<The three institutes of YU, GSDN and SNNPR, Ethiopia signed an MOU for Semaul community development.>
The wind of Saemaul development is brewing into a storm in Ethiopia. Senior government officials and major policy legislators led by the governor of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia are actively looking to learn the Saemaul Undong.
YU (President Sur Gil-soo) teamed up with the Global Saemaul Development Network (GSDN, Chairman Choi Wae-chul) to create a wind for Saemaul development in SNNPR, Ethiopia. On March 27, YU, GSDN and SNNPR, Ethiopia met at the main conference room of YU to sign an MOU for Saemaul development. They gathered to pursue policies to promote local development of SNNPR and promote the quality of life of its residents, and in particular, to pursue community development programs based on Saemaul development policies. SNNPR, Ethiopia is a large state that spans over an area of 106,000 square kilometers, which is larger than Korea, and has a population of 19 million.
The ‘Global Saemaul Development Network (GSDN)’ is a cooperative body and non-government international organization that shares the Saemaul Undong and Saemaul development policies with developing countries, and it is made up of 458 individual and institutional members in 61 countries, and it is chaired by YU Department of Saemaul and International Development Professor Choi Wae-chul.
SNNPR Governor Million Mathewos of SNNPR and other senior government officials visited YU to sign this MOU and also participated in a Saemaul Undong policy training hosted by the YU International Development and Cooperation Center over a period of seven nights and eight days. Governor Million’s delegation learned about the philosophy and drive of Saemaul development, experience cases of the Saemaul Undong, and drafted execution plans to implement this in SNNPR. In particular, Director of Agriculture Tilahun Kebede Wolde who participated in this training had already participated in the Saemaul development policy training program in 2015, and still showed great passion by recording every detail of the education provided.
Prior to signing the MOU, on March 26 SNNPR Governor Million expressed his appreciation to GSDN Chairman Choi Wae-chul for his role as an advisor for SNNPR local development, and handed a certificate of appointment as the SNNPR policy advisor while requesting that he would continue to help as the state government’s policy advisor (photo on right). Chairman Choi led Saemaul Undong education for public officials in Ethiopia in February of 2016 and at the time, he was requested to take the position of an advisor for the state government from SNNPR Governor Dessie Dalkie Dukamo, which he had accepted.
On this date, Governor Million said, “We are planning to implement local development programs and the Saemaul Undong full-fledged for the development of the community and to improve the quality of life for its residents,” and added, “We wish to continue to learn the wisdom and experience of the Saemaul Undong through the cooperation and support of YU and GSDN.” He also requested support for the installation of the ‘Department of Saemaul Economic Development’ in a local university of SNNPR to foster new talented human resources. Chairman Choi Wae-chul responded, “Ethiopia is our brother country that put their lives on the line when we were in trouble,” and added, “If Korea’s experience and especially the experience of Saemaul development can help with the local development of SNNPR, I will do my best to help.”
