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Alumni News Archive
JCU graduate works with hunger, disease and war in Darfur, April 25
Abeshaw Tadesse, a John Cabot University graduate (Class of 2003), works with
Action Against Hunger, an international
humanitarian organization in the Darfur region in Chad near the border with Sudan. After Tadesse
earned his BA in International Affairs at JCU in 2003, the multi-lingual Tadesse got his
Masters in Human Development and Food Security at the Roma Tre University.
He was in Rome recently where another JCU alumnus, Fatin Al-Rawahy, interviewed him. Here's
what he had to say:
Which organization are you working in?
I’m working in one of the NGOs called Action Against Hunger. It is a French organization
and has international offices in the United Kingdom and Canada. This organization is very
neutral and independent from donors.
What is the nature of your work and how does this organization chose a country that
needs aid?
We are working on emergency issues, helping people. The organization does an assessment
before choosing a country and based on this assessment the aid is sent to the chosen country.
However, the main goal of our aid is to fight malnutrition.
What does your organization do to help these people?
Well, I started my work in east Chad, where there are 200,000 refugees from Darfur. In
Abeche a town in east Chad, the humanitarian community (with which I work) has set up 12 camps,
and in the area where these people are gathered, in coordination with the humanitarian community,
we provide them with food, water, medical care, as well as education. This camp will
receive refugees until the conflict in Sudan is over.
What were the reasons you chose to work in east Chad?
There are three reasons – the first is my motivation. I always wanted to work in a harsh
environment and in humanitarian assistance. The second reason is to improve my skills, as
I want to gain experience in management and human resources. The third reason is that I want
to be able to learn enough about this type of work so as to share my ideas with this organization.
What helped me most to get this job, I would say, was my BA in International Affairs and my
MA from Roma Tre, my internship in FAO as well as IPGRRI (an international plant and genetic
resource), and even my experience in Student Services at JCU. The skills I learned with these
academic and working experiences helped me in management and organization. However, the most
important skill in this job is motivation, because without it, it would be really hard to face
the many challenges and difficulties, the lack of comfort, food, water and the harshness of
life in this environment.
For how long have you been in Abeche? Tell us more about the security and way of
communication in this particular town.
I first went there on the 18th of September, 2006. I stayed there for only three months because
an unexpected rebellion broke out on the 25th of November, 2006, and we had only 50 minutes
to evacuate from the town -a day I will never forget. Working in such an environment is
very dangerous as there is lack of security and communication. The only way we can assure
our security is by being accepted by the town people. The money is not spent in arms, but it
is spent in communication means such as satellites. However, it is hard to be up-to-date
on everyday world and local news as internet connections are very slow and very difficult
to get. For this reason, we must depend on good communications with the people of the town,
as they are the ones to provide the latest updates on the local situation. This information
does not always match what is heard on the media.
What is the current situation of this crisis?
Right now there is a challenge in (southeast) Chad as there are 140,000 people who
are “internally displaced”. (These are) Chad people who had moved away from
the Sudanese border because of the spill-over-effect of the Darfur conflict and of
ethnic conflicts. They were left with no assistance as the organizations working with
human relief have serious difficulties reaching that area. They have no food, no house
and not even medical care. This however has seriously affected mothers and children,
as mothers who usually breast-feed their children, suffering from hunger, can no longer
feed their babies. The children, thus, are the first victims of the war. Despite all of
this, we still manage to get aid through Libya and Cameroon, but sometimes we experience
difficulties in delivering the goods. There is growing concern now in providing food to
these people because the approach of the June and July rain season, which will make transport
and communications almost impossible.
Abeshaw Tadesse and Fatin Al-Rawahy
An abundance of color at a distribution center…
…and a lack of water around it
JCU Alumnus featured in Vanity Fair Magazine, June 2006
click here to view the Article
(PDF)
Alumni Reunion - Milano, February 2006
Alumni Holiday Cocktail at Aldovrandi Palace Hotel, December
2005
Alumni Cocktail at Doney in Rome, April 2005
Alumni Luncheon in New York, December 2005
JCU Alumni Association Holiday Party, December 2005
 On
Thursday, December 2nd, the new JCU Alumni Association celebrated
the holidays and presented its new Board of Directors. More than 60 people - including
alumni, faculty and staff - joined in the celebration and helped kick off a newly
enthusiastic approach to Alumni Affairs at John Cabot.
A lovely Roman-style buffet dinner was served and more than ten prizes were raffled
off to the lucky participants. A fundraising effort, all proceeds from the raffle
tickets, sold at €5 each, will go to sponsor further events and initiatives of the
Alumni Association.
The new JCU Alumni Association.
For more information on the JCU Alumni Association and on how to become a member
click here.
Inauguration of the New Stage, Aula Magna, October 2004
Two of John Cabot University’s most supportive alumni were present Monday evening,
October 4, 2004 for the inauguration of the new stage of the Aula Magna Occhiena.
 Eleonora
Brown (Class of 82) and Reza Arabnia (Class of 83) were recognized as very generous
donors who helped make the renovation of the stage possible. Mr. Arabnia, who lives
and works in Milan, is also a Trustee of JCU. He was in town to attend the semi-annual
meeting of the Board of Trustees as well as to visit his son, Daryush, who is following
in his father’s footsteps as a student at John Cabot. Eleonora lives in Rome and
has long been an enthusiastic booster for her alma mater. Together with other Board
members, they attended the ceremony in which all of the new Fall 2004 scholarship
winners were introduced and presented with certificates of their achievement.
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