By Yelibenwork Ayele

A national telethon for raising momey to end begging in Ethiopia, which had been was scheduled to take place tomorrow at the Millennium Hall, was postponed for an unspecified date in the coming months, Yemane Wolde-Mariam, director of Elshadai Relief and Development Association, (ERDA) told The Reporter.

It was expected that a bout 15,000 to 20,000 guests would attend the program and it would generate about 300 million birr from telethon, sale of tickets to citizens here and abroad.

The project of ending begging in Ethiopia, conceived by the ERDA and being carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, requires a budget of about 336 million birr. The telethon was organized to finance the project.

About 500,000 coupons, each for five dollars, have been printed and prepared to be shipped for Ethiopians living abroad in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And 7.2 million coupons have been printed for sale within the country, each for two birr.

Other means of raising money include the entrance ticket to the Millennium Hall which is 1,000 birr for each. Therefore, considering the number of people expected to turn out for the event, 15,000 to 20,000, it is hoped that 15 million to 20 million birr will be collected for the project from the sale of entrance tickets alone. And each regional state of the country has set aside a plot of land which will be up for auction during the telethon.

The money collected from the telethon will be used for returning beggars to their home towns, providing them with the means for starting life in agriculture, business and various trades. According to Yemane a certain business man has pledged to train and hire in his own company a few thousands of the youth who have been begging.

According to Yemane, the reason for the delay of the telethon was the request by several people for more time of preparation for better results.