Haramaya University Access Micro scholarship project has conducted two weeks intensive session program

The US Embassy Access Micro scholarship Fund presentation day was conducted on Saturday 21^st July in the Haramaya University Resource Center. The fund sponsors 75 students from the areas surrounding Haramaya and Harar, who are academically exemplary, to receive English language tuition given by Haramaya University English instructors over a period of two years.

On Saturday, six groups from among the students gave presentations on various topics they had selected; social media, environmental pollution, gender equality, conflict resolution and addiction. The students had prepared the presentation with the help of their teachers over a period of two weeks intensive training.

The event was organized and conducted by Mr. Melkamu Alemu the HU English Language Improvement Center coordinator who runs the Access project on behalf of the US Embassy. Dr. Alemayehu Getachew , Head of the School of Foreign Language Studies gave the opening speech in which he lauded the achievements of the Access project students and teachers and welcomed the special guest, Mr. Wondimalem Geneti, Cultural Affairs Assistant at the US Embassy in Ethiopia.

Each group of students had up to 20 minutes to give a presentation on their research around the topic. The quality of the presentations appeared very high as some groups had conducted interviews in the community and engaged in clean-up operations of the local environment before the big day. There were panel discussions, interview films, appeals for change from the student speakers and even a drama film made by the group discussing the problems of addiction.

The competition judges, Mr. Yenene Wobetu and Mr. Israel Kassa, awarded first prize to the addiction group from Harar for their efforts, second prize to the speakers on Gender Equality from Haramaya, and third prize to the group investigating conflict resolution, also from Haramaya. The students thanked their teachers, parents and the Access Micro scholarship Fund organizers for their hard work and showed that the project, which is due to continue for one more year, is really having a beneficial impact on the education of students in and around Haramaya University.