February 10, 2003 Ottawa


Our sincere thanks to Dr. Daniel Tesfaye and Mrs. Eyerusalem Semunigus of 
Wilmington:NC, U.S.A., who made a pledge of $250 (US) annually for Five years 
towards the AHEAD Bursary Program for Medical Students.

The Bursary Program for Medical Students is one of AHEAD’s programs designed 
to fill in the gap created by the absence of support mechanism for university 
students. While university education is free in Ethiopia, students receive no 
funding by way of scholarship, grant or part time job. This lack of support has 
a tremendous impact on those students who come from economically disadvantaged 
families, particularly in achieving academic excellence. 

The AHEAD Bursary Program is a modest monthly allowance made available for three 
consecutive years, until students start their internship. Currently, a total of 54 
medical students in Jimma, Gondar and Addis Ababa benefit from the Bursary.

The donation by Dr. Daniel Tesfaye and Mrs. Eyerusalem Semunigus is the first 
commitment made by Ethiopians for a multiple year donation.  The donors have set an 
example for others in promoting AHEAD’s principal of “Ethiopians Paying Back Ethiopia” 
for the free education they received in their homeland. AHEAD believes that Ethiopians
in the Diaspora have a moral responsibility to pay back Ethiopia and its people for 
the free education they received in their homeland. AHEAD was created with the 
objective of mobilizing the Ethiopian Diaspora to contribute towards capacity building
of higher academic institutions.

AHEAD would like to assure the donors that their contribution will be used for its
intended use and that reports can be made available about the progress of the 
Bursary Program.