Fundraising Efforts for the All Party Conference in Washington, DC

The evening program started by Lt. Ayalsew Dessie, the designated
moderator for the evening event. Lt. Ayalsew Dessie made a brief welcoming
speech he then introduced Ato Wondayheu Kassa. Ato Wondayheu Kassa, the
current chairman of The All Party Conference Organizing Committee and
representative of All Ethiopian People’s Unity Organization (AEPUO) in
North America, spoke about the need for convening the All Party
Conference of all opposition organizations. He outlined the objectives and
paramount importance of such endeavor to bring about lasting peace,
democracy and unity for the people of Ethiopia. Ato Wondayheu concluded by
calling on the invited guests and all patriotic Ethiopians of various
political persuasions to come together and rally behind this vital
initiative with their moral, material, and intellecual support.

Laureate Poet Tesgaye Gebre Medhin, the keynote speaker of the dinner
fundraising program, spoke on the dismal records of the TPLF regime. In
his moving poem entitled “Yemsirach Ethiopia”, he celebrated the coming
together of the opposition organzations and patriotic Ethiopians to
forge a common agenda to free Ethiopia from the menace and anti-Ethiopia
regime of Meles Zenawi. The atmosphere was somber when the legendary
Laureate Tesgaye Gebre Medhin addressed some of the most critical and
pressing challenges which are afflicting Ethiopia under the iron grip of
the Dictatorial TPLF/EPRDF regime.

Following Laureate Tesgaye Gebre Medhin, Ato Mesiahfe Sirak, journalist
and poet and Mesfin Ashagere, a young activist, read moving poems.
Dr. Abeba Fekade gave a brief presentation on the impact of AIDS in
Ethiopia while Dr. Desta Damtew spoke about the famine that is afflicting
millions of Ethiopians due to the misguided economic and agricultural
policies of the Meles Zenawis’ regime. For her part, Dr. Abeba said,
“Unless we combat the pandemic of AIDS in Ethiopia, we might witness the
extinction of our youth in the very near future. The Meles regime is
deliberately giving a blind eye to the ravaging pandemic, because it is
part and parcel of his administration’s agenda to see to it that the
youth of Ethiopia are extinct.”

In a closing remark, Ato Fassika Belete, Secretary of the All Party
Conference Organizing Committee and EPRP’s North America Representative,
reiterated the objective of the All Party Conference and he called on
Ethiopians to give material and other forms of support in order to
bring about the success of the APC and eventual unity formation of all
opposition political organizations. Many of the attendees expressed
satisfaction by the quality of the program as well as the diversity of
political persuasions of the attendees of the fundrasing event. Several
individuals have pledged to continue their support and work along with the
organizing committee, in various capacities, for the success and
fruition of the All Party Conference.

The $100 per plate dinner fundraising was attended by well over a
hundred Ethiopians. All the seats were filled.

Similarly, on November 30th the APC support group in Toronto, and on
December 20th APC support group in the San Francisco Bay area, have also
organized successful fundraising events. Other fundraising events are
in the planning stages including in Las Vegas, Seattle, Houston, and
Dallas.

The APC organizing Committee calls upon all Ethiopians to rally behind
and provide financial support and as well as help in whatever other
ways and means to see to it that the vial initiative of the All Party
Conference Organizing Committee is successful. The APC organizing committee
calls on Ethiopians throughout the Diaspora to form support groups in
their respective localities in order to provide the much-needed
financial and other forms of support for the urgently needed convening of the
All Party Conference.

There are preparations underway to hold successive fundraising events
and workshops for the general Public in Washington, DC and other places.
As soon as the logistics and other preparatory measures are taken and
completed, the information will be made public.

APC Public Relations and Fundraising Committees.

To send your financial contributions:
All Party Conference Organizing Committee
5309 Georgia Ave. 2nd fl. NW,
Washington, DC 20011

To provide your ideas and suggestions email us at:
[email protected]