EREP

Mr. Etefa Shiferaw was appointed Director of the Development and Social Service Commission (DASSC) for WWBS in 2009. His responsibilities for the Ethiopian Rural Education Project include administrative oversight and communicating with the international partners in India and the United States. His prior positions include Program Manager for Generation in Action Development Association and Siiqqee Women's Development Association, and project officer, environment specialist, and development agent for WWBS-DASSC at various locations. He earbed a B.Sc. Degree in Forestry with Distinction and the Certificate Award for Best Performance in Thesis Work from Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Debub (now Hawasa) University, Ethiopia. Mr. Shiferaw is engaged in graduate studies through the Indira Gandhi National Open University, India.

Mr. Teferi Dina is Project Officer for WWBS--DASSC, having served as Director of the Development and Social Services Commission for WWBS 1994-2008 during the early developmental years of the Ethiopian Rural Education Project. Mr. Dina's prior experience includes Agricultural Expert for the Ministry of Agriculture (1985-1991) and part-time lecturer at Alemaya University of Agriculture (1991-1994). He earned the B.Sc. in Agriculture from Addis Ababa Univerisity, and the M.Sc. in Agriculture from Alemaya University. In 2008 he earned the Diploma in Development Leadership from Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University, Canada.

Mr. Dugassa Beyene is Director of the Ethiopian Rural Education Project with responsibility to assemble the development team, direct curriculum development, recruit and train teachers, and expand the facilities of the two model schools. Mr. Beyene was a member of the 2004 and 2006 curriculum development teams that spent two months in India developing the curriculum cards for kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2. At that time he was on the faculty of Bethel Evangelical Secondary School (BESS) in Dembi Dollo where he taught mathematics. In 2009 he earned an M.Sc. Degree in Development Studies at Addis Ababa University.

The Reverend Teferi Barkessa (left) was President of Western Wollega Bethel Synod in 2000 and played a key role in achieving approval from EECMY to undertake the Ethiopian Rural Education Project. Currently, Rev. Teferi is Coordinator of the Bethel Synods Coordination Office in Addis Ababa.

Mr. Mitiku Tuchoo (left) was a member of the 2004 and 2006 curriculum development team that spent two months in India developing curriculum for kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2. At that time he was Director of Bethel Evangelical Secondary School (BESS), a WWBS institution in Dembi Dollo.

Mr. Emanuel Tesfaye (right) is Director of the Brahane Yesus Primary School, a WWBS institution in Dembi Dollo. He was a member of the 2006 curriculum development team that developed Grade 2 curriculum at Rishi Valley, India. He replaced Mr. Asefa Ayana who participated in curriculum development in India in 2004. (A picture of Asefa is not available.) Mr. Tesfaye is studying for a master's degree.

The EREP is an international project bridging cooperation of Western Wollega Bethel Synod (WWBS) in Ethiopia with the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Research (RIVER) in India. The administrators and staff of RIVER have played a key role in the project from the beginning in 2000. The picture above shows the RIVER development team at Dembi Dollo in November 2007. From left to right, Rama Rao (Co-Director of RIVER), Krishna and Venu (both staff members at RIVER), Teferi Dina (Director of Development and Social Service Commission, WWBS), Renu (staff member at RIVER), Y.A.P. Rao (Co-Director of RIVER) and Anil (staff member at RIVER).

In February 2000, The Reverend Worate Golache (center) and Mr. Teferi Dina (right) represented Western Wollega Bethel Synod in assessing the feasibility of initiating the Ethiopian Rural Education Project. This picture shows them with Mr. Sailendran (left), Bursar of the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Research (RIVER), as they visited the plant nursery on the Rishi Valley campus. Close collaboration with the staff at RIVER has been an important element of EREP's success.

The Curriculum Development Team (right) is shown here at Rishi Valley, India, in August 2006. From left to right, Mitiku Tuchoo, Emanuel Tesfaye, Mary Rhodes (CEO of LearningWell Partners International, Inc.), Teferi Dina, and Dugasse Beyene.