News

EYWV has officially assigned members in Tigray region NEWA is happy to share that on September 23, Ethiopian Young Women Voice (EYWV), has officially assigned members in Tigray region. Despite the challenges of the post-conflict in recent years, we are proud to expand our reach to the region and bring together young women to participate in advocacy and leadership. For the first time, EYWV will now have members in all regions, it is a significant step forward in ensuring that the Girls and Young Women’s Voices in all regions of Ethiopia are heard and represented.   To support this effort, we have also formed a technical committee of dedicated individuals who will provide strategic guidance and help coordinate our initiatives in the region. We exchanged experiences from existing members and new group that help the new regional members  can think in different directions. We are thrilled to share this milestone with all She Leads members, and we look forward to the positive change on this expansion.   Ethiopian Young Women Voice (EYWV) would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to rise and shine.

The girls’ festival was hosted by NEWA jointly with She-Leads consortium members NEWA jointly with She-Leads consortium members successfully hosted the girls’ festival from September 18th to 20th. We are proud to announce that 9 Ethiopian Young Women Voice (EYWV) members participated in this incredible 3-day event from South Ethiopia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Addis Abeba.The festival provided a remarkable platform for girls and young women advocates to be together, connect, and build a stronger movement. Allowing advocates to share best practices, reflect on progress, and amplify their voices in leadership and decision-making spaces.The Panel Discussions were performed on key advocacy topics:– Talent Sectors showcasing creative skills– Experience sharing to learn from one another– Inspirational Talks by role models– Networking Opportunities to build connections– Mentorship Sessions offering guidance and support– and mental health and well-being.Most importantly the experience-sharing session was a good bond among GYW and identifying our life path and how to face similar problems.We extend our warmest cheers to all participants and the organizer, especially EYWV members, for their active involvement in this festival. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for girls and young women in Ethiopia.

Joint Monitoring Workshop on Gender-Responsive Planning & Budgeting in Dire Dawa On October 1-2, 2024, a dynamic two-day joint monitoring session was held in Dire Dawa. The session focused on “gender-responsive planning and budgeting” as a vital step toward gender equality and women’s empowerment. Over 40 participants, including planning and budgeting experts, WROs, and social affairs representatives from seven woredas, collaborated to assess progress and address challenges within their institutions. Key initiatives highlighted:  Decision-makers’ sensitization and staff training. Gender gap analysis and budget adjustments to meet women’s needs. Boosting women’s participation in decision-making and economic activities. Enhanced M&E tools for tracking gender parity in program benefits. Progresses Made More women are aware of their rights. Community support for women’s rights is growing. Women have actively participated in government, economic cooperatives, and resource management. Despite successes, gaps in “gender-sensitive M&E tools” and “reporting quality” remain. Participants called for continued training to fully integrate gender-focused planning at all levels.

High Level Policy Dialogue Workshop at the Federal Level on the Policy Findings and Recommendations on Girls Education was conducted As part of Education Champion Network project activity, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) in partnership with MALALA Fund, organized the high-level policy dialogue workshop at the federal on the policy findings and recommendations on girls’ education. The project aims to improve education policy actions and implementations and address emerging girls’ education needs and during and post-conflict contexts in Ethiopia. Moreover, to support effective advocacy and coalition building strategies for policy changes that strengthen educational institutions. The workshop was held at Aya Hotel, on September 6, 2024.

NEWA in collaboration with Spanish Development Cooperation, hosted a transformative three-day Leadership and Communication Training From September 3rd to 5th, 2024, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), in collaboration with Spanish Development Cooperation, hosted a transformative three-day Leadership and Communication Training in Beshoftu. This training brought together executive directors from NEWA member organizations and other women’s rights organizations to equip thessm with the essential skills to address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The air was filled with anticipation as the women, representing diverse organizations, convened to equip themselves with the tools to combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). The training delved into a wide range of topics, from the fundamentals of leadership to the nuances of effective communication and advocacy. Days were filled with insightful discussions, interactive workshops, and practical exercises. Participants explored the intricacies of strategic leadership, the power of teamwork, and the art of making informed decisions. They delved into the depths of emotional intelligence, learning to navigate their own emotions and empathize with others. The training wasn’t just about theory; it was about empowering women to become catalysts for change. Participants honed their communication skills, mastering the art of persuasive speaking and impactful presentations. They learned to harness the power of social media, turning it into a platform for advocacy and awareness. Beyond individual empowerment, the training fostered a sense of collective strength. Participants connected with like-minded women, forming bonds that would extend beyond the three-day gathering. They recognized the importance of collaboration, realizing that together, they could create a more powerful impact. As the training concluded, Mrs. Saba, the Executive Director of NEWA, highlighted the crucial role of collaboration among women’s rights organizations. She emphasized the need for a united front to amplify women’s voices, address pressing issues, and ultimately achieve gender equality. By working together and advocating consistently can effectively combat gender-based violence and create a more equitable society.

NEWA in collaboration with UN Women has organized two days Capacity-Building Training on Advocacy Skills The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) in collaboration with UN Women has organized two days Capacity-Building Training on Advocacy Skills specifically on women’s political participation and preventing VAWiE/P. The first round is from 27-28 at Adama Executive Hotel. The number of participants is 37 (33 F and 4 M) of which three of them are Women with Disabilities drawn from 17 Women’s Rights Organizations, CSOs working on human rights and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities. This training is financed by UN Women and it is one of the activities of our collaborative project called “Strengthening Political Leadership of Women Aspirants in Ethiopia”. The overall objective of the training is to enhance participants’ comprehension and execution of structured and data-driven policy advocacy by deepening their understanding of the advocacy concepts and advocacy cycle and strategies to CSOs and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities working in women’s rights and human rights in general. While the specific objectives are the following: Enhance participants’ comprehension of the advocacy process by providing a structured and data-driven approach to policy advocacy. Equip participants with in-depth knowledge of the advocacy cycle and strategic planning to effectively influence policy decisions. Foster collaborative learning among participants to ensure a cohesive understanding and application of advocacy principles and techniques. Develop action plans In the training some of the topics covered are: Concepts of advocacy Advocacy cycle Policy and policy advocacy Evidence-based advocacy Power mapping, etc.  

“ጥምረት ለሴቶች ድምፅ” የሴቶችን አጀንዳዎች ለኮሚሽኑ አስረከበ። ሀምሌ 18/2016 ዓ.ምጥምረት ለሴቶች ድምፅ፤ በስምንት ክልሎችና በሁለት ከተማ አተስተዳደሮች ያሰባሰባቸውን የሴቶችን አጀንዳዎች ለኢትዮጵያ ሀገራዊ ምክክር ኮሚሽን አስረክቧል።የኢትዮጵያ ሀገራዊ ምክክር ኮሚሽን ኮሚሽነሮች የጥምረቱን አጀንዳዎች ከጥምረቱ አመራሮች ተረክበዋል። የኢትዮጵያ ሀገራዊ ምክክር ኮሚሽን ዋና ኮሚሽነር መሥፍን አርአያ (ፕሮፌሰር) ፤ ኮሚሽኑ ከተቋቋመበት ጊዜ ጀምሮ የሴቶችን ተሳትፎ ለማሳደግ በአሠራር ሥርዓቱ አካትቶ እየተንቀሳቀሰ ነው ብለዋል። ጥምረት ለሴቶች ድምፅ በሀገራዊ ምክክር ሂደቱ የሴቶችን ግንዛቤና ተሳትፎ ለማሳደግ ያደረገው ጥረት የሚያስመሰግን መሆኑንም ዋና ኮሚሽነሩ ገልጸዋል። ኮሚሽኑ የተሰበሰቡትን የሴቶች አጀንዳዎች በሀገራዊ የምክክሩ ላይ እንደሚጠቀማቸውም አስታውቀዋል። የሴቶችና ማህበራዊ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር ኤርጎጌ ተስፋዬ (ዶ/ር) የሴቶች ጉልህ ተሳትፎ የሌለበት ሀገራዊ ምክክር ሙሉ እንደማይሆን ገልፀው፤ የተሰበሰቡት አጀንዳዎች ተግባራዊ እንዲደረጉ ሁሉም ባለድርሻ አካላት ሚናቸውን እንዲወጡ ጥሪ አቅርበዋል። የጥምረት ለሴቶች ድምፅ ሰብሳቢ ሳባ ገብረመድህን፤ ጥምረቱ በሀገራዊ ምክክሩ ሂደት የሴቶችን ተሳትፎ በማሳደግ በኩል ከፍተኛ አስተዋጽኦ ማድረጉን ተናግረዋል።ጥምረቱ ከኮሚሽኑ ጋር በቅርበት ሲሠራ መቆየቱን ገልጸው፤ በክልልና በሀገር አቀፍ ደረጃ ያሉ የሴቶች አደረጃጀቶች በቀጣይ ጊዜያት በምክክሩ ላይ በጋራ እንደሚሠሩ አረጋግጠዋል።  ጥምረት ለሴቶች ድምፅ ሀምሳ አምስት የሴቶች ማህበራትን ያቀፈ ድርጅት ነው፡፡

NEWA in collaboration with Gate for Opportunity organized a regional interface and consultation meeting As part of the She Leads project activity, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) in collaboration with Gate for Opportunity organized a regional interface and consultation meeting among with the girls & young women and key stakeholders. The meeting aimed to create a safe space for the girls and the young women to advocate for their rights and support them to develop their expression of ideas & leadership skills. The meeting was held at the Delight Hotel, Dilla.

NEWA & EWLA with the support of ICTJ and UN-Women Ethiopia kicked off a strategic two-day consultation The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), with the support of International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), and UN-Women Ethiopia kicked off a strategic two-day consultation titled “Ensuring Gender Justice in the Implementation of the Transitional Justice Policy.” The platform brings Women Rights organizations (WRO), Associations and individual experts to strategize and laid foundations for collective Voice and coordinated action. Mrs. Saba Gebremedhin, Executive Director of NEWA, welcomed participants, highlighting the importance of coordinated and proactive engagement of women towards the successful transitional justice process.  

NEWA IN PARTINERSHIP WITH MALALA, ORGANIZED CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP WITH 9-12 SCHOOL GIRLS DROWN FROM 10 REGIONS AND TWO CITY ADMINISTRATIONS. As part of Education Champion Network project activity, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) in partnership with MALALA Fund, organized consultative workshop with 9-12 school girls drown from 10 regions and two city administrations to identify their asks and demands. The workshop discussion, school girls identifying their asks and demands in their respective regions. The workshop was held at Tadesse Enjory hotel, Hawassa city on June 15, 2024