NPA in Ethiopia

Photo: Lasse Berre

NPA has supported partner organizations in Ethiopia since 1984, initially on emergency relief. In December 2001 NPA conducted a national landmine Impact Survey in Ethiopia. The survey showed that Tigray, Afar and Somali regions are the most heavily landmine impacted regions in Ethiopia. In 2005, NPA assisted the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO) with mine-detection dogs and equipment. In 2006, NPA opened a country office in Addis Ababa, incorporating both Mine Action and Development programs.

Development goal:

”To strengthen democratic practices in institutions, among groups and individuals.”

Program Strategies:

To strengthen access to, and sustainable use of, communal land and natural resources in dry-land areas of Ethiopia.
To strengthen democratization processes in urban and semi-urban communities.
To stop violence against women.

Partners: SOS SAHEL,Action for Development (AfD), NWEYAY Civic and social education centre. Melca, DECSI, TTTM ( Tsotawi Tekak Tekelaky Mahber-Organization against Gender based violence), VECOD: Vision Ethiopian Congress for Democracy, HIBIR (Gender based and self defense organization) Former Union Taekwondo Club.

Read more about our program here.

NPA Secretary General visits Ethiopia

Mr.Petter Eide, Secretary General of Norwegian People’s Aid, is visiting projects run by the organisation within Mine Action and Development.

Doing a Decent Job? A New Report on the IMF Shows a Leopard who Cannot Change its Spots

Despite changes in rhetoric, IMF policy advice and conditions are still having the same detrimental effects on social protection, decent work and poverty in countries forced to take out loans due to the financial crisis, a new report released today shows.

Productive quarter for mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia

More than half a million square metres were cleared from January until the end of March 2009.

Ethiopia completes destruction of stockpiled mines

On April 2nd 2009, the Ethiopian Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that the country had completed their destruction of stockpiled Anti-Personnel Mines, two months before the Global June 1st deadline.

Ready for the field.

They were the youngest dogs ever to be sent from the Global Training Centre in Bosnia. After 9 months of training and acclimatization on the Entoto Mine Action Training Centre in Addis Ababa, they have been tested according to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and are now ready for “the real stuff”: sniffing for mines in the field.

More dogs in more places.

With 2008 lagging towards its end, NPA Mine Action in Ethiopia has taken more steps in developing the program according to the plan- to make partner EMAO fully responsible.

Klar melding fra etiopiske ofre for klasevåpen: La det ikke bli flere som oss!

Berihu Messele og Aynalem Zenebe er veldig klar over hvilken skade klasebomber kan gjøre. De ble begge handicappet under et eritreisk bombeangrep i det nordlige Etiopia i 1998. Den 27 november reiste de til Oslo for å være gjester under signeringen av forbudet mot klasevåpen. På veien traff de Norges Ambassadør i Etiopia, og gav ham en klar melding: Ikke la flere ende opp som oss på grunn av disse våpnene!

A smart move

TTTM (Tsotawi Tekelakay Mahber) was able to fit in twenty residents at the safe house they are running for women who have been exposed to gender based violence. With support from Norwegian People’s Aid, they moved their office away from the safe house. That move gave room for more residents, meaning that the organization can help more people.

If they can find them here, they’ll find them anywhere.

Take a mine-detection dog from the desert of the Somali region, to 3000 meters above sea level at Entoto Mine Action Training Centre. Make him used to the new and very different environment, and re-test him. Then you can be sure that he will operate according to international standard procedures.

More information means less devastation

Where is the way to go in a Rift Valley where the climate is changing for the worse and resources are under pressure? Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) is finding out the truth on the ground before the NGO embarks on a major research that will result in a new program and action that can cope with the changing eco-system in the area.

Gender training is more than workshops

Around 20 million Ethiopian women have experienced violence at some point in their life. That’s why NPA wants ordinary people to understand that gender should be considered as part of life, and not just a high flying academic term. Instead of inviting selected people to a workshop, NPA and our partners put the message in a guideline for gender trainers, so they again can train others.

What do you want knowledge for? You’re a girl……

NPA’s partner HIBIR offers courses in self-esteem and self defence. Many patrticipants feel more independent and responsible after attending such a course. That comes in handy when they face the everyday-strain of being a girl in Ethiopia.

Positive End-Review

–We have been waiting for the End-Review to take place for quite some time, and are naturally very pleased with the conclusions being so positive for NPA and EMAO, says Mr Per Breivik, Mine Action Program Manger for NPA in Ethiopia.

The younger, the better?

NPA Mine Action Ethiopia has received 10 new MDDs from GTC in Sarajevo. All the dogs are young, the oldest not more than 10 months. This is the first time that dogs of this age have been sent to the field from GTC. They are all coping well with the new environment. Maybe this is a lesson learned?

Exhibition: Forest is more than trees

Lasse Berre opens an exhibition with photos from Borena in Addis Abeba ion April 23rd at 4 pm.

Entoto: How to shape a center and a dog.

“Haavard” needs more training to become a fully fledged mine-dog. The Entoto Mine action centre is inn need of expansion. NPA mine dog advisor Nedim Fejzic plays an important part in both things.

ENWEYAY – Let’s discuss!

During two days in Butajira and Shashemene, ENWEYAY demonstrated how they reach people at the grass root with important topics like Voters Education, Human rights and Democracy, and engaged the public in discussions ranging from abduction of young girls to using their vote to ensure the local politicians deliver as promised in the upcoming regional elections.

NPA-Ethiopia plan for Development Programs 2008- 2011.

This is our plan for the next three years.

Violence against women: How do we fight it?

Each day, Ethiopian women suffer blows and beatings, rape and threats, from husbands, colleagues and even strangers. Everybody knows! But what are the solutions? NPA Ethiopia wants a little less conversation, and a little more action! How? Read more here:

Turning Taekwondo into an NGO.

It used to be called Union Taekwondo-Club, and concentrated on teaching self-defense to young people. Now, NPA is giving it full responsibility for running their program against gender based violence in Ethiopia, and helping in the transformation into an NGO called Hibir- Amharic for Harmony.

Not victims of violence, but survivors.

- After 13 years, I still cry when I hear the survivors stories, but never in front of them, says Maria Munir, Executive Directress of TTTM, the Organization against Gender Based Violence. (Tsotawi Tekat Tekalakeye Mahber) They run Ethiopia’s only safe-house for women. NPA supports them in a program that can rebuild a bruised and broken self image of abused women, as well as giving staff and other contacts more knowledge about the problem and possible solutions.

Expansion contract signed

On December 17th, NPA signed a 4 million Birr contract with the Ethiopian Mine Action Organization (EMAO) and a local engineer company named Afro-Tsion PLC with the aim of expanding the Mine Action Training Center at Entoto.

Revitalizing Ethiopian traditions

-In our traditional system of land management, land and the other natural resources over it are owned and managed communally for the benefit of society, says village elder Debsso Halake.

Revitalizing Ethiopian traditions

-In our traditional system of land management, land and the other natural resources over it are owned and managed communally for the benefit of society, says village elder Debsso Halake.

St-Marry’s Community Development: Cooking and confidence.

Amsale Balcha started up with a vision, her own hands and 10 young girls, teaching them about food preparation. Today, she runs a small community centre for 25 women, where they are taught additional skills, such as family and penalty laws, self-assertiveness and self-defense. And the teaching is free!

St-Marry’s Community Development: Cooking and confidence.

Dryland Coordination Group launches website

The Drylands Coordination Group is a forum driven by various non-governmental organizations on development issues in the dryland areas of Africa.

Projects

Where we work

Choose one of the countries NPA makes a difference in:

Africa

Support us

World

Norway

Organization

NPA in Ethiopia

NPA Secretary General visits Ethiopia

Doing a Decent Job? A New Report on the IMF Shows a Leopard who Cannot Change its Spots

Productive quarter for mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia

Ethiopia completes destruction of stockpiled mines

Ready for the field.

More dogs in more places.

Klar melding fra etiopiske ofre for klasevåpen: La det ikke bli flere som oss!

A smart move

If they can find them here, they’ll find them anywhere.

More information means less devastation

Gender training is more than workshops

What do you want knowledge for? You’re a girl……

Positive End-Review

The younger, the better?

Exhibition: Forest is more than trees

Entoto: How to shape a center and a dog.

ENWEYAY – Let’s discuss!

NPA-Ethiopia plan for Development Programs 2008- 2011.

Violence against women: How do we fight it?

Turning Taekwondo into an NGO.

Not victims of violence, but survivors.

Expansion contract signed

Revitalizing Ethiopian traditions

Revitalizing Ethiopian traditions

St-Marry’s Community Development: Cooking and confidence.

St-Marry’s Community Development: Cooking and confidence.

Dryland Coordination Group launches website

Projects

Where we work

Search