The last training of McGill University for ATVET instructors was conducted from September 16 to 20, 2019 with a focus on sustainability in gender and language activities. At the first two days, Hani Sadati, PhD candidate of McGill, worked with the participants to receive their feedback on Mela, a serious game to combat sexual and gender-based violence in ATVETs (see more about Mela project here). The goals of the sessions in these two days were to introduce this educational tool to instructors as well as to work with participants to create and practice some follow up activities that can be done in ATVETs using this educational game. Sadaf Farookhi, ATTSVE coordinator at McGill, Eleni Negash, ATTSVE gender officer, and Mihretu Belayneh, ATTSVE Institutional Strengthening Officer, were the leaders of sessions for the last three days of the trainings from Sep. 18 to 20.

To see the pictures of this training and the full program please visit this page.  

One of the immediate outcomes of the project (1113) is to facilitate design and support implementation of sustaining Gender & language clubs mainstreaming at four ATVET Colleges. To achieve this outcome, designing and delivering short term  trainings  for ATVETS is one of the activities to be performed. Based on these gender training took place entitiled Gender equitable Bussiness planning and Management  from May  13  – 18. 2019 at  Addiss Ababa (Friendship  Hotel) .      

The aims and objectives of the training were :

• How to sustain Gender and language clubs in four ATVETs;
• Identify and implement gender-equitable and socially inclusive business practices through gender equality mainstreaming;
• Understand the basis and practice of gender-equitable business planning and management;
• Identify “income-generating business prospects through research and analyses;
• Develop a good business model and plan;

To see the training pictures and Eleni’s full report please visit this page. 

In the last days of January 2019, once again, Adama city in Ethiopia was the host for a gender training session organized by the ATTSVE project. The participants were instructors of four Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) colleges from Nedjo, Maichew, Wolaita Soddo, and Woreta. Fifteen people, including ATVETs Gender Focal Persons and Language Club Coordinators, came together in a Four-and-Half-day workshop to share experience, put in practice their campus-based gender promoting activities, and give/receive feedback to/from their colleagues. Two professors from McGill University’s Faculty of Education (Prof. Claudia Mitchell & Dr. Lisa Starr), ATTSVE project’s coordinator in Canada (Sadaf Farookhi), ATTSVE project’s Gender Officer (Eleni Negash), and a PhD Candidate from McGill Faculty of Education (Hani Sadati) facilitated the sessions throughout the workshop.

In the last days of January 2019, once again, Adama city in Ethiopia was the host for a gender training session organized by the ATTSVE project. The participants were instructors of four Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) colleges from Nedjo, Maichew, Wolaita Soddo, and Woreta. Fifteen people, including ATVETs Gender Focal Persons and Language Club Coordinators, came together in a Four-and-Half-day workshop to share experience, put in practice their campus-based gender promoting activities, and give/receive feedback to/from their colleagues. Two professors from McGill University’s Faculty of Education (Prof. Claudia Mitchell & Dr. Lisa Starr), ATTSVE project’s coordinator in Canada (Sadaf Farookhi), ATTSVE project’s Gender Officer (Eleni Negash), and a PhD Candidate from McGill Faculty of Education (Hani Sadati) facilitated the sessions throughout the workshop.

For detailed information regarding this training please visit this page. 

The McGill team working closely with JUCAVM and the In-Country-Office successfully concluded their latest gender training for the ATTSVE project in sunny Adama, Ethiopia. Congratulations to all 16 participants who completed 5 intense days of activities, planning and intense discussions! Gender focal teams from all 4 partner colleges; Nedjo, Maichew, Wolaita Soddo and Woreta were in attendance along with a guest participant, Chimdessa Wakuma, from Bako ATVET and facilitators Sihen Getachew from JUCAVM and Amsalu Kassa from the Federal ATVET Agency. The main objective of this training session was to deepen an understanding the critical issue of gender based violence at each ATVET and to work on how the Gender Offices can tackle the issues.

For more information and to see the pictures and video of this training please visit this page. 

We have just concluded another (#4 in Ethiopia) incredibly successful Gender Training for the ATTSVE project, this time in Addis Ababa. Once again, the gender focal persons from Nedjo, Maichew, Woreta and Wolaito Soddo ATVETs gathered together to engage in ways to address gender mainstreaming within the colleges. We were fortunate to have been joined by several instructors and department heads from each of the colleges as well as representatives from Kombolcha ATVET. One of the objectives of this training was a continuation of the excellent work that has been happening in the ATVET colleges in years one, two and three of the ATTSVE project to create awareness of gender equity as well as address gender based violence (GBV).

For more details regarding Gender Training in Addis Ababa please visit this page. 

Gender cascading was held at four ATVETs through coordination of the project coordinators and gender focal persons of each ATVET for three days in June 2016. It was a very successful and interactive training. The training focused on the key concepts of gender, gender mainstreaming, gender dimension of HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS epidemiology and gender based violence. Instructors, students, support staff, and administrators attended the training.

To see the pictures please click here.

The Women’s Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MoANR-WAD), with support from the ATA and UN WOMEN, recently established the Ethiopian Network for Gender Equality in Agriculture (ENGEA). At the inaugural meeting held on March 30 & 31, 2016 at the Harmony Hotel, 65 participants from government, donors and non- governmental organizations were present to endorse and support the establishment.

The Network’s major objectives are to: create synergies between government, non-governmental organizations, development partners and research partners; develop and implement gender responsive agricultural policies, strategies, programs and projects in the sector; and to create platforms to share information and lessons.

The workshop agenda was introduced by Ms. Tenagne, Gender Expert, MoANR-WAD, followed by a discussion on the progress made thus far, led by Ms. Zerthun Seyoum, MoANR-WAD Director. In her opening speech, Ms. Zerthun emphasized that the establishment of the Network will help to create synergy among government and non-governmental organizations’ work, and to map out who does what and where. She also thanked the organizers of the Network establishment for their effort and hard work.

Among other nongovernmental organizations and Network members, ATTSVE was represented by Mestefakir Alebachew Kassa who is Gender Officer of the In Country Office. ATTSVE aims to contribute to the national TVET strategy to train development agents (DAs) and equip graduating students with the practical and theoretical competencies prescribed in the Ethiopian Occupational Standards and that support the national priority of entrepreneurial, market-oriented agricultural production with MOA.

One of the most recent examples of how the GLCoP has come together is in the construction of a survey focusing on understanding experiences of sexual violence among students at the ATVETs. During the Woreta Gender Training, February 29 – March 4, 2016, a draft version of the survey was presented for everyone to weigh in on, the resulting discussion was rich with addressing the specifics of the survey questions and administration but more importantly with creating a tool that would help our GLCoP better understand the issues facing students in the ATVETs.

To see the detailed report of Woreta gender training please visit this page.

To see more pictures of this event please click here. 

The second gender training for the GLCoP took place in South Africa at the University of KwaZulu Natal from August 11th – September 6th, 2015.

The participating members:
– Tadila Getaneh Yitbarek (Woreta)
– Sisay Donis Erenso (Nedjo)
– Fikrte Medhn Adhana (Maichew)
– Tigist Matusala Bashaw (Wolaita Sodo)

South Africa Training – Week One

South Africa Training – Week Two

South Africa Training – Week Three

South Africa Training – parting thoughts

South Africa Training – Biographies

To see the pictures of this training please visit this page.