Women and girls' empowerment

When the history of African development is written, it will be clear that a turning point involved the empowerment of women.

- Sheryl WuDunn
Our aim. To open up equal education and earning opportunities so women and girls can reach their full potential and rise above gender inequality in Ethiopia. 

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The challenge today

There are many causes of gender inequality in Ethiopia: child marriage, gender-based violence, lack of female sanitary options in schools and scarce maternal healthcare. All of these act as barriers which stop Ethiopian women and girls from reaching their full potential. 

Because of this, women and girls are most at risk of poverty in Ethiopia. Two in five girls miss out on school because they have no way to manage their menstrual hygiene. Many women then lose the chance to earn an independent income and contribute to their community’s development. And when a woman lives in poverty, her family and the next generation are far more likely to live in poverty too.

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The solution you can be part of

Did you know that when you lift a woman out of poverty, you’re helping lift up the community around her too? Experience shows that when a woman can access health, education and income, she invests this back into her family and helps bring about positive change in her community. Here’s how our project partners are making this happen:

  • Putting an end to period shaming and helping girls stay in school through reusable sanitary packs, puberty information booklets and school workshops

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  • Ensuring vulnerable young women are equipped for an independent future through high school/university sponsorships and vital training in reproductive health

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  • Equipping single mothers with the means to provide for their families and contribute to society through agricultural training in sheep, vegetable and bee farming

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  • Setting up women’s savings groups which train women in financial literacy, provide access to finance, help them find work or start a business and help them develop leadership skills

   

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See the solution in action

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The impact you can have

“The sheep is the most important thing for me, it has helped my family so much.”

A single mother living on the outskirts of Gondar city, Mare struggled to feed her five kids, let alone send them to school or pay for medication.

One day, Mare heard about project partners Yenege Tesfa who have a growing reputation in northern Ethiopia. She signed up to their agricultural program where she learnt how to tend sheep, grow her own vegetables and sell them for profit at market.

One year later, not only can Mare afford food, medication and schooling for her family, she also has some savings set aside and is hard at work to improve her family’s future:

“I want to improve the number of my sheep and the quality of them. I would like to add more chickens as well.”

When you help lift one woman like Mare out of poverty, you're helping lift up her family and her community too. 

Woman from Gondar Ethiopia standing in front of her small farm which has empowered her to provide for her family

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Meet your project partners   

 

Dignity Period

Dignity Period

Dignity Period helps Ethiopian girls stay in school by tackling period poverty. They distribute locally-made, reusable sanitary pads and hygiene kits to adolescent girls, while also providing educational booklets to both girls and boys to help dispel myths and reduce the stigma behind menstruation.

 

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Yenege Tesfa

Yenege Tesfa

Meaning ‘Hope for Tomorrow’, Yenege Tesfa are there for the most marginalised in society. They offer group homes for homeless children, run mobile schools for kids on the street, sponsor disadvantaged students, fund free medical services, and run agricultural livelihood programs for single mothers.

 

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JeCCDO

Jerusalem Children & Community Development Organisation

Established in 1985, the Jerusalem Children & Community Development Organisation (JeCCDO) adopt a child and community-based approach to provide access to basic services, increase opportunities for kids and youth through education and skills training, and improve community development and quality of life.

 

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Make your impact

Donate today to help a woman or girl reach her full potential and be part of positive change.

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