TORONTO , 24 Oct. 2008--The Board of Directors of Association of Awdal Community of North America (AACNA) has, on its regular meeting on October 19, 2008, made a decision to change the name of the association to “Adal Resources & Development Assistance Association (ARDAA)”.

The new name is seen as an attempt to accommodate the community of Salal region which was sliced off from Awdal region by the latest government move in which it created new regions in the country. Adal was the historical name of the 15th to 16thc Sultanate of Adal that flourished in parts of today's Somaliland, parts of Ethiopia and Afar regions. The capital of the Adal Sultanate was the coastal town of Zeila , in today's Salal region.

“The new name will likely motivate the community in the diaspora. We hope the community will embrace and identify with it”, said Ibrahim Absiye, President of the Board, in a press release issued by the association. “ARDAA is dedicated to the promotion and development of the social and economic advancement of the Adal regions and their communities through the engagement and commitment of the diaspora and homeland resources.”

“The Board of Directors would like to reach out to their brothers and sister in the diaspora, especially those in Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East, and urge them to establish their owns ARDAAs so that we can work together for the common good of our community,” he added.

ARDAA is a not-for-profit organization formed at the Awdal Convention in Minneapolis , Minnesota on 15-17 June 2007. It was constituted to organize, research, initiate and implement development projects in collaboration with the community in the diaspora, at home, and to seek the support of International donors, grant makers and philanthropic foundations & governments. ARDAA has been given the mandate to make every effort to reverse the severity of underdevelopment in the region.

For more information, please contact

Hassan Abtidon, General Secretary, at (647) 402-6907

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