Life

Life is a precious gift.

 

Background

Community Engagement (CE) was initiated in May 2015 by Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington (IS-GW) in order to understand the settlement needs of emerging communities and create responsive programs. IS-GW is a charitable organization that provides settlement and integration services such as orientation and referral, language assessment and referral as well as translation and interpretation programs for permanent residents, conventional refugees, live-in caregivers, and naturalized Canadian citizens in Guelph-Wellington (Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington). This organization also has initiated and is supporting a number of groups such as the ‘Seniors’ Groups’, ‘Coffee Talk’, ‘Connect Computer Club’, ‘Happy Friday Vietnam’, and ‘Afghan Conversation Group’ as well as projects such as ‘Project Wisdom’, ‘Recipe for Harmony’, and ‘Community Arts’ (Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington). About 700 immigrants settle in Guelph-Wellington each year (City of Guelph), and IS-GW in collaboration with other service providers is playing important roles in helping these new immigrants settle and integrate in Guelph-Wellington community. Recently, the majority of new immigrants to Guelph-Wellington are from new and emerging communities, such as the Eritrean and Ethiopian communities. This is based on the current statistics of IS-GW, especially from its Language Assessment and Interpretation data. IS-GW, as a service provider wanted to understand these emerging Eritrean and Ethiopian communities so that responsive services and/or programs can be developed. What IS-GW has achieved through its CE initiative since May 2015?

 

Human trafficking of Ethiopians to Yemen

The world is ignoring the untold horror stories of Ethiopians crossing the desert to reach Saudi Arabia through Yemen.
Inhuman treatment, murder, and rape by the Yemenis(Human Trafficker). Yemen Officials look the other way to get their share of their profit.
1) Average cost from Ethiopia to Yemen $400-$1000
2) So far, estimated 40,000 Ethiopians are in Yemen
3) An average 3-4 refugees die each day
4) Reason for leaving their birth country (almost all ethiopians, promised better economic life and wages than their own country ethiopia)

 

Forms of Corruption

1. Bribes: payment to public officials to persuade them to do something.
2. Extortion: use of coercion or threats
3. Favoritism/Nepotism in allocation of public resources
4. Fraud: falsification of records

 

Searching for a funding agency

I have been searching for a funding agency for the mission and objectives our Anti-corruption society. I have contacted different individuals as resource persons to get their suggestions. Some of the important ones are the following:

1) Kelsey Ridout, a graduate of the University of Guelph in International Development has advised in her email that I should be in touch with some professors in political and/or international development studies, who might be interested in anti-corruption issue.

2) On the 3rd week on September, 2013, I visited the Office of Student Affairs and discussed with Brenda Whiteside to get her suggestions. She advised me to meet with Alastair- the president of the University about funding or faculty member involved/interested in this NGO. On that same day I got scheduled to see Dr Summerlee for on Oct 7,2013.

3) I met with the President yesterday and discussed with him about funding. He took notes (my first time when he takes notes during my previous meetings) that he said would  be persons and agencies from WUSC, and others who might be interested to involve in supporting this organization. I am waiting for him to create for me network with those individuals and agencies.

I thank all those who wish to stand for a society free of corruption.

 

Canada among leaders in corruption

Hi Wondimu,
It’s interesting but sad development. When we are making efforts to fight corruption in a developing country, our main assumption has been that we live in a relatively corrupt free country. Our prayers and thoughts is to those in power that they come to their senses and behave ethically.
Thanks for sharing this. I see that you are interested in the subject. Why don’t you become a member of our anti-corruption society and share these types of stories on our website. Let me know.
With warm regards,

(The original message (the following link and the text below it) was contributed by Mr. Wondimu, who is a hard working Canadian with Ethiopian background.)

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/canada-tops-world-bank-corruption-list-151245009.html

Embarrassing way Canada leads the world

Reuters/REUTERS – A firefighter works to untangle a knot in a giant Canadian flag during the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony in Ottawa September …more
More corrupt isn’t the kind of reputation Canada is looking for on the global stage.
Unfortunately, Canada leads on the World Bank’s running list of people and companies barred from receiving financing under its fraud and corruption policy.
As it stands today, Canada has the most new entries on the list, with the addition of 119 people and companies. All but two of those total entries are from SNC-Lavalin and affiliated companies, a World Bank spokesman said Wednesday.
That compares to 2012, when no Canadian companies were added to the list
SNC-Lavalin and related companies and individuals are banned from receiving World Bank-financed contracts for 10 years.
The United States ranked second on the list by number of people and firms, also with some SNC-Lavalin related companies, followed by Indonesia and Britain, the World Bank said.
James David Fielder, the World Bank’s manager of investigations, told the Financial Post that SNC-Lavalin’s ranking is the result of an investigation it conducted with the RCMP relating to the Padma Bridge Project in Bangladesh.
The World Bank pulled its $1.2-billion (U.S.) loan for the project amid corruption allegations.
On Wednesday, the Globe and Mail reported a former SNC Lavalin executive who oversaw construction of the bridge has been charged under Canada’s foreign bribery law. The RCMP charged two other SNC officials last year.
The World Bank has been cracking down on fraud and corruption related to its aid program.
The number of firms and individuals banned this year is four times the number for all of 2012.
It expects sanctions to increase as it continues to fight against the misappropriation of its resources.
“The World Bank means business. It’s ramping up in 2013 is a clear signal that it will not tolerate corruption or fraud,” Tim Coleman, a World Bank global investigations partner, told the South China Morning Post this week.
The international bank estimates about US$20 billion to $40 billion is stolen from developing countries each year, which it argues undermines economic growth.
It set up the Financial Market Integrity unit in 2001 to go after so-called “dirty money” and make the financial system more transparent.

 

Here is the presentation we used to share ideas in our previous meeting.

¨ACSFE

¨Presentation

¨ Guelph, Canada on Jan. 26/2013

¨by Ejigu G.

¨Definitions

• ¨‘Dishonest or illegal behaviour, especially by powerful people’ (MWD)
• ¨‘The use of public office for private gain’ (WB)
• ¨‘The abuse of entrusted power for private gain’ (TI)
• ¨C = M + D – A; where C stands for corruption, M or monopoly, D for discretion, and A for accountability. This means that high monopoly and high discretion as well as low accountability are favorable conditions for corruption.

¨Forms of corruption

• Bribes: payment to public officials to persuade them to do something.
• Extortion: use of coercion or threats
• Favoritism/Nepotism in allocation of public resources
• Fraud: falsification of records

¨Background

• ¨In many African counties including Ethiopia corruption is increasing
• ¨Selfish political leaders and elite business persons benefit from corruption while the majority, especially the very poor bear the costs of corruption
• ¨ACSFE aims to prevent corruption through raising awareness and education
• ¨ACSFE admits that corruption is a crime and its prevention requires a shared responsibility including: business organisations, civil society, media, political leaders, and educational institutions

¨Anti-corruption efforts (6 pillars by UNODC)

1. .Institutional building
2. .Situational prevention
3.  .Awareness raising
4. .Enforcement
5. .Evaluation and monitoring
6. .International legal cooperation

¨How does awareness raising and education help in fighting (preventing) corruption?

¨1. short-term

• Puts the issue at the top of the government’s, media and public agenda
• The more people are exposed to information about corruption from various sources, the more importance they put on it, which may add pressure on policy makers to act.

2. Long term

• Creates a culture of integrity by bringing together all the important parties in the fight against corruption.

¨What ACSFE has and what it can do

• ¨Board of directors
• ¨Legally registered name
• ¨Website: https://anticorruptionsociety4ethio.wordpress.com/
• ¨Create awareness about corruption in Ethiopia and contributes in building a corruption free society

¨What ACSFE needs to have

• ¨Mobilize members
• ¨Create bank account
• ¨Approach counsellor and NGOs that have interests in Ethiopia such as MEDA and World Vision

¨Questions?

Comments

¨References

¨Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/

¨Making Anti-corruption strategies: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/67934479/PowerPoint-Presentation-Making-Anti-corruption-Strategies-Work–Price-Transparency

¨BBC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYJz9pR9qnw.

¨German Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mstiPUYf58o&playnext=1&list=PL1ujlmRBfGZYGLxZNMiIrACNzusE9SPZk&feature=results_main

http://www.ethiovid.com/corruption-in-ethiopia-german-radio-video_c40d1247c.html

Thank you.

 

Presentation

Today, we share a presentation

 

This week’s plan

We plan to start advocating for our society in our work places, places of worship and schools. Our objectives in this is to create awareness and funds that help us contribute combating corruption in Ethiopia.

 

 

Weekly meetin…

Weekly meeting

Ejigu Getachew getachew.ejigu@gmail.com

3:46 PM (0 minutes ago)

to Mekonen, lyktena, beshete

Hello folks,

Let’s have our weekly meeting tomorrow at 10 am. on teleconference as we did last week. Main agenda is discussing our roles in the society, and opening a bank account.

Thank you.