Background
Following the two famines of the 1980s, thousands of women joined the ranks of the economically-vulnerable. Many of these women moved to urban centers to take mostly low-paying jobs in the informal sector. Women in the rural areas continue to perform the bulk of the nation’s work, especially in coffee-producing areas, without adequate, if any, compensation.
Preventable infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and childhood malnutrition are widespread in Ethiopia, and maternal mortality is high. It is estimated that 74% of Ethiopian women undergo female circumcision, culturally believed to control women’s sexuality. Although in recent years several million women have learned to read through government literacy campaigns, currently less than 40% of Ethiopian girls are enrolled in school. Due to government restrictions of local women’s programs, WCI focuses the majority of its work on connecting grassroots women’s movements in Ethiopia with elected women officials at all levels. If supported with adequate resources, Ethiopia’s women leaders can effectively advocate to address the detrimental social, economic and health-related issues that most affect women.
Despite Ethiopia’s continued political unrest, WCI is committed to maintaining nonpartisan involvement working alongside the Members of Parliament (MPs) and district-level elected officials. In the elections following WCI’s trainings in 2005, women’s representation in the House of People’s Representatives increased from 42 to 117 (7.7% to 21%). WCI is working closely with the Women’s Caucus to combat four of the most pressing issues identified by participants affecting women and girls in Ethiopia: girls’ drop-out rates from school, obstetric fistula, HIV/AIDS and sexual harassment.
WCI’s Programs
Since 2004, WCI has been training women candidates and elected officials in Ethiopia to be effective leaders and advocate for gender equality. Programs include:
Pre-Election Activities
Candidate Training Series: WCI first implemented its Candidate Training Series in Ethiopia preceding the May 2005 national elections WCI worked with women from as many of Ethiopia’s political parties as possible. Training topics included developing leadership skills, understanding election laws and processes, effective public communication and media relations, grass-roots organizing, campaign strategies, policy analysis and resource mobilization/fundraising.
In 2008, WCI brought the pre-election candidate trainings series to the local level by training over 600 candidates running for Kebele (sub-district), Woreda (district), City Councils and the Federal Parliament. In conjunction with these trainings, WCI also provided sub-grants to groups such as the Ethiopian Media Women’s Association to promote the importance of voting for women candidates.
Post-Election Activities:
General Orientation Workshops: WCI also offered sessions for male and female Members of Parliament (MPs) on topics such as the Ethiopian Constitution, gender analysis, collaborative decision-making skills and effective political leadership.
Gender and Leadership Training: In a five-day workshop for newly elected women MPs were trained on topics such as addressing gender inequity, arenas for raising gender issues and effective communication.
Capacity-building Training for Parliamentary Staffers: WCI implemented trainings for parliamentary staffers on the political process, the Ethiopian Constitution, and basic research methodologies.
Negotiation, Consensus-Building and Communication: Through this workshop, male and female MPs of various political affiliations enhanced their negotiation and communication skills. The workshop concluded with an experience-sharing forum with MPs visiting from the United Kingdom and Germany.
Activism Workshops: In 2007, women of the National Women’s Caucus identified HIV/AIDS, obstetric fistula, girls’ drop-out rates from school, and sexual harassment as the focal issues of their caucus. WCI and the Women’s Caucus now bring local experts on these topics to present to male and female MPs to increase their understanding of the focal issues. WCI’s partner IntraHealth Ethiopia provides local physicians to educate the MPs on the causes and effects of health issues that specifically affect women. The MPs have also visited the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. At the end of the trainings, participants drafted action plans for legislation and advocacy programs to address these four issues.
Conflict Management and Resolution Training: In collaboration with Art of Living Foundation, WCI organized a four-day training for 26 men and women MPs from ruling and opposing parties. The training focused on stress management, communication, and negotiation skills.
Regional State Council Trainings: WCI also conducts four-day trainings for women members of the nine regional state councils of Ethiopia. The training focuses on issues of gender mainstreaming, the creation of women’s regional caucuses, effective communication, obstetric fistula and HIV/AIDS. Through past trainings, WCI has facilitated the creation of 4 women’s caucuses across the regional state councils.
Support to the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus: WCI provides ongoing support for the National Women’s Caucus of Ethiopia. In May 2008, WCI organized a Parliamentary Study Tour for nine women MPs to visit the South African Women’s Caucus, Gender Equality Commission, Independent Electoral Commission, and civil society groups working on promoting gender equality. WCI also provides technical support for the English and Amharic versions of the Parliamentary website.
WCI’s Impact
Through the dedicated work of its field office staff and local partners, WCI’s programs in Ethiopia continue to be enormously successful. After the 2005 elections, women’s representation in the House of People’s Representatives increased from 42 to 117 (7.7% to 21%) with WCI’s help. Eleven of the newly elected women Members of Parliament (MPs) had attended WCI’s trainings. To date, WCI’s program coverage in country has reached the following groups of participants:
| Participants Trained | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| 175 male and female community and political leaders | Identifying Obstacles to Women’s Political Participation |
| 109 women standing for national elections | Candidate Training Workshops |
| Over 600 women standing for the local elections, across fifteen cities | Candidate Training Workshops |
| 450 male and female Members of Parliament (MPs) – 96% of sitting in 2005 | General Orientation Workshops |
| 110 women MPs and key committee members (male and female) | Negotiation, Consensus-Building and Communication |
| 26 men and women MPs from ruling and opposing parties | Conflict Management and Resolution in a Multi-party Democracy |
| 35 men and women MPs from ruling and opposing parties | Activism Workshops |
| 200 women of the nine Regional State Councils | Women’s Issues and Gender Mainstreaming |
| 100 women | HIV/AIDS Testing and Counseling Initiative |
| 9 women MPs | Parliamentary Study Tour to South Africa |
