February 2026

From Invisible to Prioritized: Driving Community Action on Unpaid Care Work The Ethiopian Women Right Advocates (EWRA), in collaboration with the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) and Oxfam GB under the WE-CARE Phase V Project, successfully organized and facilitated a two-day training on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) held on February 17–18, 2026.The training brought together a diverse group of participants, including community leaders, iddir leaders, religious leaders, youth representatives, and members of various community groups. The sessions provided a structured and inclusive platform to critically examine unpaid care and domestic work as a systemic issue closely linked to gender inequality and economic injustice.Through interactive discussions, practical exercises, and collective reflection, participants strengthened their understanding of the disproportionate care burden carried by women and girls. The training also explored concrete, community-driven strategies to promote the recognition, reduction, and redistribution of unpaid care responsibilities within households and across communities.As a result, key community actors enhanced their capacity to influence social norms, mobilize collective action, and advocate for more equitable sharing of care responsibilities at the local level. This initiative contributes to building inclusive, care-responsive, and gender-equitable community systems.Care work must move from being invisible and undervalued to recognized, shared, and prioritized.

A Validation and Consultation Workshop was conducted by NEWA in partnership with CST-Ethiopia   On February 16, 2026, a Validation and Consultation Workshop was held at the Inter Luxury Hotel to examine the key challenges and opportunities for women’s leadership participation and voice in Ethiopia. The workshop was organized by the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) in partnership with CST-Ethiopia, bringing together a diverse group of government stakeholders, WROs, CSOs, HPR, political parties, NEBE, and advocates committed to strengthening women’s meaningful participation in leadership and decision-making spaces. Through open dialogue, shared experiences, and collective reflection, participants explored structural barriers, social norms, policy gaps, and emerging opportunities that shape women’s leadership journeys. The session opened with inspiring remarks from Mrs. Saba G/Medhin of NEWA, who emphasized the importance of collective action, evidence-based advocacy, and inclusive platforms that amplify women’s voices across all levels. The workshop provided a vital platform to validate findings, gather practical insights, and strengthen collaboration toward advancing women’s leadership and influence in Ethiopia. Together, participants reaffirmed their commitment to a future where women’s voices are not only heard but lead

NEWA Delivers Essential Hygiene and Cleaning Materials to Support Women in Detention The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, has initiated the procurement and delivery of essential hygiene and cleaning materials to detention centers to promote human, safe, and gender-responsive custodial conditions. To enhance human dignity, privacy, and well-being in detention facilities, access to sanitary and hygienic materials is essential. In response, NEWA recognized this and has supported the purchase and distribution of hygiene and sanitary supplies to four detention centers. This intervention, guided by national laws and international human rights standards, aims to strengthen hygiene and sanitation systems and ensure dignified, rights-based, and accountable services in detention centers. It reflects NEWA’s commitment to upholding the rights and well-being of persons in detention, particularly women and children, in line with national and international legal frameworks.   NEWA also demonstrates its broader commitment to human rights by supporting human rights and detention centers in creating more dignified environments that uphold the dignity, health, and rights of all persons under custody.

NEWA successfully conducted a five-day Training of Trainers on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) in collaboration with Oxfam GB Ethiopia From February 2- 6, 2025 NEWA successfully conducted a five-day Training of Trainers on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) in collaboration with Oxfam GB Ethiopia under the WE-CARE Phase V Project.The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of senior program experts and executive directors to integrate UCDW into organizational strategies and cascade this knowledge across institutions and networks- advancing women’s rights, gender equality, and inclusive development in Ethiopia.On the final day, participants were awarded Certificates of Achievement, marking their commitment to completing the five days training.Together, we continue building an enabling environment for the empowerment of Ethiopian women and girls.

NEWA with funding from the IDRC / CRDI is implementing a project titled “Coupling Unpaid Care and Domestic Work with Local Development Agenda for Improved Care Systems in Ethiopia”. The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) with funding from the IDRC / CRDI International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under scaling care innovation program, is implementing a project titled “Coupling Unpaid Care and Domestic Work with Local Development Agenda for Improved Care Systems in Ethiopia.The primary focus of this project is unpaid care and domestic work, alongside the implementation of gender-inclusive policies and strategies in selected ministries with the aim to highlight the significant contribution of unpaid care and domestic work to national GDP by measuring the economic value to it, to inform policy makers, and to integrate gender-sensitive strategies into implementation.Based on the generated evidence, and to raise awareness and recognition of unpaid care and domestic work, to promote fair division of labor, reduce women’s workload, and ensure policymakers and decision-makers acknowledge unpaid care domestic work and care in their agendas, NEWA has prepared a one-day orientation training on February 3rd 2026 at Sapphire Hotel, Addis Ababa, on gender mainstreaming with unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) and intersectionality approach.This forum is designed to strengthen gender mainstreaming policy and strategy implementation and thereby advance gender equality and women empowerment.The participants of this form are from Government, CSO’s and international non-government organization, experts in gender mainstreaming and inclusivity.