Author name: NEWA

Empowering girls to become advocates for safer education! With the support of the Malala Fund, the project “Enhancing Girls’ Education through Promoting the Safe Schools Declaration in Conflict-Affected Regions” successfully conducted a capacity-building training on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and human rights for girls in Bahir Dar, Amhara Region held at Unison Hotel on June 25, 2026.The training brought together girls from diverse backgrounds, including girls with disabilities, in-school girls, out-of-school girls, and internally displaced girls (IDPs). The inclusive participation ensured that the voices and experiences of girls affected by conflict and other challenges were represented.The training aimed to:·       Raise awareness and strengthen girls understanding of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and its importance in protecting education during conflict, while empowering girls to promote its implementation in their schools.·       Equip girls with knowledge of their rights under national and international human rights frameworks, enabling them to claim and advocate for those rights.·       Strengthen girls’ leadership, confidence, and advocacy skills to promote safe, inclusive, and gender-responsive learning environments within their schools and communities. By capacitating in girls’ knowledge, leadership, and advocacy skills, the project is helping to build safe and protective learning environments where every girl can learn, thrive, and realize her full potential. Together, we are advancing safe schools, protecting education, and empowering girls to lead positive change. photo_2026-06-29_11-21-51 photo_2026-06-29_11-21-30 photo_2026-06-29_11-21-17 photo_2026-06-29_11-21-01 photo_2026-06-29_11-20-52 photo_2026-06-29_11-03-06 photo_2026-06-29_11-02-37 photo_2026-06-29_11-01-40

STRONG HER Project Hosts Thematic Advocacy Planning Consultative Meeting Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | June 23, 2026The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), in partnership with SOCODEVI, successfully hosted a one-day Thematic Advocacy Planning Consultative Meeting under the STRONG HER Project. The meeting brought together representatives from government institutions, civil society organizations, women’s rights organizations, NGOs, cooperative unions, and development partners to collaboratively identify advocacy priorities that advance women’s environmental, economic, and social rights. The consultation focused on developing practical advocacy action plans using NEWA’s 8-Step Advocacy Framework, with participants identifying priority interventions in:  Women’s environmental rights and climate resilience. Women’s economic empowerment and livelihood opportunities. Women’s leadership and participation in decision-making Prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Policy advocacy for women’s environmental and economic rights Strengthening partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaboration The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to transforming these priorities into impactful grassroots initiatives. Together, we are building stronger partnerships and advancing a more equitable future where women and girls can thrive. 0 1 3 4 5 IMG_8106 IMG_8109 IMG_8111 IMG_8119

Celebrating the Launch of the RWVL-E Project NEWA Proudly Participates in the Launch of the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Ethiopia (RWVL-E) Initiative.NEWA is honoured to be among the six principal partners of the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Ethiopia (RWVL-E) Initiative, officially launched on 17 June 2026 at Haile Grand Hotel, Addis Ababa.Funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by CARE Ethiopia, this transformative six-year initiative represents a significant investment in advancing women’s leadership, promoting gender equality, and strengthening the meaningful participation of women and girls across Ethiopia.The launch brought together government leaders, diplomatic representatives, development partners, and civil society organizations committed to building a more inclusive and equitable society. During the event, NEWA Executive Director, W/ro Saba Gebremedhin, delivered remarks on behalf of the principal partners, reaffirming their shared commitment to amplifying women’s voices, expanding leadership opportunities, and advancing the rights of women and girls across the country.The event concluded with a collective pledge to strengthen women’s rights movements, forge strategic partnerships, and drive transformative social and policy change. Together, we are investing in a future where women and girls can lead, thrive, and influence the decisions that shape their lives and communities.NEWA looks forward to working closely with partners and stakeholders to create lasting impact and advance gender justice across Ethiopia.

በሴቶችና ሴት ልጆች ላይ የሚፈፀሙ ፆታን መሠረት ያደረገ ጥቃቶችን (VAWG) መከላከል፤ ጥበቃና ምላሽ አሰጣጥ ስርዓት ላይ ያተኮረ የሁለት ቀን ስልጠና በተሳካ ሁኔታ ተጠናቀቀ   የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች ማህበራት ቅንጅት (ኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ) ከዩ. ኤን. ትረስት ፈንድ በተገኘ የገንዘብ ድጋፍ ከሰኔ 4-5, 2018 ዓ.ም  በአዲስ አበባ ሳፋየር ሆቴል ለሁለት ቀናት ወሲባዊ እና ሌሎች ፆታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች መከላከል፣ ጥበቃ እና ምላሽ አሰጣጥ ስርዓት ላይ ያተኮረ ስልጠና ከፌደራልና ከክልል ለተወጣጡ የመንግስት ባለድርሻ አካላት ተሰጥቷል።የኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ ዋና ስራ አስፈፃሚ የሆኑት ወ/ሮ ሳባ ገ/መድህን በስልጠናው ቦታ በመገኘት የመክፈቻ ንግግር ያደረጉ ሲሆን በንግግራቸውም ፆታን መሠረት አድርገው የሚፈጸሙ ጥቃቶችን መከላከል፣ከለላ መስጠት እንዲሁም ጥቃቶቹ ተፈጽመው ሲገኙ አፋጣኝ ምላሽ ሊሰጣቸው እንደሚገባ በመግለጽ ለዚህም ደግሞ የሁሉም ባለድርሻ አካላት ርብርብ እና የተቀናጀ ምላሽ መስጠት እንደሚገባን ገልጸዋል፡፡በንግግራቸው አክለውም የብሔራዊ የሴቶች ማብቃት እና ስርዓተ ፆታ እኩልነት ፓሊሲ በሚኒስቴሮች ምክርቤት መፅደቁ ለምናከናውናቸው ፆታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች መከላከል፣ ጥበቃ እና ምላሽ አሰጣጥ ላይ ጉልህ አስተዋዕፆ አንደሚኖረው ግልፀዋል፡፡ በስልጠናው ወቅት ተሳታፊዎች ፆታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች መከላከል፣ ከጉዳት በማገገም ላይ ያሉ ሴቶችና ሴት ልጆች ጥበቃ፣ የሪፈራል ስርዓት ማጠናከር እና በተቀናጀ መልኩ ምላሽ ስለመስጠት ግንዛቤ ጨብጠዋል። ስልጠናው በተለይም ግጭት በነበርባቸው እና እሁንም ግጭት ባለባቸው የኢትዮጵያ አካባቢዎች ውስጥ ለሚገኙ ሴቶች እና ሴት ልጆች የሚደረገው ጥበቃ ተጠናክሮ እንዲቀጥል፣ የሚሰጡ ምላሾችም በወጡት መመሪያዎች መሰረት መሆን እንዳለበት፣ ምላሽ በመስጠት ሂደት ውቅትም ጉዳት የደረሰባቸውን ሴቶች እና ሴት ልጆችን ማዕከል ያደረገ መሆን እንዳለበት ተገልጿል፡፡ከአሰልጣኝ ገለጻ በተጨማሪም ተግባራዊ ልምምዶች እና የልምድ ልውውጦችን ተካተውበታል፤ ተሳታፊዎች በየአካባቢያቸው ያሉትን ተግዳሮቶችና መልካም ተሞክሮዎችን በማካፈል ጥሩ የሆነ የእርስ በእርስ መማማሪያ መድረክ ተፈጥሯል፡፡ በመጨረሻም ተሳታፊዎቹ ያገኙትን እውቀት በተቋማቸው ለሚገኘ የስራ ባልደረቦቻቸው ለማካፈል እና የአገልግሎት አሰጣጥ ሂደቱን ለማጠናከር፣ እንዲሁም ለሴቶችና ሴት ልጆች ተደራሽና ጥራት ያለው አገልግሎት መኖሩን ለማረጋገጥ የተግባር ዕቅድ አዘጋጅተው ለመተግበር ቁርጠኝነታቸውን አሳይተዋል፡፡ ኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ እንደ ሁለጊዜው ሁሉ ፆታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች መከላከል፣ ጥበቃ እና ምላሽ አሰጣጥ ስርዓት ለማሻሻል የበኩሏን ድርሻ ትወጣለች፡፡ በተለይም በአማራ፣ ትግራይ እና ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ ክልሎች  ከአጋር ማህበራት እና ባለድርሻ አካላት ጋር በመሆን የሴቶችና ሴት ልጆችን መብት፣ ደህንነት እና ፍትህ ለማረጋገጥ  የሚያግዙ ተግባራትን አጠናክራ ትቀጥላለች፡፡ዓላማችን ለሴቶችና ሴት ልጆች ምቹ የሆነች ኢትዬጵን ማየት ነው፡፡

The NEWA, in partnership with the Malala Fund, working to advance girls’ education through promoting Safe Schools Declaration (SSD). The NEWA, in partnership with the Malala Fund, working to advance girls’ education through promoting Safe Schools Declaration (SSD). As part of this initiative, NEWA conducted a one-day training on the Safe Schools Declaration and Human Rights for girls’ representatives drawn from Kelem Meda and Hote Secondary Schools in Dessie City on June 13, 2026. The training brought together girls’ representatives to enhance their understanding of safe and inclusive education, strengthen their awareness of their rights, and encourage their active participation in creating positive change within their schools and communities. The training focused on the objectives, benefits and key commitments of the Safe Schools Declaration, emphasizing the importance of protecting schools, students, and educators from the impacts of conflict and violence. Girls gained a deeper understanding of safe learning environment. In addition, the session provided comprehensive information on human rights, gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). Girls explored national and international legal frameworks and policies that safeguard the rights of women and girls, including protections against discrimination, violence, and harmful practices. Discussions also highlighted the importance of girls’ leadership, participation in school clubs, and engagement in advocacy efforts to promote gender equality and educational opportunities. The training created a valuable platform for girls to share experiences, discuss challenges affecting their education, and build confidence in expressing their views.

NEWA organized a three-day Capacity Building Training on Project and Grant Management for its staff and partner organizations With the financial support of the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations organized a three-day Capacity Building Training on Project and Grant Management for its staff and partner organizations from May 20–22, 2026, at Mado Hotel. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of NEWA and partner organizations implementing projects related to strengthening the prevention, protection, and response mechanisms for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) in conflict-affected areas. It also focused on enhancing participants’ knowledge and practical skills in project and grant management to ensure effective, accountable, and survivor-centered programming.The training brought together NEWA head office and branch office program teams, finance staff, and partner organizations working on GBV and CRSV interventions in conflict-affected areas. A total of 19 participants (15 female and 4 male) attended the training, creating a highly engaging and participatory learning environment that encouraged collaboration, peer learning, and experience sharing among participants from different regions and organizations.Key thematic areas covered during the training included project and grant cycle management, logical framework and theory of change development, proposal writing, budgeting and financial management, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), and donor compliance requirements. The sessions also incorporated discussions on strengthening coordinated GBV and CRSV response mechanisms, improving service delivery for survivors, and enhancing institutional accountability in humanitarian and conflict settings.In addition to technical competencies, the training also focused on essential soft skills such as personal development, teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem-solving. Overall, the training was highly interactive and impactful, equipping participants with practical tools and broader professional insights to improve program quality, organizational effectiveness, and sustainable GBV and CRSV response interventions in conflict-affected communities.

Creating awareness, inspiring change, and strengthening communities! ✨ NEWA, in partnership with Oxfam in Ethiopia, is implementing the Women in Economic Empowerment and Care (WE-CARE) Phase V Project. On May 13,2026 an engaging and impactful awareness-raising workshop was successfully conducted in Dire Dawa in collaboration with the Dire Dawa Women Association. Representatives from the Dire Dawa Women Association, who previously participated in the Training of Trainers (TOT) session held in February, cascaded the training to community representatives, including Aba gada leaders and religious leaders. The session created an active platform for discussion, learning, and collective commitment toward addressing unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) and promoting gender equality within communities. The workshop was highly interactive, insightful, and inspiring demonstrating the power of community leadership in driving sustainable social change. Most importantly, this approach ensures the sustainability of the project even beyond its implementation period, as the ownership and continuation of the initiative remain within the community itself. Together, we continue to amplify voices, challenge harmful social norms, and build more equitable and resilient communities. #WECAREProject #NEWA #Oxfam #GenderEquality #CommunityEngagement #UnpaidCareWork #SocialChange #CareEconomy #CommunityOwnership #Sustainability

Historic Alliance: Religious Leaders and NEWA Sign Solemn Covenant to End FGM, Child Marriage, and Violence Against Children ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – May 19, 2026 – In a milestone convergence for human rights and social transformation, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), in close partnership with UNICEF and key multi-sectoral stakeholders, successfully convened a high-level Interface Meeting with Religious Leaders today, May 19, 2026, at the Sapphire Addis Hotel. The high-stakes, one-day forum culminated in a historic breakthrough this afternoon: the formal signing of a collective covenant by prominent faith leaders, public officials, and civil society actors, pledging an unyielding commitment to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Child Marriage (CM), and all forms of violence against children across Ethiopia. Recognizing that faith leaders hold unparalleled influence in shaping community values and social norms, the meeting shifted the traditional paradigm by anchoring advocacy in core theological principles of compassion, human dignity, and protection of the vulnerable. Mobilizing Faith and FactThe event featured a series of strategic, participatory sessions designed to bridge the gap between institutional policy and community-led execution: The Lens of Compassion and Faith: Zemzem Shikur (UNICEF, Child Protection Section) delivered a compelling presentation demonstrating how religious doctrines can be powerful vehicles for child protection, re-framing the fight against FGM and Child Marriage as an expression of faith-driven empathy. A Roadmap of Grassroots Action: NEWA’s Program Coordinator detailed the network’s ongoing localized interventions, providing a blueprint for scalable, community-centered protection mechanisms. Proven Solutions from the Field: The Watch Dog Committee showcased regional best practices, proving that consistent, faith-based advocacy combined with localized surveillance can decisively disrupt harmful traditional practices. Multi-Sectoral Dialogue and the CovenantA dynamic panel discussion brought together a diverse coalition of faith leaders, government representatives, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth advocates, and women’s rights defenders. The dialogue candidly addressed the systemic challenges of altering deeply entrenched cultural norms, the absolute necessity of actively engaging men and boys in gender-transformative work, and mechanisms for strengthening joint accountability. The undeniable climax of the day was the Commitment Session. In a profound display of unity, religious leaders representing various faiths stood alongside NEWA executives to sign a binding covenant. This document serves as a public declaration that harmful practices have no basis in faith and outlines concrete actions leaders will take within their respective congregations to protect the girl child. Looking ForwardReflecting on the day’s achievements, Saba G/Medhin, Executive Director of NEWA, joined faith leaders in delivering the closing remarks, emphasizing that the signing of the covenant is not an end point, but the catalyst for a rigorous, nationwide enforcement of child protection ideals. The session concluded with an extensive media capturing event, securing video testimonies and declarations from influential religious figures to be deployed in upcoming national behavioral change campaigns.

National Validation Workshop Strengthens Safe Schools Agenda in Conflict-Affected Regions The National Validation Workshop on the Assessment of Safety and Protection in Conflict-Affected Schools, with a focus on Girls’ Risks and Vulnerabilities particularly in the Amhara and Tigray regions, was successfully conducted on May 20, 2025, at Mado Hotel in Addis Ababa. The workshop brought together participants from government ministries, regional government bureaus, INGOs, and CSOs to discuss and validate the findings and recommendations of the draft assessment report on school safety and protection in conflict-affected areas, with particular emphasis on girls’ specific risks and vulnerabilities. During the workshop, Horizon Research and Consultancy presented the key findings of the assessment, highlighting the major challenges affecting the safety, protection, and education of girls in conflict-affected schools. The workshop provided an important platform for constructive discussion, feedback, and collective reflection aimed at strengthening the assessment findings and recommendations. It also contributed to enhancing advocacy efforts to promote safe, inclusive, and protective learning environments, as well as supporting the endorsement and implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration

Ensuring diverse voices are heard! On May 7 and 8, 2026, we held a vital multi-stakeholder workshop in Assosa, Benishangul-Gumuz. The primary goal of this forum was to draft a comprehensive framework for women’s participation to ensure that diverse perspectives are actively included in the peacebuilding process. Over the course of the two-day event, stakeholders engaged in deep, meaningful discussions on several critical topics. Participants focused on raising awareness around transitional justice and post-conflict peacebuilding, while also identifying local challenges and obstacles to participation in peace processes. The dialogue addressed gaps in truth-seeking, exploring how institutions can support a potential Truth Commission, and included detailed discussions on reparations. By the end of the workshop, participants successfully collaborated on the initial framework development and carefully planned out the detailed next steps for the initiative. Sustainable peace requires inclusive voices! 🕊✨