Vol. 24 No.48 Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA

Brig. General Musa Rab’a, Chief of Staff of the Defence Ministry’s Eastern Command, passed away on 14 August at the age of 70. Born in 1947 in Rora Habab, he joined the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1966.

Birg. General Musa Rab’a, joined the Popular Forces and the EPLF and served in different capacities. Following independence, he diligently served the nation as Regional Administrator and Eritrean Police Commander.

Brig. General Musa is survived by his wife and seven children.

The funeral service of the late Brig. General Musa will be conducted at Asmara Patriots Cemetery tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Expressing deep sorrow of the passing of Brig. General Musa Rabea, the Ministry of Defence expresses condolences to family and friends.

The annual conference of the National Council of Eritrean Americans that was held from 8 to 11 August in Seattle city under the theme “Engagement of Generations for Developmental Partnership” has concluded with enthusiasm.

In a message he sent from Asmara, Mr. Yemane Gebreab, Head of Political Affairs at the PFDJ, congratulated the participants

Ms. Tsegereda Woldegergis, Governor of the Northern Red Sea region, passed away on 14 August at the age of 57.

Born in 1960 in Mendefera, Ms. Tsegereda joined the EPLF in 1978 as a combatant and public administration activities. Following independence, she served the nation with commitment as Governor of the Southern Red Sea and Northern Red Sea regions.

Ms. Tsegereda is survived by two children.

The Funeral service of Ms. Tsegereda will be held at Asmara Patriots Cemetery tomorrow at 10 AM.

Expressing deep sorrow of the passing of the late Ms. Tsegereda Woldegergis, the Ministry of Local Government expressed condolences to family members and friends.

EritrEan Community FEstival 2017 in thE us

nCEa annual ConFErEnCE Winds upfor successfully concluding the conference.

Mr. Berhane Gebrehiwet, Charge d’Affairs at the Eritrean Embassy in the United States, presented extensive briefing on the objective situation in the homeland and called for strengthening participation in the national development drive.

Following extensive discussion

on the reports presented, the participants reiterated readiness to strengthen organizational capacity of the national associations and participation in national development endeavors.

Reports indicated that a number of representatives of the national associations from across the USA and invited guests participated in the Congress.

Brig. gEnEral musa raB’a passEs aWay

ms. tsEgErEda WoldEgErgis passEs aWay

Government employees in Emni-Haili sub-zone have extended a total of 50,500 Nakfa in support of martyrs families in the sub-zone.

Indicating that extending support to families of martyrs is the responsibility of the citizenry, the employees voiced readiness to sustain such support.

The residents of the sub-zone have been engaged in supporting the families of martyrs through organizing various programs including ploughing farm lands as well as collecting harvest.

support to martyrs FamiliEs

Eritrean Community Festival in the United States that was underway from 11 to 13 August concluded with patriotic zeal.

At the festival that was unique in its kind 15 thousand Eritrean nationals from all over the US participated.

Expressing that this year’s festival was a reminder of the historic festival in Bologna, Italy, the participants underlined that the yearly gathering

of the nationals has created a forum for discussing national issues, exchanging experiences, consolidating unity as well as portraying the true image of Eritrea and bequeathing the noble societal values to the young generation.

They also said that participation of the Eritrean people attests to the unity and love of country they have and the commitment of the Eritrean community to organize such a splendid festival.

The three-day festival featured a seminar by Ms. Hanna Simon, Eritrean Ambassador to France and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, on the objective situation in the homeland and the role of nationals in the national development programs as well as sports and cultural activities, children’s program and an exhibition.

The festival was made entertaining by ‘Selina’ cultural group from Eritrea.

Published Every Saturday & Wednesday

Acting EditorAmanuel Mesfunamme@zena.gov.er

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

E-mail:profile@ zena.gov.er

Advertisement: 12-50-13

Layout

Azmera BerhaneSara Alem

Published Every Saturday & Wednesday

Acting Editor Amanuel Mesfunamme@zena.gov.er

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

E-mail:profile@zena.gov.er

Advertisement: 12-50-13

LayoutAzmera Berhane

Sara Alem

Published Every Saturday & Wednesday

Acting Editor Amanuel Mesfunamme@zena.gov.er

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

E-mail:profile@zena.gov.er

Advertisement: 12-50-13

LayoutAzmera Berhane

Sara Alem

Published Every Wednesday & Saturday

Acting Editor Amanuel Mesfun

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

E-mail:eritrea.profile@gmail.com

Advertisement: 12-50-13

LayoutAzmera Berhane

Sara Alem Aida Johar

2 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Compiled by Semhar Mebrahtu

Ensuring food security is the ultimate goal of the Eritrean government besides other national developments. The government establishes good ties with organizations to its projects.

VITA, the Irish NGO, sent delegations to Eritrea to identify areas for intervention. The delegation came recently to Eritrea to evaluate the progress on the VITA dairy and potato projects under the Teagasc agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and explore new strands of collaboration. The week-long visit included meetings and site visits. This has helped to identify both the program’s successes and which parts of the program and how they would benefit from further study.

The dairy and potato pilot project has been beneficial to 50 farming households in Eritrea. The team visited farmers in the Anseba and Maekel regions. There are 25 potato farmers who just received Electra seed potato, donated by Irish Potato marketing under the pilot project. The Electra seeds matured two weeks earlier and are ready for harvest.

The visit enabled the delegation to identify some current shortages in the area. Lack of transport and communication between farmers

Endeavours toward Ensuring Food Securityand institutions seemed to be a problem posing constraints to a more successful roll out of the programs. The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Eritrea is working on a large number of projects and tasks and the team is ready to address the problems farmer are facing.

The team conducted a number of meetings with the office in charge of EU delegation and ambassadors of UK and France. They also had meetings with the Agriculture College and the Agro-Technical school.

The meeting was attended by representatives from different departments in the MoA, NARI, the national central laboratories and Hamelmalo Agriculture College as well as local administrations. Three staff from the cooperation section of the EU delegation also participated.

The European Union, while commencing an expanded bilateral 2004-2020 program in Eritrea, considers VITA and Teagasc as key partners focusing on agriculture. Similarly, the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Agriculture were called upon to validate the baseline survey in support of the ‘support to the agricultural sector/ food security in Eritrea’ project.

The socio-economic baseline survey was conducted by the Eritrean Bureau of Standards and Evaluation. It contained a wealth of information on the areas that are targeted by the ‘Support to the agricultural sector/ food security in Eritrea’ project, addressing needs in the six regions. The study combines existing information with fresh input collected through household interviews, group discussions and field observations.

The project ‘support to the agricultural sector/food security in Eritrea‘, is funded under the 10th European development fund, with a total budget of 40.7 million Euros. The project seeks to enhance food security through increased agricultural production and productivity and improve food access at household level. Its main components are capital investment for sustainable

agriculture, access to food, and sector governance. The implementation is ongoing and is expected to run until October 2019. The baseline survey will serve as a benchmark and provide essential information to evaluate the results of the project.

Selective potato seeds are developing in NARI Halhale, and the outcome looks encouraging, according to Mr. Mussie Fekadu, Head of Bio- Technology at the institute. Mr. Mussie further said that research conducted by the Eritrean government in collaboration with partners over the past three years has enabled the institution to develop disease-resistant potato seeds. He also indicated that selected potato seeds distributed among 10 model farmers in three villages (pilot project) yielded 400-600

quintals of potato. Meanwhile, Ms.Senait Ogbazgi, expert of vegetables and fruits at the branch of Agriculture Ministry in Dubarwa sub- zone said that farmers should effectively apply the guidelines received from experts. Farmers on their part asked for even distribution of the seeds to all farmers.

The climate in the Southern region is favorable for the production of potatoes, a staple food in Eritrea. Unlike modern farming, traditional farming yielded only a ton per hectare while improved seeds combined with appropriate farming techniques can easily provide farmers up to four tons per hectare. The tissue culture laboratory in NARI is contributing immensely to this figure. It cleans seeds so that they are free of pathogens (viruses, bacteria and fungi).

Thus, importing clean seeds will no longer be needed as they can be obtained locally in a cheaper and more sustainable way.

Farmers, on their part, play an essential role in propagating the improved seeds; buying virus-free seeds from the MoA along

with fertilizers and pesticides. Upon signing a contract with the regional administration, farmers agreed to follow technical advice during cultivation so that the harvested potatoes meet the quality standards required for collection. Farmers are offered 25% incentive on top of the market price for their produce to

ensure delivery of quality seeds to the potato seed store. And trained workers in the store carefully select the potatoes that are suitable for further multiplication.

Having recently started its operation, the activity around the potato seed store cannot yet cover the demand of all the interested farmers. Currently, the structure only involves model farmers; they could play a prominent role once the MOA hands the responsibility for running the sector to farmer associations in the future. Nevertheless, with a storage capacity of 216 tones, the area is expected to benefit from the increased income brought by this activity in the coming years.

The European Union funded the construction of the potato seed store. The Ministry of Agriculture has also contributed some construction related supplies such as fences to the farm area, guard room and water reservoirs. EU delegation, MoA staff and an independent expert visited the site at the occasion of a result- oriented monitoring mission for the last month project. All of these endeavors will be a stepping stone towards ensuring food security in Eritrea.

Habtom Tesfamichael

As part of the global climate change, the horn of Africa has become the victim of climate change for over 30-40 years, the result of which our world is waiting to face. It is already facing serious challenges such as unpredictable rainfall, pollution, soil degradation and dwindling food production, loss of bio-diversity which is partly caused by increasing population, carbon emissions and other pressures on the ecosystem. The increase of temperature due to the doubling of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) concentration across Eritrea is expected to rise by 4.1 c over the next century (Ministry of Land, Water and Environment, 2010). Surviving this scenario is one of the strategic priorities of the Eritrean government.

Eritrea has developed Food Security Strategy, Environment Management Plan, Integrated Water Resources Management Action Plan and National Action Plan to combat desertification and mitigate the impact of drought (Ministry of Land, Water and Environment, 2010). Those priority actions are believed to be adequate to effectively prevent and mitigate climate change impacts on biodiversity. In all cases water harvesting, soil and water conservation, groundwater recharge, climate change awareness, research on drought resistant crops, natural resources conservation etc. are priority areas where the government is fully engaged to reduce poverty and ensure food security while mitigating the effect of climate variability, drought and soil degradation.

Often colonialism and exploitation of natural resources go hand in hand. During the colonial era, Eritrea’s arable land was under threat. Excessive exploitation and removal of vegetation and heavy extraction of woody biomass resulted in a significant reduction of the land’s productivity. This happened due to the avowed policy of the colonizers, which demonstrated their preference for the land of Eritrea, rather than for the people of Eritrea. In the end, both land and people suffered.

Since the dawn of independence it

Surviving the Effects of climate change

was understood that the overriding objectives of the country, i.e. the achievement of food security and poverty reduction, could not be achieved unless the problem of land degradation is solved. Cognizant of this fact the Government is making considerable efforts to mobilize its meager resources to tackle this problem. In this connection, the national community service campaign was launched in 1994 to engage the work force of the country in environmental conservation and development activities.

Under this program various vacant lands have been reforested, thousands of kilometers of terraces and over 600 different sized water reservoirs have been built. The aim has been to reduce the exclusive

dependence on rain fed crops and to diversify the production. The dams constructed are used for irrigation and serve the local people.

Improving water conservation systems is critical but so is the forest and soil conservation activities. Afforestation activities in deforested lands constitute a very important element in the overall environmental protection programs. The Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with different ministries, organizes the annual summer work of students in environmental, soil and water conservation and afforestation activities throughout the country. This year about 8000 students have participated mainly in soil and water conservation. Moreover,

expansion of closure systems and other mitigation and adaptation options in the energy sector were sought. In order to reduce the scale of deforestation, trained forest guards are assigned to patrol forests in every village.

To reduce the average carbon emissions, a new use of energy efficient technologies in the generation of electricity has been introduced. Meanwhile, electricity transmission and distribution lines are being extended beyond the major cities and towns into the rural communities so as to reduce the pressure on wood fuel.

An energy use survey conducted by the Ministry of Mines and Energy shows that about 50 % of the energy used by Eritrean households

is for baking injera (a local staple food), and more than 80% of the injera is baked using wood. Reduction of demand for wood energy demand greater efficiency of wood energy conversion and utilization thereby reducing cutting of trees is an area of focus of the Ministry of Agriculture. In line with this, the improved stove (mogogo Adhanet), is distributed throughout the country. This has a gender implication since it reduces the work load of women who shoulder the responsibility of fuel wood collection and cooking in the rural communities and The National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) plays a very significant role in the distribution of energy saving stoves to rural community.

Eritrea’s vision of sustainable development would be incomplete without addressing the question of land degradation in a coordinated manner. That is why the Ministry of Agriculture, jointly with other ministries and organizations, is playing a key role in creating awareness among the community that conservation of the environment is the responsibility of every citizen in the nation. Environmental education is incorporated into the Eritrean curriculum and community-based environmental protection to arrest the degradation of land is encouraged. As a result, green clubs are proliferating and making a differnece throughout the country.

The traditional holding of land for a limited time has not been conducive for good land use. Understanding this, the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment has issued a new land proclamation in 2016 which alters the routine redistribution of land on 7 year term to a permanent land usage that creates the opportunity for land-users to invest on their land. This will encourage farmers to maintain their land properly, thereby reducing land degradation and increase productivity.

Eritrea cooperates with NGOs and multi-lateral organizations such as the UN and EU that engage in environmental protection and climate change concerns. It has signed the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994.

3 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017

4 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Natnael Yebio W.

Eritreans are taking with them everything traditional to their country of adoption. There, they can enjoy their berbere, shiro, suwa, daga and mada a little at a time.

Just this week my very own aunt took Meteka (Dry-baked black pancake used in brewing suwa). I am sure it might have looked like processed uranium to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the US, when they first saw it at the customs.

But Eritreans in Diaspora are ready to pay any price to have their tradition delivered to them at home.

“Mommy, can we have shiro tonight?”

“How about Spaghetti with hot (berbere-based) sauce?”

Whether in Germany or the United States, the desire is still the same among Eritreans: more tradition please. Anything goes. Garlic, green chili, etc, including the language. It doesn’t sound proper to use English while eating tsebhi (Traditional meet stew). Kes ilka bila’e atta! Can’t you eat properly, dam it!

Solomon goes to Norway to visit his sister one summer. His sister lives in a well-furnished modern apartment with her husband and three kids. Like

Tradition Goes Abroad!all Eritreans abroad, they have the latest household gadgets. You name it they have it. Status symbol!

The boom box is playing songs by Wedi Tukul or Yemane Baria. A prelude of spicy fare waits for Solomon.

“Do you listen to other foreign songs sometimes?” Solomon asks.

“Rarely.”

Probably at night. When nobody is looking or listening. But most are serious about their traditional music. They have deep nostalgia about their country and their tradition. Some, of course, overdo it.

As they sit to do justice to the food lying under their staring eyes and salivating mouths, they wait for the ubiquitous taita or ingera to appear from nowhere. Does it have the right amount of eyelets? If not, the lady of the house should consider herself as a failure in the art of cooking. Fortunately in the eyes of Solomon the guest, the round pancakes that finally made it to the table have enough eyelets to pass the test. So they start to eat. Tuum, tuum (meaning, m’mmmm delicious).

“How do you make your taita?”

S u c h questions w o u l d h a v e s o u n d e d s t u p i d if they had been asked in E r i t r e a ; b e c a u s e no taita is genuine if it doesn’t c o n t a i n t a f f . But in Diaspora, one can b u y anything

but taff, from the market. So substitutes for taff have to be found.

“Rice powder mixed with

wheat flour,” replies the lady in the house.

But there are some lucky ones who get their taff straight from Eritrea for making pure 100% taff-based taita.

“More Gu’u (green chili), please.” asks Solomon.

“It is good for health,” says the host.

Everything bitter or with pungent smell is good for health.

People of the ancient times used to believe hot and spicy dishes helped our people to challenge Aids.

“Oh yes. What is it good for in particular?”

“For blood pressure, for example,” says the lady of the house.

So the chili lowers blood pressure while the suwa raises it back to where it had been before you came to the table. In the final analysis the health balance sheet will remain unchanged.

One hour, and fifty bites of traditional food later, Solomon is satiated and he begins looking at the walls surrounding him. On his right is the wedding photo. It looks old.

Some Eritreans arrive in the

host country already married. But most get their brides from Eritrea. It is good to be living single abroad. You can always come back to Asmara to pick your bride, and you can choose the prettiest girl in town and obtain easy consent from the eager family. If your choice elopes with someone else, you can always come back for more. Every family want to have his daughter get snatched by someone rich. And who can claim to be richer than the one who lives in America or Europe.

The eventual disruption of the much advertised marriage between a diasporan and an Asmaraina (which takes place in Eritrea with much money squandering and senseless fanfare) is a perpetual testimony to the fact that many of those alleged rich are not so. How can living on government welfare make you rich? No wonder, eloping and escapades by disillusioned brides after a brief stay with their spouses abroad have become the order of the day.

On his left, there are patriotic posters depicting war, feasting, and a mixture of the two, with apt slogans and quotations.

On the shelf or over the buffet he can see traditional artifacts brought from Eritrea.

“How do you like the shield and spears ornaments?’ asks the

host.“Good,” replies Solomon. “But

I prefer something that reminds me of peace.”

Suddenly Solomon hears something like the shuffling of feet. He knows someone is preparing the traditional coffee. He catches a whiff of the aroma before the lady of the house comes with a black and smocking frying pan. She keeps shaking the contents (roasted coffee beans) lest they burn.

The smoking frying pan is moved around for everyone to inhale the exotic fumes. He cups his hand and drives the special smoke towards his nostrils.

From time to time, the traditional atmosphere gets dissipated by the host’s impulsive dialing via his mobile phone. Eritreans in the West are invited for coffee by phone. In Eritrea, the youngest child in the house is picked for such assignment of informing and inviting the immediate neighborhoods for traditional coffee ceremony.

The coffee ceremony has come to a close with the last sip of the special brown liquid.

“So much for tradition! Now let’s enjoy our cigarettes and please turn on the TV at CNN for world news, please” asks the man of the house.

5Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Vol. 24 No.48

Book Review

Billion Temesghen

The Oxford dictionary defines the word gratitude as the act of being thankful and waiting to express it.

What exactly is the author of Gratitude in Low Voices grateful of? … Is it the angelic patience of a mother who walked back and forth from the village to town to encourage her children’s educational endeavor? Is it the aunty who lubricates her nephew’s and niece’s feet with oil to make them “shine” as much as those of Asmarinos? Or is it the committed family friend taking over the father’s role in his absence?

Indeed, in this book and just in this land of our beautiful people, it takes a whole village to raise a child!

Gratitude in Low Voices is an interesting book as the author, while presenting reminiscences of his own life puts in context the Eritrean life style… at least that of three decades ago, when a typical Eritrean communal life was in its most virgin forms and when the unity of the people outshined the atrocity inflicted on their days by colonizing forces.

The author presents the reader with a deep acquaintance of our culture. The question raised by the author himself, for example ‘What’s in a name?’, is one of my favorite concentrations of the book. Turning the last page from right to left and donning through the last words of the book I, too, was grateful in a

Gratitude in Low Voiceslow voice. Grateful and proud that I am part of a society that literally worships its children and young ones. Clearly, it is not an exaggeration; it has valid evidence. In fact, it all starts with a paramount attention to the name! There is nothing arcane nor flamboyant to it. It is just a humble echo of what Eritreans really are when defined in the milieu of mankind.

The history of the Eritrean people, and the story of Dawit and his family as an instance, depicts societal values that in between the lines read ‘safety’, ‘peace’, ‘altruism’, ‘brotherhood’, ‘forgiveness’ and ‘harmony’. What the author includes in his memoires is basically equivalent for most Eritreans. Maybe in some other parts of the world people evolve in the concept of individualism; whereas in the Eritrean framework, it is the opposite: one house hold is very similar to the other.

The characters mentioned in the book are easy to relate with. Which is why Gratitude in Low Voices resonates with the history of Eritrean families and the nation.

Despite the fact that the author’s journey does not include the post-independence period, and the unfortunate ongoing harassments, the book is truly a mirror of times.

“Too young to join the armed struggle” this is a young immigrant’s journey from Eritrea all the way to the US. Certainly, not one with a business class air ticket. Rather one

long, long walk amidst the hurdles of human smuggling.

This is an account to which many Eritreans abroad can closely relate to. I raise here a bitter sweet accusation. The initiative taken by Dawit should be the job of many more. If people here were busy dying for independence and now sweating for national development… Where are our Achebes?

The little in number but great literary productions written so far are mostly in Tigrigna and not in any foreign languages. …Hidri Publishers is a great example. Local writers don’t deny the presence of more precious accounts that need to be treasured, incontrovertible efforts, are on the place. But, not many Eritrean writers write in English. Besides journalists of the Eritrean

English Newspaper. We have Mr. Alemseghed Tesfai, one of our greatest, my favorite. And the sole Eritrean female novelist writing in English is Rahel Asghedom.

This job should have been the job of Eritreans who speak and write in English or any foreign language for that matter: the Eritrean diaspora. For them to narrate the accounts of your fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters in languages that you speak and write a millions times better than Tigrigna? With all due respect and love; I am not here to belittle the undertakings of Eritrean diaspora in foiling foreign conspiracies. However until the day Eri youth are able to sit back, relax and start writing their own piece of diary …. the job remains vacant hovering over you; the best candidates for now.

Of course, not everybody writes. But there is so much to be translated. Eritrea is the epiphany of a shared history, also highlighted in the book Gratitude in Low Voices. As a matter of fact, throughout the book, we come across staged goodwill of many people who intersected Dawit’s journey, with each an impact for the better.

What Dawit Ghebremichael has done with his memoire is a good example of contribution.

Sophia Tesfariam, columnist and an Eritrean activist in the US writes on her book review of Gratitude in Low Voices published in April

in the journal Eritrea Profile, “His –Dawit Ghebremichael book, is an important milestone and no one expects to write a memoir at such a young age unless there is something significant that needs to be told. And there is… beyond Dawit’s personal journey, a need to tell Eritrea’s history...albeit in small chapters, through personal stories. Here we are given the opportunity to go behind the headlines, to the home, to the villages, and revisit history.”

Even if the author himself claims his book is “just” an act of following the Eritrean adage which says “To those who have done you favors, either return the favor or tell others about their good deeds”, it is an admirable beginning of exhibiting Eritrean literary works in the western world.

When I first heard of a book authored by an Eritrean on the American market I was proud and honored. I struggled to find the book but lady luck assisted –you know it is not easy to get a hard copy of the book all the way from there. Once in my hands, I shared it with friends, colleagues and family. They felt the exact same sparks and goose bumps as me. We all are grateful. This is our thank you in a low voice for beautifully and successfully putting our story out there for the world to read and acknowledge. We hope Dawit gets to be an example for many hidden writers to come forward. We obviously can’t wait for more of your publications, Congratulations Dawit! Book inauguration ceremony in USA

Book inauguration ceremony in Asmara

6 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Job Title & number required

Senior Cook (01)

Duties & Responsibilities

To prepare and cook meals for employees in appropriate quantities to the company’s nutritional standards, To supervise goods received, issuing, recording and stock take of inventory in accordance with the company’s requirements. In conjunction with, and on the approval of the Camp Services Coordinate plan menus that are varied, nutritionally balanced, and appetising, taking advantage of foods in season and local availability. Supervise receivables and check the quality and quantities of received goods. Ensure proper storage of all items received at the appropriate location, following all health and safety guidelines. Apply and comply with safe and healthy working practices, and with company policies and procedures, and ensure all kitchen staff to do so. Perform weekly stock takes. Perform weekly stock takes. Maintain a stock control register to manage food consumption and ordering. Carry out weekly inspection of the kitchen area to ensure safety, health, hygiene and sanitation issues are addressed. Supervise all kitchen staff to ensure that they perform their jobs productively, efficiently, professionally, helpfully and hygienically. Maintain a clean, tidy and hygienic work area including rubbish segregation and disposal from the kitchen area. Carry out other duties as required by management. Supervise all kitchen staff. Reports all hazards and incidents. Stock control / stock loss to be at a minimum. Minimal complaints regarding quality of food or hygiene issues. Reports all hazards and incidents. Stock control / stock loss to be at a minimum. Minimal complaints regarding quality of food or hygiene issues. Attend two safety meetings per month. Willing to undertake tasks requested by management outside the job description should the need arise. Ensure hygiene is paramount.

Knowledge & Skill Requirement

Knowledge of kitchen equipment.•

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.•

Excellent food handling and preparations skills.•

Sound knowledge and application of nutritional food preparation.•

Leadership skills•

Education Minimum Secondary School , Diploma/Certificate in Cooking or similar experience in a kitchen environment.

Experience Required Minimum of 3 years in a kitchen environment and leader

Physical Requirement To be able to pass a full Doctor’s examination. To be available to work in accordance with ZMSC rosters.

Job Title & number required

Cook (01)

Duties & Responsibilities

To prepare and cook meals for employees in appropriate quantities to the company’s nutritional standards, ensuring hygiene is paramount. In conjunction with, and on the approval of, the Head Cook prepare meals that are varied, nutritionally balanced, and appetising. Assist with receivables and check the quality and quantities of received goods. Ensure proper storage of all items received at the appropriate location, following all health and safety guidelines. Apply and comply with safe and healthy working practices, and with company policies and procedures. Assist with weekly stock takes. Assist new kitchen staff employees in company standards in regards to safety and health. Reports all hazards and incidents. Stock control / stock loss to be at a minimum. Minimal complaints regarding quality of food or hygiene issues. Willing to undertake tasks requested by management outside the job description should the need arise. Keep the kitchen area organized to ensure safety, health and hygiene issues are continually addressed. Maintain a clean, tidy and hygienic work area including rubbish segregation and disposal from the kitchen area. Carry out other duties as required by management. Minimum Secondary School or Certificate in Cooking or similar experience in a kitchen environment.

Knowledge & Skill Requirement

Knowledge of kitchen equipment.•

Excellent verbal communication skills.•

Excellent food handling and preparations skills.•

Sound knowledge and application of nutritional food preparation•

EducationMinimum Secondary School or Diploma/Certificate in Cooking or similar experience in a kitchen environment.

continued on page 7

Experience Required Minimum of 3 years in a kitchen environment.

Physical Requirement To be able to pass a full Doctor’s examination. To be available to work in accordance with ZMSC rosters.

General Information and other requirements: Place of work: Koka Gold Mine Site. Occasional assignment to other locations. Salary: As per Company scale.

Additional Requirement for nationals: Having fulfilled his/her National Service obligations and provide evidence of a release paper from the Ministry of Defense. Having finished registration and duty performing for the National Army, and present the release paper or registration card issued by National Army. Provide a Clearance paper from office of the Eritrean Police and present Medical Certificate from Hospital. Present Clearance paper from the current/last employer. Only short listed applicants would be considered as potential candidates for an interview. Application documents will not be returned back to the sender and/or applications should be sent through the Post Office. Deadline for application: 10 days from the day of publication in the Newspaper.

Address: Please mail your applications to: ZARA MINING SHARE CO. P. O. Box 2393. Asmara, Eritrea.

Note to non - Eritrean applicants: Please send a copy of your application to: Aliens Employment Permit Affairs P.O. Box 7940 Asmara, Eritrea.

continued from page 6

7 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The armyworm that had been seen in some parts of the country was put under control.

Mr. Tedros Sium, Head of the migration pests control, said that the army worm was observed in 150 hectares in Gash Barka region, in 800 hectares in Anseba region, 2 thousand hectares in Southern region and in 5 thousand hectares in the Central region and that through the intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture and the administrations as well as the public, 95% has been under control. He said that the follow up is ongoing until the pest is fully under control.

Mr. Tedros also indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture has been making efforts to raise the awareness of the farmers on the danger of the prevalence of the worm through the mass media and through on-going meetings.

According to Mr. Tedros, the armyworm has already ravaged crops across more than 20 Eastern, Central and West African countries.

invasion oF armyWorm undEr Control

LOcAL NEWS

The Central region branch of the Ministry of Education has conducted an assessment meeting on 11 August focusing on maintaining the achievements registered and learn from the shortcomings encountered.

In the meeting in which Mr. Semere Russom, Minister of the Education, was present, Mr. Belai Habtegabir, branch head of the ministry, indicated that a total of 88.7% of the students in the Central region have passed to the next level in the 2016/2017 academic year and thorough evaluation will be conducted with a view to promote the teaching and learning process.

According to papers presented at the event, it was reported that 75 students from the Central region have scored full marks

ministry oF EduCation ConduCts assEssmEnt mEEting

(4 points) in this year’s National School Leaving Examination and that from the 5,211 students that participated in the matriculation exam 3,182 have scored passing marks.

Extensive discussions were also conducted on a number of issues pertaining to the sport, cultural and health activities as well as Students’ Summer Work program among others.

Participants of the meeting made recommendations on various issues.

In the same vein, Mr. Kaleab Tesfaselassie, Director General of Social Services in the Central region called for joint efforts to advance the teaching and learning process in an enhanced manner.

8 Vol. 24 No.48Eritrea Profile ,Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Define yourself as a student.

I started school way before the standard age. From the very begging up to now I have been studying with great passion and dedication. In Sawa boarding school I scored the highest out all of the 23rd round. My parents’ commitment in continuously reminding me education’s paramount importance is one of the important factors.

You talk about the role of parents

It is really important. In fact my

parents are not educated but they understand the importance of education so they started paying close attention at the first day of school. It is not just for me but also for my siblings. From 6th grade and forth it was all me, I finally understood that I would better do my job right as student. I paid attention to all subjects but I slightly liked more mathematics and physics. But one discipline or another what a student needs the most is concentration and dedication. If you are interested then you’ll find studying methods most suitable for your tendencies and aptitudes.

What was your studying method?

Mine was a bit unconventional. I don’t focus on the quantity of time that I spend on studying but on the efficiency of my studying scheme. I like to focus for a short

Eritrea the pivot of EducationEritrea’s successful endeavor in developing human resources while yielding educated members of the society makes it one of the archetypal in Africa. The annual

commencements of Eritrean colleges with increasing number of graduates every year, the instance of this year’s 30000 tassels, and the opening of the new Eritrean College of Science are simple examples of 2017. Eritrea is indeed the pivot of Education and the Eritrean people literary hail its students. We talk today to an exemplary graduate of the College of Engineering: Milkias Zerai. Born in 1993 in Dibarawa, he is one of our hundreds of thousands accomplishers!

period rather than spending long hours. I think this is why I enjoyed studying; it never bore me. Pin pointing the key factors of what you’re studying and tuning the rest of your knowledge on that makes you a successful student. A student should also be able to relax and rest.

Care to share your memories of Sawa?

I have wonderful memories. Studying in Sawa was definitely a memorable experience. We had qualified teachers who passed down their knowledge with

enthusiasm. Of course living and studying away from home is not easy, especially at first, but then you learn to live with new people; people from different ethnicities and from all over the nation. So the gain is imperative. I enjoyed studying in Sawa; it meant gathering thousands of versatile points of view.

Why did you choose to study chemical engineering?

I was keen on physics and chemistry, especially in the 11th grade. I had a fond interest in minerals. Of course things were a lot harder when I got to college. Chemical engineering sure is a demanding field of study, but very rewarding too. I believe that Eritrea could benefit a lot from chemical engineers. Our country is endowed with massive mineral resources that need to be explored even more. So far at a global level

countries like America, Australia and Canada have evolved in the mining sector; they have covered so many parts of the world. Minerals are irreplaceable and it is unpleasant when countries don’t benefit directly from that wealth. The way the mining sector is handled in some countries is irresponsible. They let other companies have almost full control over it, without putting into consideration neither the majority of the people nor the future generations. Resources should not be wasted in vein. Every nation should be able to introduce and work on recycling

schemes.

Eritrea has recently dived in that sector and we’ve benefited a lot. However, I hope for us as a nation to grow even more in this specific sector. And I have a positive feeling that we will.

Studying chemical engineering in EIT was great. We had theoretical and practical education.

Compiled by Billion Temesghen

As students we did go countless times, to mining sites and experienced firsthand the things we learned in class. That is how normally classes are handled in the College. Also the reason why I decided starting from day one to make good use of each college day; I knew I had to graduate with an honorary degree.

Where did you do your college service?

I worked as a graduate assistant in my college, EIT. At first, my students really didn’t understand why a young GA would stand in front of the class. I could tell that they didn’t trust their 23/24 year old young GA, but in time we started getting along very well. Classes were enjoyable both for them. We even started meeting after class for more studying and revising sessions.

What are your future plans now that you have graduated?

I have been appointed to keep

on teaching. I am currently set on, with the assistance of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, learning and doing research on different aspects of mining in our country focusing on mining companies active in our country. I will most probably start my graduate studies. I want to apply for mining economics. Other than that I speak English, Italian, Spanish and French. Now I want to learn Portuguese and Arabic.

That’s plenty! Good luck in every step.

Thank you!

The New College of Science in EIT