Women in Action 2.0

In late celebration of this year's International Women's Day, FES, together with the German Embassy, ILO and Addis Ababa University, organized 'Women in Action 2.0' on 26 March 2024. Building on last year's success, the event brought together university students and six inspiring young women leaders from different parts of society and professions.

As FES Ethiopia Director Susanne Stollreiter and German Ambassador H.E. Stephan Auer pointed out, gender equality is still far from being globally achieved, making this space for innovative ideas and the celebration of women’s achievements all the more important. It was encouraging to see that many men also attended the event, standing in solidarity with their fellow female students and contributing to the change towards gender justice.

Not only did the students come from different departments of the university, the backgrounds and professional sectors of the speakers proved to be very diverse as well. While Firehiwot Siyum from Ethiopian Business and Disability Network, Tarikawit Fikadu from Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders, and Hanna Lemma from Addis Power House, all work directly to promote a more inclusive society, the professions of the other speakers were not so well known: While also fighting for gender justice, Kamila Hamza works at Intrinsic Consultancy, Heaven Belihu at Clean Addis Recycling, and Mahlet Merid at Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association. All of the women hold impressive senior positions, often as CEOs or founders. This wide range of professions was particularly enriching as the speakers had made very different experiences with gender justice in their respective careers.

When summarizing their learnings from the exchange with the invited women leaders in small groups, the students emphasised, for example, the importance of not hesitating to take advantage of diverse opportunities. How to face the specific challenges in the Ethiopian context, learning languages and developing good communication skills were additional key takeaways. Discussions also focused on the current conditions for people with disabilities and what can be done to improve the status quo. The students were encouraged to visualize their career goals and dream big in order to move towards a just and inclusive society for women and other marginalized groups.