Gustavo Birbuet, Executive Director of ANED (ECLOF Bolivia), resigns from ANED and joins EDCS as country representative in Bolivia.

“ANED finds itself in its best institutional position and I am convinced that it has a great future ahead, together with the ECLOF family. I am leaving an institution with enormous possibilities to really help to solve poverty-related problems in this part of the world”, Gustavo shared with the Geneva secretariat. Asked if there were any tears (as we sus-pected) at the board and assembly meeting where he was bid farewell, Gustavo quipped, “Of course there were …do you think I am made of steel? I think when I say good-bye to my staff colleagues there will be many more, but I’ll try to hide it.”

In replacement of Gustavo, the President of ANED has announced the appointment of Mr José Luis Pereira Ossio as the new Executive Director with effect as of April 20th, 1999. The selection was the fruit of an organised process that started in January. He was selected out of 81 candidates who had responded to an advertisement for the position.

José has a masters degree in industrial engineering and has nine years experience in rural micro credit programmes for the poor. He was for some time technical man-ager of an ANED member organisation before becoming Executive Director of another rural micro credit organisation with similar philosophy to ANED’s. “Given his professional qualifications and experience, we are confident that Ing. Pereira will adequately lead ANED in achieving the objectives and goals we have set,” concludes Mr Edgar Guardia, the President of ANED.