Ethiopia is the topic of two programs at Lake Oswego Library

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Source: The Oregonian 

LAKE OSWEGO -- The Ethiopia Project will benefit from a Running Shoe Drive in February at the Lake Oswego Public Library.

Ethiopia is well-known for its world-class runners, but a devastating civil war has left most Ethiopians too poor to afford shoes. So, Berhanu Tesema and Andrew Buswell started the Ethiopia Project in 2007 with a mission to collect gently-worn footwear, clean and sort them, and donate them to Run Clubs in Addis Ababa, Gondar, Bahar Dar, and the surrounding regions in Ethiopia.

The men will talk about their Portland-based nonprofit and what you can do to help at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the library, 706 Fourth St.

Collection bins also will be available from Feb. 1-28 at Graham's Book and Stationery Store at 460 Second St., Lakeridge High School at 1235 Southwest Overlook Drive, and Lake Oswego High School at 2500 Country Club Road.

Ethiopia will also be the topic of a program at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the library. Daniel Amine, who was born in Ethiopia, will share artwork and crafts made in Ethiopia and talk about the cultural diversity of its people. Visitors can also meet with the Ethiopian Youth Group, as well as other members of the local Ethiopian community.