Upon completion, the mixed-use building will be of significant importance for the Society and its humanitarian activities.
ADDIS ABABA (ERCS) – The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) Addis Ababa Branch Office launches construction of mixed-use building at a cost of 207 million birr in Addis Ababa.
Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa City, Ato Takele Uma, laid a corner stone on 18 December 2019 for the construction project, on the plot of land the Society obtained free of lease.
Upon completion, the mixed-use building is expected to include a pharmacy, clinic, diagnostic laboratory, training rooms as well as landing area for a helicopter ambulance on top of the building among others.
Head of ERCS North Addis Ababa Zone Office, Solomon Teklemariam, said much of the finance for the construction comes from membership contributions and other stakeholders including members, individuals, organizations and the government.
Solomon calls the resident of Addis Ababa and potential donors to extend hands to fast track the construction project which will be of significant importance for the Society and its humanitarian activities.
On the occasion, the National Lottery Administration has donated an ambulance to the Society for the second time. The Administration is also supporting the Society towards persistent membership contributions, it was noted.
The Branch Office has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ethiopian Electric Service for the purchase of ambulance worth 1.2 million birr which was said is of vitality to reach out to those in need.
In related news to ECRS, the Information Network Security Agency (INSA) donated 50 used desktop computers and various office furniture worth Birr 350 thousand to the Society’s Addis Ababa Branch.
Welcoming the gifts Ato Abebaw Bekele, ERCS Addis Ababa Branch Head, said “the donation is significant as it adds to our resource mobilization effort.” Some of the computers and the furniture will be used in the office and the rest will be sold and the money will go to assist those in need, according to Ato Abebaw.
“We know it is the Red Cross that comes first during emergency. What goes to those in crisis is what comes from the citizen pocket. So if we would like to see Red Cross reaching out more vulnerable people, we need to support it with what we have in our hand,” says Ato Solomon Tesfaye, Communication Directorate Director INSA.
INSA also played its part in the effort the Society made to recruit members through Short Message Service (SMS). The Agency was also there with ERCS Addis Ababa Branch when maintaining the Global Positioning System (GPS) to its vehicles. The Agency also expressed its readiness for future collaboration with the Society.
Source: ERCS