Tiiu and Frank eating a traditional meal at the Blue Nile

Tiiu and Frank Adamek have been to Eritrea twice: first in 2000 to see what the country was like and then in 2002 to decide on what projects they might do there. These projects were to be useful to the Eritreans and within the means of the foundation they were setting up. They got to know Asmara which was their base and they travelled around Eritrea, visiting Adi Keih near the Ethiopian border, the town of Keren, and Massawa on the Red Sea. They visited the schools and had meetings with officials from the Ministry of Education. They also visited Energy Research and Development Site where work was done on more fuel efficient cooking appliances. In both of these fields, each felt they could make a contribution. The fact that English is widely spoken facilitated communication greatly and made chatting very enjoyable.

Structure of the Adamek Foundation: President, Tiiu Adamek ( teacher) Secretary-Treasurer, Frank Adamek ( Engineer); Vice-president, Thomas Adamek (Engineer); Environmental Advisor: Krista Adamek (Biologist)

Tiiu with a donation of clothes for ERREC

Tiiu Adamek is an Estonian Canadian and she felt a strong connection with the nation building she saw in Eritrea. It was a parallel to the work that her own native Estonia (in Northern Europe) had to start doing when it became independent from the Soviet Empire in 1989. Her family had been refugees after WW II and had lived in Germany and France before arriving in Canada in 1951. She became a teacher in elementary and secondary schools. Her specialty became French Immersion and English as a Second Language as well as Librarianship. She retired in 1998 but remained active in schools by setting up an Eritrean pen pal program with some classes. Tiiu considers that her best contribution in Eritrea would be in education, computer and language skills.

Frank with Francis Hillman of Phaesun Co, Asmara

Frank Adamek was born in Canada of Ukrainian parents. He became an Instrumentation and Control Engineer, specializing in energy production. He has worked for the most part in Canada and also for several years in the U.S. He has travelled extensively and during those years he saw a wide range of regimes. When he first visited Eritrea, it appeared to him as a promising country. He liked the optimism, the energy, the honesty and the commitment he saw. He is semi-retired at present and after visiting the Research and Development site of the Dept of Energy, Frank considers that is where his experience and expertise would be best used.

Krista in the dune buggy, Seawater Farms, Massawa

The grown-up children, Krista and Thomas are both Trustees of the Foundation. Krista is a biologist who worked for a year and a half in Costa Rica on a macaw (parrot) study. She added to her qualifications by becoming an environmental technologist. She is presently working for the World Wildlife Fund in Peru, as the field director for a macaw study there. She spent a year and a half in Eritrea at the Seawater Integrated Farm on the Red Sea. Their aim was to grow edible plants, shrimp and fish using salt water. This project was a partnership between the University of Arizona in Phoenix and the Eritrean Department of Natural Resources. The torrid summer heat and humidity were a challenge to the workers but the plan to turn the arid seashore into a productive farm was a good one. The mangroves which were planted there are doing well and the resulting wetlands are bringing in many birds.

Thomas working on his van

Thomas became a mechanical engineer which was a natural choice as he had been interested in all things mechanical since childhood. He worked in Research and Development for the Detroit auto industry. While in Michigan, he took part in the X-Terra Triathalons of the North Central States. He qualified for the Lake Tahoe U.S. Championship competition for two years in a row. While doing this, he also was on the pit crew of auto racing and played on two soccer teams. In the winter he taught skiing and learned snowboarding. Thomas had a plan to travel for a few years before settling down, and he is well on his way now. In his custom-fitted van, he has reached Krista in Peru. He is doing volunteer work at her field station, mainly fine-tuning the appliances and the generators. He is planning to travel for a considerable time yet and when he crosses to North Africa, he would also like to visit Eritrea.

The Adameks had enjoyed life in the friendly village of Garden Hill in Ontario for close to 30 years while earning their living and raising their family. In November 2003 they moved to Alberta where they now live in Canmore, in the Canadian Rockies. Here they can hike and ski in the mountains right from their doorstep. It is their hope to have many friends visit them in their new setting. Anyone wishing to come along to Eritrea is very welcome too...Please see How to Help.