Horn of Africa: Oxfam PACE Program Participants
Admas
A woman-dominated umbrella organization of community-based organizations in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. It evolved out of funeral associations (that provided money for burial) into a savings-and-credit association. Admas members provide access to income resources, legal and emotional support, home-based care, testing and counseling services to AIDS patients, schooling for orphans and vocational training to women and unemployed youth, support for the elderly and street kids. They describe their change project this way: “Initially we started with 'gender equality' but we changed our strategy to identifying the misconceptions and their root causes.”
Ratson
A rural development NGO in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. Derived from a Hebrew word meaning “helping people to help themselves,” Ratson focuses on income generation for families suffering from unemployment and provides access to health and education, saving-and-credit services for women, youth and other disadvantaged groups. They describe their change project this way: “Staff will have developed a better understanding on gender sensitivity /complementarities.”
GAVO (General Assistance and Volunteer Organization)
Is an NGO established in five regions of the country at the end of the civil war, during Somaliland independence in 1993, focuses on supporting mentally challenged people. GAVO also services street children, urban poor, returnees, farming communities, youth and municipality officials. They describe their change project this way: “To promote gender equity by empowering women, increasing their access to resources and equal employment opportunities and to increase community awareness and knowledge on gender equality through capacity building.”
UNYDA (The Upper Nile Youth Development Association)
A youth organization in the Upper Nile state capital of South Sudan, Malakal, is focused on implementing a peace-building program to bring together youth from different tribes, and anti-poverty initiatives that address job creation for youth, media access for women and reintegration of displaced people. Their change project was to build their capacity to work on gender issues, while at the same time responding to women’s practical needs in the area. UNYDA also planned to create a youth transformation and development center in Malakal, which would serve as a pilot for future district youth centers across the state.
WDG (Women’s Development Group)
A peace-building organization in Wau, South Sudan that brings together women from different ethnic backgrounds around tribal differences and domestic violence. Their change project built a research project around the cause and consequences of domestic violence, and included men in the process, being careful not to contribute to tensions and alienation in the community.
Abu Hadia Society
Is a development and educational NGO in the Red Sea region of Sudan where the population is largely Beja. For example, current cultural norms and limits girls access to education and women’s mobility in public spaces – a culture characterized by strict gender segregation and inequality. Some of the culture norms include women being rarely seen in public, and decision-making, at both village and household levels, being considered the responsibility of men. Illiteracy is very high among Beja women, and girls’ access to education is limited. Harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, are widespread. Women suffer unequal access to health services, education and productive assets. These cultural norms have undermined women’s socio-economic status and increased their vulnerability to poverty. Their change project sought to understand and consolidate their approach to gender issues, and to extend the work with volunteers, decision makers and other NGO’s in the Red Sea Context. They also aimed to develop a gender-equality/sensitivity training manual for the society, and to conduct trainings on gender awareness and gender planning.
For more information on the Oxfam Pace Program, please click here
