UN VoiceQuarterly Newsletter

February 2015 First Issue

Message from the resident coordinator

Dear Readers,

This year is an important one for Ethiopia. It will see the launch of the successor to the Growth and Transformation Plan I, that

has seen rapid economic growth and an impressive reduction in poverty. The United Nations County Team will also be preparing its next UN Development Assistance Framework, which will run from 2016 to 2020 and which will be fully aligned with the next GTP.

We have one more year left to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ethiopia achieved the MDG of reducing child mortality two years ahead of schedule. It has expanded access to basic social services, such as health, education, and water and sanita-tion. Overall, the country is on track to achieve most of the MDGs. Now, we have 12 months left to make sure that Ethiopia achieves all eight MDGs.

This year will also see the articulation of the successor to the Millennium Development Goals. The post-2015 development agenda looks set to focus on a number of development issues not captured in the MDGs, such as ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

We know that good governance and the rule of law at the national and international levels are essential for sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger.

2015 is also critical for Ethiopia in that the country holds its fifth democratic elections. The UN working with Government and its development partners is committed to support Ethiopia conduct its coming national elections.

To this effect the UN, under the leadership of UNDP, is implementing a programme of support to the election that span on the following areas;• Provide support to the National Electoral

Board of Ethiopia with logistical and technical assistance

• Support political party dialogue and engage-ment with the electoral process

• Support greater awareness of the electoral pro-cess through civic and voter education

• Assist improved media participation in the electoral process• Support domestic observation of the election• Provide support to increase youth and women

participation • Support efficiency of the electoral complaint mechanism and election security• Strengthen national peace architecture

UN Resident Coordinator & Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Eugene Owusu

Inside this Issue

Message from the Resident CoordinatorSuccess story on UNCT joint programmeGuest Interview with UN Women RepresentativeFeature story on South Sudanese refugee childrenNews updates

MDG raceAU pre-summit consultation on genderMoney hand-over ceremony: Running for a Cause campaign

Did you know? Ethiopia’s progress to achieve MDGsEvents

MessagE.....CONT’DWe are very passionate to see that this programme is successfully implemented, because we see democracy and good governance not as important ends in themselves. They are also important means to improve and secure development.

As we commence 2015 and plan ahead, it is also a time for reflection on 2014. One of the biggest challenges we faced over the past 12 months was the surge to Ethiopia of South Sudanese refugees fleeing violence back home.

Once again, I applaud Ethiopia’s open door policy and generosity to refugees. The country now hosts the largest refugee population in Africa. As the UN and a host of other NGOs and partners jointly continue to provide humanitarian assistance to refugee populations across the country,

it is my hope that more funds will be secured to allow for the continuation of appropriate support services. For its part, the United Nations County Team remains committed to working with all its partners to build a bright future for all Ethiopians.

Let us use this year to commit ourselves to ensuring that the impressive development progress we have seen over the last decade is sustained and indeed improved upon, so that Ethiopia can achieve its ambition of becoming a stable, prosperous, democratic, middle income and carbon neutral country in the next decade.

A flour mill run by local women transforms livelihoods: A joint programme of the UN country team in Ethiopia

About two hours’ drive from the regional capital city of Benishangul Gumuz region is Maokomo woreda or district. Maokomo woreda is a fertile stretch of land where agriculture is a predominant occupation for local residents. Zeba kebele of Maokomo woreda is home to over 2000 residents, most of whom are farmers and traders.

In 2011, UNDP, UNICEF, UNWOMEN, FAO, WFP, WHO and UNCDF jointly created the Developing Regional States (DRS) programme which aims to accelerate development in Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella and Somali developing regional states. DRS programme primarily focuses on building local capacities in the areas of public service, economic empowerment and environment protection.

Zeba kebele is one among target localities that the DRS programme aims to transform. Ali Bouba, a farmer in the kebele, is content that his wife is a member of a local union; one that was established to support women in his kebele. ‘This union helps eradicate some of the problems affecting women of Zeba kebele’ Ali adds, ‘the flour mill saves time for my wife. She now is able to take care of other household chores and even helps me in our farm’.

Alharam Alhassan and Shukre Welteji are residents of Zeba kebele. Alharam and Shukre not only understand issues that affect women in their locality; both women work hard to overcome challenges every day. In recent days, Alharam, Shukre and friends have reaped some success.

As co-chairs of a local women’s association that brings together 250 women, Alharam and Shukre share a great role in Zeba kebele. More important, they exercise decision making both in the home and at their family-owned farms. The same is true for all members of the association –

Alharam and Shukre_ cochairs of the local womens union

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most of whom are predominantly engaged in small-scale mixed farming practices. Now, the union’s women can generate supplementary personal and family income thanks to a flour mill they collectively run in Zeba kebele.

Alharam, chairperson of Zeba women’s union is a mother of six and a farmer. She recalls hearing ‘about a proposal to establish Zeba women’s union’ from the local administration office tasked with handling local women’s and youth issues. Alharam decided to join the union in 2013. At that time of her joining, all women members contributed a monthly amount of ‘2 Birr’; now the union’s capital has grown to ‘4,900 Birr’ and membership has grown to ‘250 women’, according to Alharam.

In 2014, through the DRS programme, Maokomo woreda local administration and the women’s union set up a flour mill in Zeba kebele. ‘Members of the community – women and men supplied all of the wood used to make the shed where the flour mill stands. All of Zeba built this hut together. Our flour mill is safely locked in this hut whenever it is not a flour milling day’, explains Mr. Mohammed Ousman Ali, the DRS Coordinator for Maokomo woreda.

Shukre, a mother of three, is the deputy chairwoman of the union. For her, the flour mill will ‘lessen burdens of women’ who previously had to ‘travel up to four hours on foot to get to the nearest flour mill center. This was a problem. Women could only carry a few kilograms of grains on their backs to the flour mill, making it difficult to stock up flour ready for use in the home for longer periods of time’. In other words, given the very few kilograms of flour women would bring back home, they would have to travel more than twice monthly to the flour mill center in town; having often to withstand long queues. Shukre contently says that ‘women can now use extra time to work in the fields.

Women also now can make and take decisions’. Both women agree that they are committed to ‘work harder to increase their household earnings’ as the flour mill business expands. The flour mill does not only serve as a hot spot for the close to 2500 residents of Zeba kebele, but also Alharam and Shukre are looking at potential customers from surrounding kebeles of Shio, Banga, Gwaka and parts of Shigogo. In a way, Alharam and Shukre will be responsible for feeding about ‘7,000 people’ Seid says, laughing and nodding his head.

Two years ago, Ali recalls that his brother Ahmed Bouba lost ’30 heads of cattle to a tse-tse fly infes-tation’. Similarly, many other farmers in Ali’s com-munity ‘stopped grazing livestock and would keep the animals within reach in their compounds’. It is at this time that an uncommon zero-grazing practice surfaced in Ali’s kebele.

The DRS programme has also introduced a simple counter tse-tse fly system that is helping farmers like Ali. Teha Ahmed is the local Zeba kebele veteri-narian; he regularly visits ‘tse-tse fly targets’ he has helped install all around Zeba and other kebeles to control the tse-tse fly infestations. ‘How the tse-tse fly target works is simple’, explains Teha. ‘The insects are attracted to a blend of blue and black colors as you can see from this hanging piece of cloth. I apply chemicals on the fabric every now and then, and visit to see if dead tse-tse flies have plied-up on the fabric or on the ground below it. Whenever the numbers of dead insects increase, I know that there is a likely infestation. At this point, I set up the real traps. What we are trying to do here is reduce the chances of tse-tse fly multiplying in a manner that is beyond control, which may affect farmers as happened two years ago’ he further adds. At present, Teha has set up ’70 targets’ in various locations within Zeba kebele.

Today, Ali’s brother Ahmed has ‘4 cattle’ which Ali says graze in the fields. He also shares that farmers ‘are now becoming more confident about letting their cattle graze in the field’ outside of the confines of their homesteads.

Agreeing to this new success in Zeba kebele, Moham-med, the local DRS Coordinator, takes a picture of a bull in one of his regular rounds in Maokomo woreda kebeles where DRS support is helping create more sustainable livelihoods, strengthening local economies (increased individual and household incomes) as well as promoting local environment protection and also enhancing good governance.

Ali center talks how Zeba union changed his wife life

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2. What do you think about the recent incidents of violence against women & girls and its prevalence in Ethiopia?

Ms. Letty Chiwara: The recent horrendous act on Hana and other victims raised public outcries and anger in Ethiopia. Many organizations working on women’s rights took this moment and brought to the at-tention of the government and the public that we need to take action against violence by ending impunity.

In many societies violence against women is considered as a private and domestic issue. Because of that, many incidences of violence are not talked about in the public and reported. Women sometimes even feel ashamed and keep quite. I believe that we have succeeded in ensuring that people speak out on incidences of violence against women and girls as a result of our campaign which has been ongoing for more than four years now. However, when the silence is broken, many incidences of violence are heard. The fact that incidences of violence against women is made a public issue can be seen in two perspectives. One is that the society reached to a level of intolerance of violence against women and whenever it happens it is disclosed. In another way, it forces us to face the ugly reality that violence against women exists and women are suffering from it and we cannot any more deny its existence and refuse to act.

3. What are some of the individual and collective efforts of the UN at eliminating violence against women?

Ms. Letty Chiwara: Through the Joint Programme on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, UN agencies are funding and supporting various government initiatives on ending violence against women and delivering as one.

1. What is “Orange your neighborhood” movement?

Ms. Letty Chiwara: “Orange your neighborhood” is a global call for action for 2014 at the eve of 2015 to end violence against women by the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women (VAW) campaign. The campaign, through its advocacy initiatives at the global, regional and national levels, aims to raise public awareness and increase political will and resources for preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world by engaging the community and the individual, and taking the UNiTE campaign ‘locally’.

This year International Day for the Elimination of violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence which was commemo-rated by UN Country Team here in Ethiopia from 25 November to 10 December of 2014, was organized under the banner of “orange your neighborhood”. The color Orange, bright and optimistic, symbolizes a world where women and girls live a life free from violence. The commemoration reached out to UN staffs and its neighborhood in the Kazanchise area. Orange t-shirts with the message ‘DON’T RAISE YOUR HANDS IN VIOLENCE RAISE YOUR VOICE TO STOP IT’ were distributed in the Kazanchise area, home to the UN Eco-nomic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other UN agencies.

T-shirts were distributed with a view of oranging the UN neighborhood-and most of the recipients were men since the main message for Ethiopia was to bring men on board in the fight to end violence against women and girls.

GUEST INTERVIEW

UN WOMEN representative Ms. Letty Chiwara speakingat the launch of Orange your Neighbourhood Campaign 4

INTERVIEW with UNWOMEN represnetative Ms. Letty Chiwara

UN Women in particular supports the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs and other sector ministers to adopt various strategies and guidelines, to increase public awareness and social mobilization and contribute to their strengthened capacity in putting in place effective national protective and responsive mechanisms.

In addition, UN Women together with other UN agencies works with CSOs in putting in place survivor-focused and human-rights based protection services for survivors of violence. This year, UN agencies came together as one to commemorate the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women and 16 days of activism against Gender-based violence. Many agencies have provided technical and financial support, which I would like to commend. This, I believe, will continue in our future engagements too.

4. What have been the major challenges and what solutions do you propose?

Ms. Letty Chiwara: The Government of Ethiopia has created a conducive legal and policy environment to promote the rights of women and girls. In spite of an enabling normative framework, several factors continue to hamper the fulfillment of women and girls’ lives free of violence. The existence of discriminatory attitudes and behaviors towards violence against women at the institutional, community, and individual level, the low level of awareness among the general population, inadequate support services for survivors and gaps in systematic information collection on VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) and women’s access to justice continue to be major challenges.

In order to effectively address VAWG, an integrated and holistic approach needs to be adopted while looking at several institutional segments where a woman may contact while experiencing violence.

This approach is necessary when aiming to implement policies and mechanisms for protecting women within the judicial system. The justice system should be strengthened to end impunity by adopting victims centered approaches. Traditional and religious leaders and community-based support remain a fundamental drive within the society in promoting the advancement of women’s rights and in countering discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.

5. Any final messages?

Ms. Letty Chiwara: I would like to stress one key message that “Ending Violence against Women and Girls is not women’s responsibility – but rather it is the responsibility of the whole society and therefore engaging men in this fight is key”.

To this effect UN Women has launched a follow up campaign which is the HeforShe Campaign. HeforShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality developed by UN Women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights. The campaign encourages them to speak out and take action against inequalities faced by women and girls. I would like to commend the Ethiopia UN Resident Coordinator for being the first man in Ethiopia to sign on to the HeforShe Campaign and I would like to extend an invitation to all UN Heads of Agencies and all our male colleagues to join the HeForShe campaign and register and visualize in real-time the number of men activated on the map globally at http://www.heforshe.org/#take-action by pledging that “Gender equality is not only a women’s issue, it is a human rights issue that requires my participation. I commit to take action against all forms of violence and discrimination faced by women and girls.”

All over the world, men are taking a stand for gender equality. Very, very few men in Ethiopia have committed on the website. “Join them and move Ethiopia into the lead” Replace He for She!

UN Resident Coordinator signing up for He for She campaign

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Refugee children benefited from coordinated UN Humanitarian response

Visitors to the grade one classes in the Kule Refugee Camp are often welcomed with a joyful song by the children in their native

Nuer language. The song is about their right to an education and the students enthusiastically sing and clap along.

Refugee children from South Sudan learn at a makeshift school at Kule Camp in Gambella region

Photo: courtesy of UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Ose

In one of these classrooms there is one voice that rises over all of the other voices and immediately draws attention in its direction. It’s the voice of 13 year old Nyabol Lual. A slim, shy adolescent girl with a bright smile.

Holding a pencil and a ruler in her hands, Nyabol explains that she started school in the Kule Refugee Camp in July, one month after she arrived in Gambella, Ethiopia with her mother and her four siblings. After her father was killed in the conflict in South Sudan, her mother led the family on foot from the Upper Nile Region in South Sudan to Ethiopia. Nyabol was enrolled in school in South Sudan but her classes were interrupted by the fighting and she had to stop her education.

“I like school very much and English is my favourite subject,” she says. Nyabol is one of 24,991 refugee children (10,996 girls; 13,995 boys) now enrolled in school in grades 1-4.

A recent ‘Back to School’ campaign in Septem-ber for the academic year 2014-2015 registered over 18,000 students in Kule and Tierkidi refugee

camps.

Left-Nyabol Lual, 13 – a grade one student in the Kule Refugee Camp Photo: courtesy of UNICEF Ethiopia

The opening of schools and the campaign to register children in the camps is the result of strong partnerships between Ethiopia’s Adminis-tration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), UNHCR, UNICEF and NGOs such as Plan International, Save the Children International and World Vision. “In addition to the life-saving services provided in the camps such as nutrition and clean water, it is important that we also give children the opportunity to go school,” says Mr. Daniel Ayele Bezabih, Head of Programme Implementation and Coordination, ARRA. “The partnership between ARRA, UNHCR, UNICEF and other NGOs has ensured that children in the camps can access education and continue to learn,” he adds.

To ensure children could go to school, ARRA; UNHCR and partners such as UNICEF had to allocate land in the camps for the schools; construct classrooms; identify and train teachers from the refugee community; develop a curriculum; and provide learning materials for teachers and students. Once all of this was in place, a door to door campaign was conducted to register children in school. “In an environment such as this where so many basic requirements need to be met and services provided to so many people so quickly; strong partnerships are key to the overall success,” explains Mr. Shadrack Omol, Chief of Field Operations, UNICEF Ethiopia. “The partnership between UNICEF, ARRA and UNHCR in education highlights such strength” he adds. UNICEF leads the cluster coordination for education in Gambella.

Mr. Daniel also acknowledges the importance of effective partnerships which he says was demonstrated when the Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps and the Matar border entry point were flooded from June to October, displacing thousands of refugees. When the rainy season arrived and flooded the camps, thousands of refugees had to be accommodated within host communities.

The regional government in Gambella opened its health facilities to the refugees and ARRA, UNHCR, UNICEF and other partners came together to ensure refugees and the host 6

Students in class in the Tierkidi Refugee CampPhoto: courtesy of UNICEF Ethiopia

communities were able to access clean water, proper sanitation, health, nutrition, education and protection services.

Since the conflict started in South Sudan in December 2013, more than 190,900 refugees have crossed into Gambella, Ethiopia. Approx-imately 90 percent of the refugees are women and children. The Ethiopian Government main-tains an ‘open-door’ policy towards refugees in keeping with international commitments. This has required robust coordination and effective and efficient partnerships to meet the needs not only of the refugees but also the host communities in Gambella which has also been greatly affected by the very rapid increase in population size. “The Government’s policy is when a refugee camp is established, the host community must also benefit from the services provided,” says Mr. Daniel.

In Akula, refugees are settled together with the host community. Humanitarian partners and regional government have scaled up the provision of services to be used by the host community and refugees. Refugee children attend school with children from the host community. UNICEF supports the humanitarian partners to build a new school in Akula and will provide teaching and learning material for all the children that will be attending the school.

“The host communities are incorporated into the planning and implementation of our activities in response to the refugee situation in Gambella and it’s through good working relations with all part-ners that this is being done,” explains Mr. Daniel.

Back at school in the Kule Refugee Camp, Nyabol says she loves to come to school because she is learning many subjects.

She dreams of becoming a doctor in the future so she can help other refugees like herself. For Mr. Daniel, Nyabol’s story represents the overall goal of ARRA, UNHCR and its partners. “Supporting refugees so they can not only sustain their lives but also thrive is success for ARRA,” he says.

Coordinated Humanitarian response of the UN agencies for South Sudanese

refugees in Ethiopia

As per the mandate given to it by the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) leads and coordinates the overall emergency response in the Gambella area, primarily focusing on the protection of the nearly 250,000 South Sudanese refugees of whom more than 191,300 arrived since December 2013. More than 8,700 others are accommodated in the Benishangu-Gumuz Regional State, including 2,585 people who arrived since mid-December last year. As of 9 December 2014, 193,960 South Sudanese refugees arrived in Ethiopia, fleeing conflict and insecurity in their country.

Together with the Government refugee agency-Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) and other UN agencies, it has established several registration and reception sites as well as four camps to accommodate the refugees. UNHCR together with IOM, UNICEF, WFP, WHO and other national and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) ensure the protection and provision of material needs of the refugees effectively. The United Nations in Ethiopia pays particular attention to the protection needs of vulnerable refugees such as women and children, the elderly and the disabled.

Until such time that conditions are created for the refugees to go back home or access any other durable solution, the UN agencies Ethiopia provide support in such areas as education, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), shelter, and physical planning and construction of camps.

South sudanese refugees carrying suppliesPhoto: Courtesy of UNHCR

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NEWS AND UPDATES

Gambella hosted the 2015 MDG regional raceEmpowering women is empowering a nation:

(January 11, Gambella): The Great Ethiopian Run in partnership with the United Nations in Ethiopia held the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) regional race, celebrating women, in Gambella town on Sunday January 11, 2015.

Over 2500 runners have participated in the race promoting the key message of the race “Empower a woman, empower a nation”.

The race was made special by the participation of conflict affected South Sudan refugees who crossed into Ethiopia to seek safety in Pugnido, Kule and Tierkidi refugee camps in the Gambella region. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR) sponsored and facilitated their participation.

Ethiopia currently hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa and many of them are from South Sudan. The Gambella region is hosting more than 250,000 South Sudanese refugees, mainly women and childrenwho flee their homes due to the violence that has erupted in mid-December 2013.

Nyaduel Gony, is one of the young girls who fled the violence in South Sudan. She lost her father and other members of her family in the conflict. She fled to Ethiopia with her mother and her remaining three siblings.

Though Nyaduel is robbed of a good life in South Sudan, she is a good example of a sur-vivor. “My father used to earn good money and I had never

worried about the family income. But

then my father was killed and we ran for our life. And as the conflict rages, we had to run for our lives,” she says with sadness. “In Tierkidi camp we are provided with a shelter and basic things. So I have to sell some basic items for additional income to support my family,” she added.

Nyaduel is happy to be part of the MDG race representing her camp community at Tierkidi. “It made me feel that I am part of an important event and it opened my eyes to try new things in the future. I also saw a glimpse of hope that one day, I too will lead a normal life again,” she said finishing the race.

Right to left Nyaduel Gony with her friends from the camp after the race in Gambella

The regional race included community outreach activities which were held a day before the actual race. Hundreds of people gathered in Gambella town square to engage in entertainment and education activities such as music, talent shows , question and answer session to highlight the message of the day which focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

A children’s race started the activities of the day followed by the official 5 kilometer adults’ race in which elite athletes, members of the community, UN agencies and humanitarian partners’ staff members and South Sudanese refugees have participated.

Since 2011, MDG regional races have been held in the different regions of Ethiopia to raise awareness on the development goals and thereby call on increased public, civil society, and other stakeholders’ participation on different development agendas. With the ending of the MDGs in 2015, this year’s race ushers in the next phase of development priorities as the world welcomes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participants of MCG race in Gambella

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The African Union (AU) in collaboration with the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC), UNDP, UN Women and UNECA hosted the Stakeholders’ Consultation on 2015 Theme “Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”. The meeting took place between the 20th and the 23rd of January at both the UNECA and the AU.

The Joint Ministerial Segment of the Stakeholder Consultation took place from 22 –23 January 2015 and resulted in the adoption of a Communiqué. The consultation appreciated the AUC Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s leadership in institutionalizing the joint meeting between Ministers of Gender and Wom-en’s Affairs, CSOs and other partners. Together participants held high level discussions on global and continental trends, challenges and solutions in enhancing implementation, monitoring and reporting on development frameworks like Africa’s Agenda 2063 and its 10 Year Action Plan, the Addis Ababa Declaration on Beijing+20, the African Women’s Decade, the post MDG Agenda and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325 ). As a result of the discussions and as part of the Communiqué, the stakeholder consultation recommended and identified, amongst others, the following as critical issues moving forward:

• Popularization and implementation of Agenda 2063 by Member States • Advancing a mindset change that allows

culture as a driving force for change and does not serve as a constraint to women’s rights and women’s empowerment

• Acknowledging risks which endanger progress especially for women such as Ebola and terrorism• Establishment of monitoring systems with

gender sensitive indicators, building on the Solemn Declaration Index, in order to

demand accountability • Enhanced efforts for women’s participation at

all stages of value chains and women’s move from small scale to large scale cooperation’s

• Establishment of a Special Fund for Women in collaboration with the AfdB and the

private sector • Enhanced efforts by Member States to implement commitments of the Maputo Protocol, related to women’s reproductive health and rights

The Communiqué together with the “Addis Ababa Declaration on Accelerating the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing+20)” will be presented for adoption in a declaration to Heads of States during the 24th Assembly of the African Union taking place between the 30th and 31st of January 2015.

AU pre-summit Consultation on the year of Women empowerment and Development

Bienta Diop speaks at the press conferencePhoto: Courtesy of UNWomen/Monika Bihlmaer

Quotes of the event

“We have to change the narrative of Africa, Africa is not poor but full of resources” – Letty Chiwara, UN Women

“We need less talk and more transformative action and a collective dedication to change” – Takyiwaa Munah, UNECA

“We must stop these fragmented agendas and work as one” – Leymah Gbowee, Gbowee Peace Founda-tion

“We need a huge movement for mindset change in Africa. We cannot hope to see change if we continue to do things the same way” – Thelma Awori, IST

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The United Nations in Ethiopia in partnership with the Great Ethiopian Run handed over the 1.3 million Ethiopian Birr fundraised through “Running for a Cause Campaign”, launched with the goal of supporting charities working on social protection and welfare programmes in Ethiopia.

The partners used the excitement of the 10k Inter-national race to advocate on development issues and raise money to help charities doing exemplary life changing works but struggle with inadequate financial resources.

This year’s fundraised money went to Mesert Humanitarian Organization, Sewasewe Genet Charity and Development Organization, Brothers and Sisters Charity organization in Gambella and Benshangule Women Association, all selected by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs.

The handover ceremony was held at the Sewasewe Genet Charity and Development Organization located in Debre Libanos, 100 KM north of Addis Ababa. Her Excellency Zenebu Tadesse Minister of Women, Children and Youth and UNFPA Representative Mr. Faustin Yao representing the United Nations in Ethiopia handed the cheque to representatives of the four charities.

Running for a Cause Campaign handed-over fundraised money

Speaking at the event Minister Zenebu appreci-ated the classical work the GER and the United Nations geared to improve the work of local charities in the country. She pointed, “The gov-ernment alone can’t address the social problems that we face in this country. I commend the coordination the two partners put to contribute towards changing lives.”

Representing the UN Mr. Faustin Yao remarked, “The UN is proud to be associated with such a great cause. In the past the agency has been supporting races organized by the Great Ethiopi-an Run to advocate around the MDGs and other development issues. Today I can assure you that the partnership will reiterate to support social welfare programmes.”

Mr. Ermias Ayele, the Managing Director of the GER, spoke about the challenges and hopes as-sociated with fundraising for charity. He pressed, “The GER is committed to make charity become an integral part of the race and is committed to raise even more money in the future.” He also added, “Running for a Cause brings people from all walks of life to join hands for a common cause and become part of something bigger.” The handover ceremony was followed by a field visit to witness the work of Sewasewe Genet Charity and Development Organization. The team was impressed to see the work of the or-ganization with the mentally sick, the elderly and orphaned children. However, the most amazing part of the visit was witnessing what this organ-ization is doing to become self-reliant. A dairy farm, a clinic, a café and subsistence farming are some of the activities the organization is running to support its charity work. “I am very humbled to witness the work this or-ganization is doing to care for people who other-wise would not be cared by others,” commented Mr. Faustin Yao returning from visit. He added that he is moved to see a lot being done with the support of volunteers and community service phi-lanthropists who are committed to touch people’s life.

Right to left, Mr. Faustin Yao and Ministr Zenebu handing the checque to represnetatives of the selected charities

Elderly home at the Sewasewe Genet Charity Organization

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Did you know?

Facts on Ethiopia’s progress to realize Millenium Development Goals

Substantial progress has been made in the achievement of Mil-lenium Development Goals in Ethiopia. The country is on course to achieve six of the eight MDGs (MDGs 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8).

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

Ethiopia is on course to reducing the prevalence of extreme poverty by half. The proportion of people living below the poverty line declined from 45.5% in 1995/96 to 38.7% in

2004/05, and 29.6% by 2010/11.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

The Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) for primary education (Grade 1–8) increased from 77.5% in 2005/06 to 85.4% in 2011/12. The primary school attendance ratio has risen from 30.2% in 2000/01 to 64.5% in 2010/11.

Goal 3 (Gender Equality and Women Empowerment) and Goal 5 (reducing maternal mortality) are the two goals that are cited as lagging behind.

Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality is one of the goals Ethiopia has already achieved.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

It is estimated that HIV/AIDS prevalence amongst the adult population has dropped to 1.5% in 2010/11 (EDHS, 2011) against the MDG target of 2.5%, indicating that the country has more than achieved this.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

The MDG 7 has four specific targets. The first of these targets requires the country to integrate the principles of sustainable development into national policies and programmes and to reverse the loss of environmental resources. Through the medium term strategy (GTP) and Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, Ethiopia has made important steps towards mainstreaming principles of sustainable development in its development process.

Goal 8: Developing a Global Partnership for Development

The objective of MDG eight has been to rally and foster global partnerships to address global development challenges and mobilize resources to finance interventions aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Significant progress has been made in creating, maintaining and expanding global partnerships for development; assessing progress towards the millennium development.

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February

March

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

United Nations Secretary General’s visit

Holocaust Remembrance EventsInspired by the theme “Liberty, Life and the Legacy of the Holocaust Survivors”, the 2015 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust coincides with the two milestone events: the 70th anniversary of the Second World War’s end and the founding of the United Nations.

The 24th Summit of the African Union will be held from 30-31 January 2015 under the theme “Women’s Empower-ment Year and Africa Development for the concretization of Agenda 2063.” AU Statuto-ry meetings and parallel events will be preceded before the Summit.

Women First 5K Run

International Women’s Day, March 8

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March

Events in the first quarter of 2015