Ethiopia’s largest power plant.  He met with project personnel at the plant and received a plant tour.

Mrs. Booth visited the Tana Medhanealem Integrated Development Association to view U.S.-supported poultry farming and beekeeping projects, and meet with program beneficiaries.   ###

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