Call for Expression of Interest

Call for Expression of Interest

Background: The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) is a non-partisan, non-governmental network organization established in 2003, and currently NEWA has 38-member local organizations and associations seeking to create a stronger advocacy voice for women’s advancement. NEWA has a twofold goal: synchronizing the individual activities of women’s associations into an integrated collective effort and synergy to realize their common aspirations for gender equality; and launching a vigorous public campaign of promotion, advocacy, and lobbying for women’s rights.

Call for Expression of Interest 

NEWA with financial support from CST-Ethiopia has been implementing a short-term project, namely ‘Enhance Women Lead Organizations (WLOs) to Strengthen Their Capacity in Conducting Effective Advocacy’. The project scope is purely focused on Strengthening the capacity of Women-led organizations to conduct successful advocacy interventions to enhance the situation of women in Ethiopia. As part of this initiative, NEWA has planned to organize a three-day capacity-building training on Advocacy and Communication Skills for Women’s Rights/Led Organizations. The training aims to strengthen the advocacy and communication skills of women’s organizations, enabling them to effectively influence policy, raise awareness on women’s issues, and mobilize resources and support for gender equality and women’s rights

Introduction:

Women’s Leadership Organizations (WLOs) play a vital role in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia. These organizations are deeply embedded in their communities and leverage strong local trust to drive change. By advocating for policy reforms and legal protections, WLOs work to create a more equitable environment where women’s rights are recognized and supported.

At the core of their advocacy efforts, WLOs push for the creation, amendment, and enforcement of policies and laws that prioritize women’s rights and gender equality. They engage with policymakers at local, regional, and national levels, ensuring that women’s voices are included in decision-making processes and that gender-responsive policies are developed and implemented.

In addition to their policy work, WLOs are at the forefront of community engagement. Through awareness campaigns, they educate the public on issues related to women’s rights, gender equality, and the importance of empowering women and girls. These campaigns help shift societal attitudes, challenge discriminatory practices, and foster a culture of equality and respect for women.

Moreover, WLOs are instrumental in building local capacity by training community leaders, service providers, and stakeholders to support women’s empowerment. They organize workshops, forums, and advocacy campaigns to strengthen the skills and knowledge of individuals and organizations working on gender equality issues. Despite their critical role, WLOs in Ethiopia face several challenges, including limited resources, restricted access to policy dialogues, and insufficient support for capacity building. These barriers often limit their ability to scale their impact and fully realize their potential in advocating for systemic change.

To address these challenges, NEWA has been dedicated to strengthening the capacity of women-led organizations in Ethiopia. Through its project titled “Enhance WLOs to Strengthen Their Capacity in Conducting Effective Advocacy“, NEWA seeks to empower WLOs by providing capacity-building opportunities, raising awareness, and offering key resources. As part of this initiative, NEWA planned to Provide a three-day Capacity-Building Training on advocacy and communication skills for women’s organizations.

General Objective

To strengthen the advocacy and communication skills of women’s organizations, enabling them to effectively influence policy, raise awareness on women’s issues, and mobilize resources and support for gender equality and women’s rights.

Specific Objective of the Traning

• To enhance the advocacy skills of women’s organizations by enabling staff to design and implement effective advocacy strategies that influence policy decisions, mobilize support for gender equality, and create systemic change for women’s rights.

• To improve communication strategies for women’s organizations by equipping staff with the tools to craft persuasive messages, and engage effectively with diverse audiences. 

Expected outcome of the training

• Enhanced ability of women’s organizations to design and implement effective advocacy strategies that influence policy and mobilize support for gender equality.

• Improved communication skills in crafting persuasive messages and using media platforms to amplify advocacy efforts and engage key stakeholders.

For full information please refer this linked document: TOR for Advocay and Communication skill.docx – Google Docs