Today’s executive column guest is Geta Alem Kassa. He was born and raised in Addis Ababa around Shiro Meda. Education wise, he pursued primary and secondary education in Addis Ababa at different schools apart from earning his first degree in Business Management from Abyssinia College. At this moment in time, he is studying for a master’s degree in business Management in Indra Gandhi University.
Likewise, Geta Alem Kassa has been the Executive Director of Hiwot Ethiopia, a philanthropic NGO since its inception in 1995. Above and beyond, he is one of the founders of Hiwot Ethiopia which has been discharging a wide-array of fruitful activities on various issues all over the country attaching weight to children and youth.
The Ethiopian Herald had a short stay with a view to familiarizing his personal and professional life with our esteemed readers.He has touched upon a number of mesmerizing issues pertaining to Hiwot Ethiopia and his personal life. Excerpts:
How and when was
Hiwot Ethiopia founded? What was the journey like?
To begin with, it is crystal clear that twenty four years ago, HIV/ AIDS was a talking point in the left, right and center of the country. At that specific point, it was spreading at an alarming rate in every nook and cranny of the country. The whole lot was getting off the track. Everything was falling from the frying pan into the fire. We did not know what we had to do. Even worse, the awareness level of the general public towards the disease was near to the ground.
Be that as it may, there was a certain aid organization which was in the habit of teaching the youth concerning HIV/AIDS and other related diseases. In fact, the intended target of the organization was producing competent youngsters who would in turn partake in raising awareness to the community who did not have the slights knowledge about HIV/AIDS. During our stay in the organization, quite a lot of youngsters took training on drama, literature and leadership skills.
One fine day, as ill luck would have it, the organization on the basis of unforeseen reasons shutdown for good. However, as time went by, the organization was established by fourteen young people who were committed to making a difference in sexual reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and livelihoods. I was one of the founders. Inch by inch, Hiwot Ethiopia turned out to be an association and then a registered NGO. At this point in time, it is re-registered with the Charities and Societies Agency as an Ethiopian Resident charity attaching weight to children and youths.
Subsequently, we jumpstarted raising awareness with a view to coaching the youth via producing a wide spectrum of write-ups, performing mini dramas and other related aspects. If truth be told, we left no stone unturned to reach were we are at the moment. The whole thing was not as easy as falling off a log. We have passed through many twists and turns.
Could you please clarify the laudatory performance of Hiwot Ethiopia?
The intended target of Hiwot Ethiopia is working for the positive development of children and youth all over the country for the most part in ways which make them health, happy and productive every so often. As a matter of fact, we bring into play a wide spectrum of techniques with the intention of assisting the youth and children to be on the right track. For instance, we get ourselves involved in raising awareness about things militating against children and youths. What is more, we build the capacity of children and youths apart from providing practical support and services to children and youths.
What are the core values of the organization?
By the way, Hiwot Ethiopia’s values as an organization take account of accountability, transparency, confidentiality, respectfulness and what not. It as well attaches importance to addressing issues related to gender, environment, youth sexual reproductive health, harmful traditional practices and HIV/AIDS, youth employment, child protection, quality of education and safe school environment and what have you.
By the same token, the strategic goals of Hiwot Ethiopia focuses on improving sexual reproductive health situation of adolescents and youths, arresting harmful traditional
practices and HIV/AIDS infections, getting better the situation of youths by enhancing their abilities and opportunities to access employment. Furthermore, the organization concentrates on advancing the situation of children by monitoring child abuse and exploitation and other forms of harm against children.
Likewise, the organization targets at improving the situation of children and youths by helping them have access to quality education, adding force to organizational capacity as well as expanding activities into new regions of Ethiopia and what not.
What are the focus areas of Hiwot Ethiopia?
The major activities of the organization
incorporate lifting up the awareness level through discussion and performing
arts. Moreover, Hiwot Ethiopia has made the first move on the use of
traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony as a round-table for hammering out issues
such as HIV, SRH, harmful traditional practices and gender.
Similarly, the organization has turned out to be well known for its ground-breaking work with boys and men with the intention of dealing with youths, HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Harmful traditional practices. Moreover, Hiwot Ethiopia works on engaging men and boys as an innovative and important contribution to achieving gender equality and reducing gender-based violence and SRH problems counting HIV infections.
Likewise, Hiwot Ethiopia has already stretched its wings in the sphere of child development, child protection apart from raising awareness on issues of child abuse and exploitation making use of a range of media outlets, establishing children’s clubs in which children can discuss issues of abuse, exploitation and providing mechanism for abused children to be supported.
Could you brief us about the achievement of Hiwot Ethiopia to date?
It provides children with learning materials such as uniforms and stationeries in addition to establishing safe homes which help disadvantaged rural girls to continue their education and elevate their awareness on family planning and other related aspects. At this point in time, Hiwot Ethiopia is working in four zones of Amhara State (Bahir Dar, North Wollo/ Lalibela, East Gojam and North Shewa) targeting at changing the attitudes and practices with regard to child marriage, child labor and sexual abuse.
Nowadays, aside from focusing on the engagement of men and boys in promoting gender, Hiwot Ethiopia runs a number of projects under child development, sexual reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and livestock. At this point in time, efforts to step up men and boys’ engagement targeting at preventing violence against women are getting bigger in the length and breadth of the country.
What benefits do we secure out of men and boys involvement?
As learnt from the forty eighth session of the UN Commission on the status of Women report, the Secretary General highlighted an overview of the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality. It attaches importance to socialization and education in addition to emphasizing the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality in the labor market, the workplace in sharing off family responsibilities. It as well puts emphasis on the fact that men can bring about change in attitude, roles, relationships, access to resources and decision making tasks which are critical for achieving equality between women and men.
The Beijing Platform for Action also laid emphasis on the role of men and boys in attaining gender equality counting the principle of shared power as well as responsibility between women and men at home, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities. Besides, the platform underlined that gender equality can only be realized when men and women work together in joint venture aside from identifying gender stereotypes as major obstacles to the achievement of gender equality.
What is all about Yenigat weg radio program?
The radio program is among the projects that Hiwot Ethiopia has been carrying out since 2008 with the backing of OAK Foundation. The program has been broadcasted on Sheger FM 102.1 since April 23, 2008 and Fana FM 98.1 Since march 28, 2013.
The motto of the program is ‘Men and Boys do care to shield children from sexual abuse as well as exploration.’ The desired goal of the program is to smoothen the progress of the public recognition of the positive role of men and boys in shielding children from sexual abuse and exposition and encouraging the positive engagement of men in addressing child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.
In the same way, men and boys are the center of our attention with a view to creating a safe and caring environment for children and women at home, in the community and at institution level. Girls and women are also the center of our attention in changing the patriarchal mentality or male gender norms.
The Ethiopian Herald July 14, 2019
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
