African Civic Leadership Program, Ltd
Strategic and Targeted Support to Strengthen Emerging Human Rights Organizations
$90,730
To contribute towards the sustainability of local human rights-focused civil society organizations. The organization will provide targeted and tailor-made training, mentorship, and capacity building support and technical assistance to eight selected new and emerging human rights-focused civil society organizations. The organization will continue to operate its Civil Society Resource Center as a collaborative working space for new and emerging organizations and activists.
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Supporting Ethiopia’s Democratic Transition through Inclusive Peacebuilding and Regional Integration
$875,883
To enhance inclusive peacebuilding and democratization by empowering private sector actors, including youth and women entrepreneurs, to engage in inter-regional business dialogue and cooperation, and to improve the effectiveness of evidence-based dialogue that informs policymaking and supports the economic recovery of businesses in the era of COVID-19. The Center will work with its network of local partners to establish an inclusive private sector coalition to develop an inter-regional business agenda for peace, host a national public-private dialogue, and support journalist training sessions on capacity building for conflict-sensitive reporting on democratic and economic reform issues.
Center of Concern
Promoting Civic Engagement in Sidama Regional State
$84,941
To promote youth engagement in socio-economic and political processes in Sidama regional state. The organization will train youth association and public opinion leaders from five areas in Sidama on democratic values and human rights and support their efforts to conduct social action campaigns and promote peace and democratic values in their communities.
Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations
Advocacy for Post-Election Accountability
$62,166
To assess the extent to which political parties incorporated human rights into their election platforms and to advocate for parties to implement human rights sensitive policies. The organization will assess the human rights commitments of winning political parties in Ethiopia’s recent general election, develop an advocacy strategy, and conduct two national consultative workshops for political parties, government officials, media, and civil society to engage political parties and government on developing and implementing human rights-sensitive policies.
Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center
Strengthening and Protecting Human Rights Defenders
$73,880
To establish a network of and create a conducive working environment for human rights activists and defenders across Ethiopia. The national network of human rights defenders will reach beyond the capital, Addis Ababa, and will build the capacity of network members to monitor and advocate for human rights protections through trainings, workshops, and mentorship.
MERSA Media Institute
Supporting Holistic Media Reform
$155,960
To support the reform of Ethiopia’s independent and state-based media sector. The organization will conduct regular in-house trainings for media professionals on new media technologies and challenges, support state-level media houses to develop in-house journalism and media professionalism standards and trainings, and partner with universities to develop practical curricula for journalism students. The organization will conduct research on comparative regulatory infrastructure and issue recommendations and convene governmental and media stakeholder meetings to develop shared recommendations for regulatory directives shaping implementation of Ethiopia’s new media law.
Solidarity Center (SC)
Trade Union Strengthening Phase V
$758,240
To promote freedom of association and increase the capacity of workers to strategically advance and defend their rights and achieve decent work in Ethiopia, the Center will support the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) to strengthen its internal capacity in rights-based organizing. In addition, the Center will assist CETU and worker associations in marginalized areas in Ethiopia to participate in democratic practices through civic participation and community dialogues.
Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia
Empowering Youth for Civic Engagement and Peacebuilding
$64,559
To strengthen the capacity of Ethiopian youth activists to advocate for peace, reconciliation, and an inclusive Ethiopia. The organization will expand a nationwide advocacy network and train a diverse group of Ethiopian youth to advance inclusiveness and counter ethnic polarization through multi-media messaging campaigns in English and five major Ethiopian languages on major social media platforms.
Universal Rights
Advancing Independent Media, Information, and Political Debate
$275,740
To promote access to independent, in-depth political and socio-economic reporting and analysis of developments in Ethiopia. The organization will report on Ethiopian political, social, and security developments on a free online news platform and social media platforms. To increase its audience and advance freedom of information, it will produce reports in multiple languages on its online news portal, social media platforms, and in a new YouTube channel.
Universal Rights
Supporting Ethiopia’s Democratic Transition Through Independent Reporting
$240,040
The organization will distribute political, security, economic, and cultural news via its website, a YouTube station, Facebook page, Twitter and Telegram channels, and in partnership with Ethiopian radio and TV channels to promote fact-based, informed civic dialogue on the challenges and opportunities for democracy in Ethiopia. The organization will expand its reporting and programming to include TalkEthiopia videos during which a subject matter expert will offer critical insights on a timely political, social, economic, and cultural topic; an investigations unit; and in-depth coverage of timely public events.
