Ethiopia: Getting more women on the frontline
CAFOD - July 12, 2007
On a recent visit to a project in the nomadic lands of Borana, southern Ethiopia, we played host to colleagues from Kenya.
They represented organisations working on conflict prevention and development on the other side of the border.
During the visit, the Kenyans remarked on the excellent development work being done by their Ethiopian colleagues.
This included water cisterns to see nomadic communities through periods of drought and support for pastoralists to market their livestock.
But on the minus side they also commented on the lack of women fieldworkers and project officers working for their Ethiopian counterparts.
Our Ethiopian partners say they struggle to find sufficiently qualified women prepared to work in remote rural locations.
But, without women project workers, it’s difficult to ensure women are sufficiently involved in decision-making about projects ...