Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA)

Empowering Women, Strengthening Democracy Together: EWLA hosts #Demo Finland Delgation for Strategic Experience Sharing Today, September 3, 2026, Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA) had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from #Demo Finland led by Sirpa Tapaninen at its head office in Addis Ababa. During the visit, EWLA Program manager, Mr. Wendmneh Lemma, along with other program team, reflected on EWLA’s more than 30-year mission of championing women’s rights, boosting civic engagement, and driving women's participation in political and election processes. The delegation also toured EWLA's core operations-including free Legal Aid Department and confidential hotline service to see firsthand information on how we deliver essential legal and psychosocial support to women across Ethiopia. We are deeply grateful for this valuable experience sharing and look forward to building a strong, lasting partnership with Demo Finland to advance gender equality and justice! #EWLA #DemoFinland #WomensRights #AccessToJustice #WomenInPolitics #Ethiopia #GenderEquality #FreeLegalAid

Empowering Front line Service providers, Restoring Dignity: EWLA hosted Survivor-Centered Approach training in Bahir Dar Survivor Centered approach training equips local frontline service providers with the critical skills, trauma-informed practices, and referral pathways necessary to deliver empathetic, dignified, and effective legal, psychological, and social support to survivors of gender-based violence. Following a successful session in other regions, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), in partnership with #Embassy of France in Ethiopia has provided specialized training on Survivor-Centered Approach to frontline service providers in Amhara region, Bahir Dar from August 28-29, 2026. Bringing together legal, health, and social service frontline providers, the workshop focused on delivering survivor-centered and trauma-informed Approach for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Through collaborative discussions and practical case-sharing, participants enhanced their capacity to: Provide timely, compassionate, and dignity-affirming responses, strengthen multi-sectoral referral pathways across health, legal and social support, and ensure safety, respect and rights-based care for every survivor. EWLA remains dedicated to advancing gender equality and reinforcing response systems through strong multi-sectoral partnerships across Ethiopia. Together, we can ensure every survivor receives the dignity, protection, and care they deserve. የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር (ኢ.ሕ.ባ.ሴ.ማ) #ከፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ ጋር በመተባበር ከነሐሴ 22-23 ቀን 2018 ዓ.ም በአማራ ክልል ባህርዳር የሕግ፣ የጤና እና የማህበራዊ አገልግሎት ለሚሰጡ የመጀመሪያ ደረጃ/ግንባር ቀደም አገልግሎት ሰጪዎች ተጎጂዎችን ያማከለ አገልግሎት አሰጣጥ እና የስነ-ልቦና ጉዳትን ያገናዘበ እንክብካቤ ላይ ያተኮረ የሁለት ቀናት ስልጠና ሰጥቷል። ስልጠናው ወሲባዊ እና ጾታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች ተጎጂዎች ያሉበትን የስነ ልቦና ሁኔታ ከልብ በመረዳት ፈጣን እና ውጤታማ ምላሽ ለመስጠት የሚያስችል እውቀት እና ክህሎት ለማስጨበጥ ያለመ መሆኑ ከመድረኩ ተጠቅሷል። ይህ ስልጠና ተጎጂዎችን ማዕከል ያደረገ ድጋፍ እና የምርመራ/የሪፈራል መንገዶችን ተደራሽ ለማድረግ በአገልግሎት ሰጪዎች መካከል ያለውን ዘርፈ-ብዙ ትብብር እና አቅም ለማጠናከር ከሚደረጉ ጥረቶች አንዱ ነው። ይህ ስልጠና በተለያዩ ዘርፎች የተሰማሩ ባለሙያዎች የተሳተፉበት ሲሆን ጾታን መሰረት ያደረጉ ጥቃቶች ተጎጂዎችን ክብር፣ ደህንነትና መብት ባስከበረ መልኩ ተገቢውን ድጋፍ ለመስጠት የሚያስችል እውቀትና ተግባራዊ ክህሎት እንዲጨብጡ ያግዛል ተብሏል። በሂደቱም በነበሩ አሳታፊ ውይይቶችና የልምድ ልውውጦች ተሳታፊዎች ቅንጅታዊ አሰራር እና የሪፈራል ስርዓቶችን ማጠናከር የሚችሉበትን፣ የእርስ በእርስ ትብብርን ማሻሻል የሚያስችሏቸውን እንዲሁም ለተጎጂዎች ሁለገብ እና ውስብስብ ፍላጎቶች ፈጣንና ውጤታማ ምላሽ መስጠት የሚችሉበትን አቀራረቦች/አስራሮች በስፋት መርምረዋል። ኢ.ሕ.ባ.ሴ.ማ የግንባር ቀደም አገልግሎት ሰጪዎችን አቅም በማሳደግ እና በመላው ኢትዮጵያ የተቀናጀ አሰራርን በማጠናከር፣ የስርዓተ-ጾታ እኩልነት እንዲረጋገጥ እንዲሁም የጾታዊ ጥቃት ተጎጂዎች ትኩረት ያገኙበት የምላሽ አሰጣጥ ስርዓት እንዲጎለብት ያለውን ቁርጠኝነት ተጠናክሮ ይቀጥላል! #GenderEquality #EndSGBV #AmharaRegion #BahirDar #SurvivorCenteredCare #HumanRights #EWLA #FranceEmbassyInEthiopia #CapacityBuilding

Bi-Annual Review meeting for Impactful Project Delivery Bi-annual project implementation review meetings provide a vital platform for stakeholders to systematically track progress, identify field-level operational challenges early, align financial and operational strategies, and refine implementation plans to maximize impact. Inline with this, on August 28, 2026, Ethioppian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA) in Partnership with #UNFPA Successfully Conducted Bi-Annual Project Implementation Review meetings in Amhara region, Baher Dar; and in Benishangul Gumuz region, Asossa. The bi-annual review meetings were conducted to evaluate the progress, achievements and challenges of the project implementation across targeted regions-Amhara and Benishangul Gumuz Regional States. ​The session brought together key actors and regional partners, including representatives from the Bureau of Justice (BoJ), Bureau of Women, Children & social Affairs, community leaders, religious leaders, customary court judges and other local stakeholders. ​Key Takeaways & Highlights in the session include: 🔹 Collaborative Assessment: Stakeholders critically reviewed key milestones, grassroots impact and operational challenges in project delivery. 🔹 Strengthening Local Systems: Discussions emphasized the vital role of customary judges, religious figures and community leaders in aligning legal frameworks with local context. 🔹 Joint Commitments: Participants outlined actionable strategies to enhance coordination, boost community outreach and ensure sustainable project outcomes for targeted communities. ​EWLA extends its sincere appreciation to all government partners, traditional leaders and stakeholders for their ongoing collaboration and dedicated service to the community. ​#AmharaRegion #BahirDar #BenishanqulGumuzRegion #Asossa #CommunityEngagement #PartnershipInAction #BiannualProjectReview #LegalAid #SustainableImpact

Strengthening Women's Leadership and Public Speaking Skill to ensure Community Peace Public speaking training equips women survivors with the tools to reclaim their narratives, share their lived experiences on their own terms, and transform personal pain into a powerful catalyst for advocacy. In  relation to this, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), with support @French Embassy, conducted a two-day Leadership and Public Speaking Training in Amhara Region, BahirDar from August 26-27, 2026. The training brought together selected women, including survivors, to strengthen their leadership, confidence and communication skills. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, participants enhanced their ability to effectively express their views, participate in decision-making processes, and contribute to peace-building initiatives within their communities. The initiative reflects EWLA and the French Embassy's commitment to promoting women's leadership and meaningful participation in community development and peace-building efforts. የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር (ኢ.ሕ.ባ.ሴ.ማ) @ከፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ ጋር በመተባበር በአማራ ክልል  ባህርዳር ለሚገኙ ሴቶች ከነሐሴ 20-21 ቀን 2018 ዓ.ም የሁለት ቀናት የአመራርነትና የንግግር ክህሎት ማሳደጊያ ሥልጠና ሰጠ። በሥልጠናው ተጎጂዎችን ጨምሮ ሌሎች የተመረጡ ሴቶች የተሳተፉ ሲሆን ዓላማውም የተሳታፊዎችን የአመራርነት፣ በራስ የመተማመንና የተግባቦት/የንግግር ክህሎት ለማጠናከር ነው። ተሳታፊዎች በ2 ቀናት ቆይታቸው አሳታፊና በተግባር የተደገፉ አሰራሮችን በመከተል እና ሀሳባቸውን በብቃት በመግለጽ በውሳኔ አሰጣጥ ሂደቶች ላይ የመሳተፍ እና በማኅበረሰባቸው ውስጥ ለሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች አስተዋጽኦ የማድረግ አቅማቸውን ለማሳደግ የሚያስችል ግንዛቤ አግኝተዋል። ይህ ሥልጠና የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር እና የፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ የሴቶችን መሪነት እንዲሁም በህብረተሰቡ ውስጥ በሚኖሩ የልማትና የሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች ላይ ያላቸውን ትርጉም ያለው ተሳትፎ እንዲያሳድጉ ቁርጠኝነታቸውን ያንጸባረቀ  ነው።   #WomenInLeadership #publikSpeaking #BahirDarWomen #EmpowerHer #Peacebuilding #WomenEmpowerment #EWLA #FrenchEmbassy

Stay tuned for more updates! Website https://ewla-et.org/ Email: info@ewla-et.org Facebook https://www.facebook.com/me/ Telegram https://t.me/EWLA1 You Tube https://www.youtube.com/@ethiopianwomenlawyersassoc8501 Twitter https://x.com/women_ewla/header_photo LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/86762191/admin/...

EWLA in Partnership with #UNFPA Successfully Conducted Bi-Annual Project Implementation Review meeting (August 26, 2026, Somali region, Jigjiga) Ethioppian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA) in partner with UNFPA conducted bi-annual review meeting to evaluate the progress, achievements and challenges of the project implementation across targeted regions in Somali Regional State. ​The session brought together key actors and regional partners, including representatives from the Bureau of Justice (BoJ), Bureau of Women, Children & social Affairs, community leaders, religious leaders, customary court judges, and other local stakeholders. ​Key Takeaways & Highlights in the session include: 🔹 Collaborative Assessment: Stakeholders critically reviewed key milestones, grassroots impact and operational challenges in project delivery. 🔹 Strengthening Local Systems: Discussions emphasized the vital role of customary judges, religious figures and community leaders in aligning legal frameworks with local context. 🔹 Joint Commitments: Participants outlined actionable strategies to enhance coordination, boost community outreach and ensure sustainable project outcomes for targeted communities. ​We extend our sincere appreciation to all government partners, traditional leaders and stakeholders for their ongoing collaboration and dedicated service to the community. ​#SomaliRegion #Jigjiga #CommunityEngagement #PartnershipInAction #ProjectReview #LegalAid #SustainableImpact

This Mawlid, as we reflect on the values of mercy, dignity, and justice, EWLA reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls across Ethiopia. True community peace begins with justice for every woman.

Voices of Strength: Afar Women Step into the Leadership Spotlight Public speaking training equips women survivors with the tools to reclaim their narratives, share their lived experiences on their own terms, and transform personal pain into a powerful catalyst for advocacy. In  relation to this, Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA), with support @French Embassy, conducted a two-day Leadership and Public Speaking Training in Gambella Region from August 20-21, 2026. The training brought together selected women, including survivors, to strengthen their leadership, confidence and communication skills. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, participants enhanced their ability to effectively express their views, participate in decision-making processes, and contribute to peace-building initiatives within their communities. The initiative reflects EWLA and the French Embassy's commitment to promoting women's leadership and meaningful participation in community development and peace-building efforts. የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር (ኢ.ሕ.ባ.ሴ.ማ) @ከፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ ጋር በመተባበር በጋምቤላ ክልል  ለሴቶች የሁለት ቀናት የአመራርነትና የንግግር ክህሎት ማሳደጊያ ሥልጠና ሰጠ። (ነሐሴ 14-15/2018 ዓ.ም) በሥልጠናው ተጎጂዎችን ጨምሮ ሌሎች የተመረጡ ሴቶች የተሳተፉ ሲሆን ዓላማውም የተሳታፊዎችን የአመራርነት፣ የመተማመንና የተግባቦት/የንግግር ክህሎት ለማጠናከር ነው። ተሳታፊዎች በ2 ቀናት ቆይታቸው አሳታፊና በተግባር የተደገፉ አሰራሮችን በመከተል እና ሀሳባቸውን በብቃት በመግለጽ በውሳኔ አሰጣጥ ሂደቶች ላይ የመሳተፍ እና በማኅበረሰባቸው ውስጥ ለሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች አስተዋጽኦ የማድረግ አቅማቸውን ለማሳደግ የሚያስችል ግንዛቤ አግኝተዋል። በዚህ ሥልጠና የኢትዮጵያ የሕግ ባለሙያ ሴቶች ማኅበር እና የፈረንሳይ ኤምባሲ የሴቶችን መሪነት እንዲሁም በህብረተሰቡ ውስጥ በሚኖሩ የልማትና የሰላም ግንባታ ጥረቶች ላይ ያላቸውን ትርጉም ያለው ተሳትፎ እንዲሳድጉ  ቁርጠኝነታቸውን ያንጸባረቀ  ነው።   #WomenInLeadership #EWLA #AfarWomen #EmpowerHer #Peacebuilding #WomenEmpowerment #EWLA #FrenchEmbassy

Stay tuned for more updates! Website https://ewla-et.org/ Email: info@ewla-et.org Facebook https://www.facebook.com/me/ Telegram https://t.me/EWLA1 You Tube https://www.youtube.com/@ethiopianwomenlawyersassoc8501 Twitter https://x.com/women_ewla/header_photo LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/86762191/admin/...

Empowering Local Voices for SRHR in Somali Region! Regular Community Dialogues and Trainings of Local Champions advance SRHR by building sustained local trust, breaking socio-cultural taboos, and turning community members into active advocates for health rights. This dual approach drives lasting behavior change and improves access to rights and services through continuous, peer-led education and advocacy. Inline with, ​the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA), in partnership with #EngenderHealth Ethiopia, hosted a monthly Community Dialogue and Training of Local Champions on Auguest 18, 2026, to advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). ​Advocates gathered in Jigjiga, bringing together dedicated participants from Jarar, Fafan and Korahey zones. ​Key Highlights include: ​💡 Capacity Building: Equipping local advocates with the tools to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and break SRHR taboos through culturally sensitive community dialogues. ​🤝 Network of Champions: Building a strong network of local leaders ready to drive grass-roots awareness. ​🏥 Better Health Pathways: Strengthening community referral systems to connect individuals with local health facilities. ​📋 Tailored Action Plans: Developing zone-specific strategies to address regional SRHR challenges effectively. ​#SRHR #EngenderHealthEthiopia #EWLA #SomaliRegion #Jarar #Fafan #Korahey #CommunityChampions #WomenEmpowerment