Ongoing Projects

Project: Enhancing the capacity of GBV Campaign Ethiopia through ensuring the engagement of grassroot Women led organizations.
Objective: The project aims to strengthen and sustain the anti-GBV movement in Ethiopia by building the technical, financial, and operational capacities of Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs), Women-Led Organizations (WLOs), and other stakeholders to effectively prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), including conflict-induced Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). By addressing systemic gaps in GBV prevention and response, the project seeks to establish a coordinated and sustainable approach to combating violence against women and girls. It will be implemented in collaboration with four partners operating in Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, and Addis Ababa regions.

The project presumes  the following  key outcomes, including enhanced capacity of WROs, WLOs, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to deliver sustainable GBV services and improved collaboration among anti-GBV actors across Ethiopia. It also aims to strengthen institutional frameworks to address conflict-induced SGBV, increase government accountability in GBV prevention and response, and foster a sustainable anti-GBV movement that addresses the root causes and consequences of violence at the community, regional, and national levels.
Duration: December 1, 2024- November 31, 2025
Implementation Area:
  Oromia, Tigray, Amhara and Addis Ababa
Partner Organization:  Feminist Opportunities Now (FON )

Project: Coupling Unpaid Care and Domestic Work with Local Development Agenda for Improved Care Systems in Ethiopia
Objective: The project aims to contribute to improve gender-responsive planning and budgeting by instituting UCDW and an intersectional approach in the care system of Ethiopia. Specifically targeting, to scale the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming and promote the recognition, reduction, and redistribution of UCDW in the selected pro-poor government sectors, to inform decision makers to create interest and commitment in making investments in UCDW for better recognition, reduction, and redistribution of UCDW in the pro-poor government sectors, and to inform the policy and practice gaps in current practice of gender mainstreaming from an intersectional lens and UCDW considerations.

During the implementation period, two key research themes will be pursued: Carry out implementation research—gender mainstreaming guidelines/policy and measure and value UCDW using both National Transfer Accounts (NTA) and National Time Transfer Accounts (NTTA). Following the research outcomes, follow-up strategies will include policy briefs, trainings, advocacy, and publications to ensure effective implementation and impact.

Eventually, the following outcomes are expected to be achieved: gender mainstreaming guidelines and policies are revised, and related policies become sensitive and responsive, and UCDW is recognized. Interest among policymakers to recognize and invest in the national care system/UCDW is enhanced. Improved practices of gender mainstreaming that recognize and invest in the care system that reduce and redistribute UCDW.
Duration: February 2024 – January 2026
Implementation Area:
National Level
Partner Organization:  International Development Research Center (IDRC)

Project: WE-CARE Phase V, The development and implementation of an advocacy strategy on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

Objective: The project Objectives are Strengthening, Policy influencing and Movement building, and capacity building and also WE-Care aims to increase the recognition of UCDW in public policy; reduce heavy and time-consuming UCDW through investments in essential public services and infrastructure; redistribute the responsibility for UCDW more equally between men and women and between households and the state; and ensure that women with care responsibilities are represented in the planning and implementation of budgets and policies that affect their lives.

Duration: September 2023 – July 2026
Implementation Area:
National Level
Partner Organization:  Oxfam GB Ethiopia

Project: Strengthen the participation and leadership of women’s rights organizations in response to sexual and gender-based violence

Objective: NEWA, Ethiopia’s leading women’s network, is proud to announce a new project in collaboration with a Spanish corporation: “Strengthening the Participation and Leadership of Women’s Rights Organizations in Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.” This ambitious initiative aligns perfectly with NEWA’s vision and mission:
•    Vision: An Ethiopian society where gender equality is a reality.
•    Mission: To empower women and girls through economic, social, political, and legal means, building a society where their rights are respected and their voices are heard.
Why is this project crucial?
SGBV remains a significant challenge in Ethiopia, impacting countless women and girls. NEWA recognizes that effectively addressing this issue requires a multi-pronged approach, and this project tackles it head-on by:
•    Building the capacity of NEWA’s member organizations: We’ll equip our members with the technical and institutional skills needed to effectively combat SGBV at the local level. This includes training on advocacy, service delivery, and community engagement.
•    Empowering women’s leadership: We’ll provide opportunities for women to take on leadership roles within their communities and organizations, driving change from the ground up.
•    Strengthening collaboration: We’ll foster partnerships with government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive and coordinated response to SGBV.
How will this project benefit women and girls?
By strengthening the capacity of our members and empowering women leaders, this project will:
•    Increase access to essential services: More women will have access to SGBV prevention and support services, including legal aid, healthcare, and psychosocial counseling.
•    Amplify women’s voices: Women will be equipped to advocate for their rights and hold perpetrators accountable.
•    Shift harmful attitudes: Community engagement and leadership training will challenge harmful gender norms and promote positive attitudes towards women and girls.
•    Create a ripple effect: By empowering women at the local level, we can create a domino effect of positive change throughout Ethiopian society.
This project aligns with SDG 5:
Our work directly contributes to achieving SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, particularly Goal 5.5: Guarantee the full and effective participation of women and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.

Duration: June 2023 – May 2025
Implementation Area:
 
Partner Organization:  Spanish Corporation

 

Project: Education Champion Network

Objective: The project intends to contribute to girls’ access and participation in education, in conflict and post conflict situations. The problem of girls’ education has been highly compromised due to recent crisis in the country. The project assumes existing polices, strategies and guidelines can serve as framework to improve the situation. Thus, the project aims to improve the gender responsive implementation of these frameworks as well the newly building back plan of the government to ensure girls emerging needs and issues are well recognized and addressed.

The goal of the project, contribute to improved education policy actions and implementations, to address emerging girls’ education needs and during and post-conflict contexts in Ethiopia. As described in the above problem analysis the polices including ESDP 6, Ethiopian Development Education Road Map and the other plans, strategies and guidelines provide opportunities to improve girls access and participation in education. However, the implementation of these policies, especially the relevant policy responses to conflict and post conflict situations need to follow up and good roadmap of the polices and plans girls’ education access and full participation to ensure their completion and 12 years of schooling will require a strong policy action and a gender responsive implementation. This is expected to respond to the emerging needs caused by crisis, exasperated by conflict while at the same time address the preexisting challenges to girls’ education.

Duration: November, 2022- October, 2025
Implementation Area:
National and Regional level
Partner Organization: Malala champions, girls, CSO working on girls’ empowerment and government actors.

Project: Support and establishment of multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms on prevention of FGM/HTP and building of Anti-GBV MOVEMENT.

Objective: Contribute towards an enhanced level of Commitment of women free from FGM/HTP, gov of Ethiopia by incremental percentage in 2030

Duration: August 2023 – March 2024
Implementation Area:
Afar region, Amhara, and National level.
Partner Organization:  UN-Women Ethiopia

Project: Determining Ethiopian women’s status and priorities: an action research project

Objective: The general objective of the research project is to contribute to the improvement of gender equality and women’s empowerment by generating evidence for effective response. The major activities of the project include conducting the national survey (quantitative), undertaking participatory action research (qualitative) and producing a consolidate report. A mixed approach employed is believed to give a full picture of the status and priorities of Ethiopian women.   The outcome of the Action is to ultimately generate evidence for effective response and broader gender equality concern during and after crisis in Ethiopia

Duration: January 2023 to July 2024
Implementation Area:
11 region and 2 city administration
Partner Organization:  EU

Project: Women’s Voice and Leadership

Objective: Contributing to a systems-change of how gender equality & feminism principles are perceived and valued by policy-makers, CSO’s, WO and Duty Bearers. By making women voice more recognised and valued as a public good, NEWA aims to help shift how the policy frameworks & economies are structured and how existing legal frameworks, public policies and public services are designed and delivered to transform the lives of women.

Duration: 2020-2024
Implementation Area:
Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People (SNNP).
Partner Organization:  Plan International Ethiopia

Project: She Leads – Enhancing Girls & Young Women (GYW) participation in national level decision making spaces.

Objective: NEWA is implementing the She Leads project Ethiopia, focusing on the national level. It targets and engages the government, CSOs and GYW, while linking the project with the EWLA and other projects of She Leads.

It will contribute to the following outcomes:

  • Enhanced collective voice and action of GYW in formal and informal institutions
  • Meaningful participation of GYW enabled by councils, law enforcement and government sectoral offices.

Duration: 2021-2025
Implementation Area: Oromia (Dukem), Hawassa (Dilla), Amhara, Oromia and Addis Ababa.
Partner Organization:  Netherland  programme she leads (TDH-NL) 

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