Arbi Harnet Activity Report Sept-Dec 2012
Arbi Harnet Activity Report Sept-Dec 2012
Introduction
This is a report outlining Arbi Harnet’s activities in the period covering Sept-Dec 2012. The report includes a preliminary financial report which is being audited independently. A comprehensive annual report including the audited financial report will be prepared soon.
Background
Project Arbi Harnet (AH) is an initiative that works to link the resistance inside Eritrea to the resistance in the diaspora engaging the general public to take communal action in response to the worsening human and democratic rights violations in Eritrea.
The project is run by Eritrean volunteers and is completely dependent on public funding (mainly from fellow Eritreans) for its activities. The main tactics of engagement to date have been:
• One-to one random calls to individuals and businesses
• One-to-one targeted calls to individuals identified either as a follow up or due to their direct involvement in matters
• Mass automated robocalls
• Posters and other information distributions inside Eritrea
Strategy
As mentioned above the objective is to create links across pockets of resistance to the regime in Eritrea to this end the Project:
• Communicates directly with the public
• Encourages the public to think communally (creating a sense of common identity) rather than individually
• Encourages the public to consider communal acts of, appropriate, public resistance (e.g. stay at home Friday, visiting public worship venues, boycotting state controlled news papers)
Output
The enclosed Action Plan Review outlines the outputs of the project in terms of the phone calls that were made and the posters that were distributed inside Eritrea. In all over 40, 000 phone calls and 2 poster campaigns were carried out during the period.
Outcome
It is very early in the life of the project to objectively assess tangible outcomes; however anecdotal evidence suggests that the public both in the diaspora and inside the country is encouraged by the process of linking the pockets of resistance and beginning to appreciate the value of communal actions. The poster campaigns have also demonstrated the presence of resistance inside the country and the fact that this can be linked to the resistance in the diaspora.
Financial contributions
Close to 100 individuals and three organisations (Friends of Dawit Isaac, Friends of Aster and In Chains for Christ), made generous contributions of amounts ranging from $10 – to over $1,000. Please find enclosed our interim financial report (pending independent audits).
Ongoing work and future plans
The team will continue to build capacity to enhance the work that has already starter and also explore new ways of engaging the general public both in the diaspora and inside the country. In the diaspora the team will engage people to support the work inside the country. Whereas inside Eritrea the team will keep working on building the capacity of AH inside the country to really make the presence of resistance in Eritrea felt. A new action plan, covering the period to April 2013, will be announced on the 15th of January.
Arbi Harnet team would like to thank all our friends and supporters for their continued support, especially those who have committed themselves to the regular weekly contributions that enable us to make the weekly and more extensive occasional country wide calls.
We would also like to thank those who contribute ideas and insight into our work and encourage us to pursue initiatives that at times seem impossible to complete.
Our project partners have been great and have enabled us to make the monthly mass calls; we thank Friends of Dawit for our October mass calls, In Chains for Christ (Friends of Abune Antonios) for our November Calls EYSC UK and Friends and Family of Aster for our December calls. The team is continuously looking for collaborative efforts with other Diaspora based organizations and movements working for change in Eritrea. We would like to thank EYSC-Bay Area for their continuous support to use their banking facilities for AH project related transactions.
Several people have lent us their voice and been ambassadors of Arbiharnet to their respective communities back in Eritrea: Dr Mohamed Kheir Omer, Saleh G Johar and Keshi Mussie Shishay, we thank you all for your cooperation and putting up with our impossible demands and time scales.
Our media partners have been crucial in disseminating news of our initiative; we would like to thank especially Radio Erena, Asmarino and Radio Wegahta for their continuous support.
But by far our deepest gratitude goes to our team inside Eritrea who have dedicated not just their time and skills like many of us but their security and even their life to the cause.
We look forward to your support and collaboration in the New Year.
Team ArbiHarnet
Appendix 1:
Arbi Harnet Action Plan Review
September– December 2012
1. We are all Abbarre
Sept
To commemorate political prisoners and the imprisoned journalists from Eritrea’s independent media
Awareness campaign in the diaspora: A week long radio event, A paltalk session, rerun of articles on out prisoner of the year (Idriss AbArre) and over 10,000 robo calls on Sept 18,2012.
updates This project was successfully completed and the obo calls went over the 10,000 (11,268) mark and hence exceeding targets, the project was also inspirational with ongoing impact and it inspired the team in Eritrea to start a poster campaign reported under Additional Projects section below.
2. Isayas
Oct
Unity symbol To identify and implement a symbol that demonstrates solidarity across the resistance inside the country and in the diaspora
Updates A symbolic link has been identified and developed; however the implementation needs a bit more development, ArbiHarnet will continue to work on this. The Project has allocated the necessary resources for this and hence implementation is not dependent on availability of resources but a questions of identifying appropriate human resources inside Eritrea.
3. Forced militerisation
Oct & Dec
Building on our message of Sept 18, highlight the indiscriminate of civilians and raise indignation about forced milliterisation, but also encourage the people to use the arms to demand change.
Highlight that it is grandparents who should spend their twilight years in peace having buried their children and grandchildren in the quest for peace.
Updates When a similar project was launched by a coalition of organisations, led by EYSC, AH withheld on progressing this project to avoid duplications. The concept will be revisited for potential implementation as appropriate.
4. Audio visual resources
Oct & Dec
To compile audio visual resources and make them available for the resistance
Updates This project is lagging a bit; the team has identified the concept and human resources for it, however there is a significant delay in progressing the actual production of the resources, this project will be reviewed, for implementation in the new action plan.
5. Ongoing phone calls
Oct & Dec
Weekly phone calls using robocalls
And one to one calls (focusing different cities and using different languages...)
(around fifty people to fund robocalls) For robocalls
And one to one calls
Updates Over the period of four months we contacted over 39875 people in the following cities: Barentu (300), Teseney (215), akurdat (300), Massawa (232), Keren (1300), Mendefera (200), DekemHare (215), adikeyiH (200), Assab (188), Asmara (15200), and a further 21540 to mobile phones and land line phones across the country.
6. Voices of families of prisoners
Oct & Dec
To encourage families of prisoners to use their voices to mobilise the Eritrean public
Updates Each month focused on one prisoner and mass calls in association with friends and family, altogether we made over 25,000 onbehalf of three symbolic prisoners: 1 woman prisoner, 1 journalist and 1 religious leader
Sept: Sept 18 calls 11,268
October: Dawit Isaac calls 10,240
November: Abune Antonios Calls 5,000
Dec: Aster Yohanness calls: 10,000
7. A news letter
Dec
This will continue to be discussed
Updates This project continues to form part of our serious planning with partners and will be piloted in the next quarterly action plan
Additional project The Asmara team initiated and implemented an additional poster project which was implemented on new year’s eve 20 posters were posted in the following areas:
Outside Cinema Roma
Near Cinema Roma (Education)
Outside Cathedral
Outside Bar Diana
Outside Bar Commercial
Piazza Michael
Adulis club in front of the bank
May Abashawil in two places
Godena Harnnet in three places
Meda Ertra
Fully meets objectives
Appendix 2:
Arbi Harnet Financial Report
Aug-Dec 2012
Date Gross Amount($) Net Amount($) Balance Expenses Net ($) Expenses ($)-Monthly Actions Contributions ($)-Monthly
31/12/2012 1083 1083 1563.23 2800 2773.65
31/12/2012 25 23.97 480.23
27/12/2012 20 18.92 456.26
26/12/2012 50 47.75 437.34 PFDJ Officials 200 Calls 12-31-12
19/12/2012 100 96.8 389.59 Assab 200 Calls 12-28-12
18/12/2012 50 47.75 292.79 Adi Keyih 200 Calls 12-21-12
15/12/2012 36 34.3 245.04
13/12/2012 50 48.25 210.74
13/12/2012 40 38.54 162.49
12/12/2012 28 25.65 123.95
10/12/2012 20 18.92 98.3 Free Aster 10000 Calls 12-10-12
10/12/2012 79.38 2520
10/12/2012 30 28.83 2,599.38
09/12/2012 100 96.8 2,570.55
09/12/2012 20 18.92 2,473.75
09/12/2012 30 28.53 2,454.83
09/12/2012 10 9.31 2,426.30
09/12/2012 50 47.75 2,416.99
08/12/2012 100 96.8 2,369.24
08/12/2012 100 96.8 2,272.44
08/12/2012 25 23.72 2,175.64
08/12/2012 16 15.08 2,151.92
08/12/2012 50 48.25 2,136.84
07/12/2012 60 57.96 2,088.59
07/12/2012 20 18.92 2,030.63 Keren 1300 Calls 12-7-12
06/12/2012 50 48.25 2,011.71
06/12/2012 1,963.46 280
06/12/2012 100 95.8 2,243.46
06/12/2012 30 28.53 2,147.66
06/12/2012 15 14.11 2,119.13
06/12/2012 30 28.53 2,105.02
05/12/2012 30 28.53 2,076.49
05/12/2012 20 19.12 2,047.96
05/12/2012 150 143.85 2,028.84
05/12/2012 40 38.14 1,884.99
05/12/2012 10 9.31 1,846.85
04/12/2012 30 28.53 1,837.54
04/12/2012 10 9.31 1,809.01
04/12/2012 20 18.92 1,799.70
03/12/2012 50 47.75 1,780.78
02/12/2012 20 19.12 1,733.03
02/12/2012 30 28.53 1,713.91
02/12/2012 100 95.8 1,685.38
30/11/2012 100 95.8 1,589.58 2235.99 2524.38
30/11/2012 50 47.75 1,493.78
28/11/2012 1000 970.7 1,446.03 Hidar Tsion 5000 Religious Calls
26/11/2012 60 57.96 475.33
25/11/2012 417.37 414.99
25/11/2012 832.36 1400
25/11/2012 50 47.75 2,232.36
25/11/2012 50 47.75 2,184.61
24/11/2012 120 115.02 2,136.86
24/11/2012 30 28.53 2,021.84
23/11/2012 100 96.8 1,993.31
23/11/2012 45 42.94 1,896.51 Massawa 232 Calls 11-23-12
22/11/2012 70 66.97 1,853.57
21/11/2012 1,786.60 140
19/11/2012 50 48.25 1,926.60
19/11/2012 20 18.92 1,878.35
18/11/2012 10 9.31 1,859.43
18/11/2012 10 9.41 1,850.12
18/11/2012 100 96.8 1,840.71
16/11/2012 100 96.8 1,743.91 Mendefera 196 Calls 11-16-12
15/11/2012 1,647.11 70
11/11/2012 30 28.53 1,717.11
09/11/2012 20 18.92 1,688.58 Deqemhare 215 Calls 11-9-12
08/11/2012 1,669.66 140
07/11/2012 75 72.52 1,809.66
07/11/2012 50 48.25 1,737.14
07/11/2012 50 47.75 1,688.89
06/11/2012 18 16.04 1,641.14
06/11/2012 100 95.8 1,625.10
06/11/2012 120 116.22 1,529.30
06/11/2012 120 116.22 1,413.08
05/11/2012 20 18.92 1,296.86
02/11/2012 50 47.75 1,277.94 Agordat 300 Calls 11-2-12
01/11/2012 1,230.19 71
27/10/2012 100 96.8 1,301.19 3057 4353.89
26/10/2012 1,204.39 83
24/10/2012 50 47.75 1,287.39 Barnetu 300 Calls 10-26-12
24/10/2012 30 28.53 1,239.64
23/10/2012 60 57.96 1,211.11
21/10/2012 30 28.53 1,153.15
19/10/2012 50 47.75 1,124.62
18/10/2012 30 28.83 1,076.87 Tessenai 215 Calls 10-19-12
18/10/2012 50 48.25 1,048.04
18/10/2012 999.79 84
18/10/2012 40 38.14 1,083.79
18/10/2012 30 28.53 1,045.65
17/10/2012 100 96.8 1,017.12
15/10/2012 20 18.92 920.32
15/10/2012 20 19.12 901.4
14/10/2012 15 14.11 882.28
11/10/2012 868.17 2890 Free Dawit Yisak 10000 Calls
11/10/2012 1352.1 1,338.58 3,758.17
11/10/2012 1793.93 1,775.99 2,419.59
07/10/2012 40 38.54 643.6
05/10/2012 300 291 605.06
05/10/2012 20 18.92 314.06
04/10/2012 20 18.92 295.14
04/10/2012 15 14.26 276.22
03/10/2012 40 38.14 261.96
03/10/2012 5 4.5 223.82
03/10/2012 5 4.5 219.32
03/10/2012 70 67.67 214.82
03/10/2012 20 18.92 147.15
03/10/2012 50 47.75 128.23
03/10/2012 10 9.31 80.48
02/10/2012 20 19.12 71.17
02/10/2012 50 47.75 52.05
20/09/2012 4.3 1790 1790 1,649.55
20/09/2012 1.95 1.95 1,794.30
18/09/2012 28 26.89 1,792.35
17/09/2012 40 38.54 1,765.46 Abu-Are Sept 18 -11268 Calls
16/09/2012 100 95.8 1,726.92
14/09/2012 40 38.54 1,631.12
14/09/2012 30 28.83 1,592.58
14/09/2012 25 23.72 1,563.75
14/09/2012 50 47.75 1,540.03
13/09/2012 50 48.25 1,492.28
13/09/2012 40 38.54 1,444.03
13/09/2012 190 184.19 1,405.49
13/09/2012 10 9.41 1,221.30
12/09/2012 5 4.5 1,211.89
11/09/2012 30 28.83 1,207.39
11/09/2012 300 291 1,178.56
11/09/2012 40 38.14 887.56
11/09/2012 30 28.83 849.42
11/09/2012 15 14.11 820.59
11/09/2012 50 48.25 806.48
11/09/2012 60 57.96 758.23
11/09/2012 60 57.36 700.27
11/09/2012 50 47.75 642.91
10/09/2012 30 28.53 595.16
10/09/2012 20 18.92 566.63
10/09/2012 20 18.92 547.71
10/09/2012 45 42.94 528.79
09/09/2012 30 28.83 485.85
07/09/2012 50 48.25 457.02
07/09/2012 100 96.8 408.77
07/09/2012 50 47.75 311.97
06/09/2012 50 47.75 264.22
05/09/2012 25 23.97 216.47
01/09/2012 50 47.75 192.5
31/08/2012 50 48.25 144.75 144.75
31/08/2012 50 48.25 96.5
31/08/2012 50 48.25 48.25
11766.98 10363.22 9882.99 9882.99 11446.22
End of 2012 Pay Pal Balance 480.23
End of 2012 Bank Account Balance 1083
End of 2012 Arbi Harnet Account Balance 1563.23
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