Ambassador Kvalheim, who took up his position in late January, visited Tamira Reproductive Health and Development Organization (TRHaDO), in Shashamane Town, Oromia. It is an organisation with clear vision of targeting youth Reproductive Health (RH) and HIV/AIDS issues, and has been in A partnership with NCA for 12 years. He also went to Beza Youth Health and Counseling Center (BYHCC) in Yirgalem, SNNPR. Established in the year 2002as an anti-AIDS club, conceived in the womb of a foot ball team of village children,it has emerged as a full-fledged development NGO working with and for youth, and has been a partner of NCA since 2002.
In Tigray, the Ambassador visited projects by the Relief Association of Tigray (REST), a long-standing partner of both NCA, the development Fund and The Royal Norwegian Embassy. It is heavily involved in building dams and irrigation systems, as well as terracing, all for the benefit of agriculture in the arid Tigray Region. Ambassador Kvalheim also visited the town Selambessa on the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia: it was heavily danmaged during the 1008-2000 war, and NCA has through funding from Norwegian MFA re-habilitate the local school. This was carried out in 2006/2007. The work supported by Norway and NCA secured a warm and heartfelt welcome for the representatives from NCA and the Embassy from the local population.
NCA has been operating in Ethiopia since 1974, and is currently being led in Ethiopia by Mr.Hans Birkeland. Read about Mr.Birkeland in Norwegian on http://www.norway.org.et/Norsk/norsk/birkeland/
Read more about REST on http://www.norway.org.et/News_and_events/etiopia/Norway-is-a-critical-partner-for-Tigrays-development/
http://www.norway.org.et/News_and_events/etiopia/F419CD84_089C_4C83_998E_3E7BD8A63E9F/
http://www.norway.org.et/News_and_events/etiopia/rest/
http://www.norway.org.et/News_and_events/DevelopmentCooperation/Development-Cooperation/Agura-Dam-in-Tigray-A-green-and-watery-way-forward/