Grants and Contributions

P003097002: In response to COVID-19, the project is support ing Ethiopia’s efforts to prevent and protect women and girls from sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) during the pandemic through the following COVID-19 specific activities: (1) creating additional safe shelter spaces and increasing the accommodating capacity of existing safe houses for women victims of SGBV; (2) providing health workers and caregivers in related centres with the protective equipment required to maintain their operations including to allow continuity of sexual and reproductive health services and interventions; (3) working with faith based organizations and local civil society organisations to raise awareness among Ethiopians on the pandemic and SGBV prevention and creating tailored messages to be delivered through regional and national mass-media; (4) disseminating information, including through the establishment of hotlines and youth friendly communications platforms, to SGBV survivors, potential victims, and witnesses; and, (5) procuring and distributing dignity kits to vulnerable women and girls.

The Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) are two key partners that will contribute to communication, promotion on social media, research, engagement, and knowledge and information gathering.

Project activities include: (1) conducting an impact and follow-up study on the risk reduction measures of COVID-19 on gender-based violence and the agency of women and girls; (2) providing prevention and psychosocial care for victims of gender-based violence and for women healthcare workers during the crisis; (3) conducting a media campaign on the unequal impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls; (4) raising awareness campaign on hygiene and the specific needs of women and girls, and distribution of hygiene kits responding to their needs; and (5) providing financial support to women's economic associations that are the most vulnerable to the crisis.

It will support dialogue-through-the arts engagement across the sites, and utilize social media to build the pan-Canadian initiative. A national knowledge sharing event will bring the project team, youth participants and other stakeholders together to review the Framework and generate ideas for its enhancement.

Project activities include: (1) recruiting, training and equipping community healthcare workers to promote and provide basic health services; (2) training local health councils in improved data collection, analysis and reporting to inform planning and delivery of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services; (3) raising awareness of primary caretakers on key nutritional practices, including dietary diversity; (4) providing inputs and training in the development of home gardens; (5) training of peer-based networks/care groups on malnutrition prevention and sexual and reproductive health rights issues (i.e. family planning, early forced child marriage, sexual gender-based violence; (6) informing and increasing community participation in policy dialogue with governments on MNCH and sexual and reproductive health and rights; and, (7) implementing interactive media and linking Canadians with empowered youth in a mentorship program to improve the knowledge and ability of Canadians to engage in international MNCH, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender issues.