Discover How Helvetas is Transforming Lives in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, challenges like poverty, inequality and climate vulnerability can seem overwhelming. Yet organizations like Helvetas are stepping up, not just with short-term solutions, but by empowering communities for long-term change. This article dives into how Helvetas is making a real impact on the ground – from job creation and sustainable agriculture to promoting gender and social equity and climate resilience.

Read on to learn about innovative projects, a community-driven approach, and how Helvetas navigates the complexities of development in a challenging environment. This is a story of partnership, perseverance and positive transformation.

Collaboration and partnerships

At the heart of Helvetas' approach is its emphasis on partnerships. By working closely with local authorities, government agencies, civil society, research and educational institutions, private sector actors and other stakeholders, Helvetas ensures a coordinated response to Ethiopia's development needs. This integrated approach addresses multiple areas, including livelihoods, natural resource management, governance, gender and social equity, thereby creating holistic and sustainable solutions.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning

A key focus of Helvetas is its robust monitoring and evaluation system, which tracks project progress and impact. By seeking regular feedback from communities and incorporating lessons learned, the organization ensures that its interventions remain relevant and continuously improve over time.

Sustainability and transitioning responsibilities

From the outset, Helvetas plans for the eventual exit from projects by developing the capacities of local stakeholders and gradually transitioning responsibilities to them. This strategy ensures that initiatives are community-driven, empowering local populations to sustain positive change long after the organization’s direct involvement ends.

Key achievements

Helvetas Ethiopia’s work in areas such as strengthening resilience and accessibility, governance, civic engagement, skills development and job creation has had a profound impact. In partnership with various local bureaus and institutions, projects have reached over 112,000 people (60% women), including marginalized groups, and nearly 100,000 primary stakeholders, such as youth, women and girls.

Notable projects include:

• Youth Entrepreneurship for Sustainable WASH service in Amhara Region (YES-A) project: Benefiting over 92,000 people through the maintenance of water supply systems and legalizing water user committees. The project advocated for better water supply system governance and involved youth enterprises in maintaining 84 water schemes.
• Amhara Local Governance Project Plus (ALGP Plus Project): a project on voice inclusion and cohesion is reaching nearly 40,000 people, this project empowered community representatives, including women and minorities, to engage with the state’s executive and council members in prioritizing and addressing local challenges.
•  Unleashing The Potential of Young Women (Up-Women): This program has provided non-formal education, vocational training, and sexual and reproductive health services to young women. Over 2,600 women received vocational skills training, and 1,544 successfully passed competency tests, with 170 finding employment. Additionally, 1,340 women completed adult literacy classes, and 1,429 accessed reproductive health services.
•  Skill Knowledge for Youth (SKY): Through vocational training and enterprise development services, this project benefited nearly 93,000 people. Youth enterprises were instrumental in maintaining water supply schemes, and water governance frameworks were strengthened through the legalization of user committees.

Through its interventions in water, food and climate, Helvetas indirectly improved access to nutritious food for over 13,000 individuals and promoted sustainable agricultural practices that increased productivity and income for thousands more. Additionally, climate change and disaster risk management efforts directly benefited over 35,000 people.

• Semien Gondar Resilience Project (SEGORP): Through community efforts, this project rehabilitated 25 hectares of land and linked farmers to markets, significantly improving their incomes. It also empowered women through leadership roles in local committees.
• Transformative Rural Access for Improved livelihoods (TRAIL) Project: Covers 5 regions and the regions contributed 80% of the bridge cost and completed 35 trail bridges, benefiting over 739,000 people (344,211 females) which demonstrated the  improved regional governments capacity and commitment to manage infrastructure. The project also integrated trail bridge design, construction and maintenance into the curricula of eight universities. Notably, Helvetas also plays a significant role in promoting South-to South cooperation, fostering partnerships and collaborations within the regions. This approach enables the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices between countries, enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of development initiatives.

Challenges

Helvetas has also faced numerous challenges in Ethiopia, including:

• Armed conflicts and instability: particularly in the Northern part of the country, have posed  security concerns and disrupted the implementation of those projects in respective regions as it has been the case with other organizations and businesses. Thanks to Helvetas’ conflict-sensitive project management, scenarios planning and adaptive management, business continuity is maintained to a certain extent while promoting do-no-harm principles.
• Communication and transportation issues: Disruptions of telecommunication and movements in conflict-prone areas affected coordination and information sharing, slowing project implementation and quality assurance.
• Inflation and drought: Inflation increased operational costs, while drought conditions in certain areas forced project adjustments.
• Livestock population decline: Drought led to reduced livestock numbers, affecting projects aimed at promoting market-oriented approaches in the livestock sector.
• The restructuring of the regions/ Regionalization: The restructuring of the regions  had an impact on project implementation, as it necessitated additional processes and posed challenges to the project.

These hurdles underscore the complexity of development work in Ethiopia. Helvetas continues to adapt its strategies to overcome these obstacles, ensuring that its projects remain impactful.

Community engagement

A central principle of Helvetas' work is the involvement of local communities and partners. Through participatory approaches, community needs assessments and stakeholder collaboration, Helvetas ensures that its interventions are designed to meet the specific challenges and strengths of each community.

Learning and capacity-strengthening are integral to Helvetas’ approach, empowering community members to actively participate in project planning and implementation. By integrating participatory monitoring and evaluation, communities are directly involved in tracking progress, identifying challenges, and finding solutions.

Regular communication and feedback mechanisms also ensure transparency and accountability. Helvetas prioritizes community voices and uses their input to refine and adjust project activities, fostering trust and ensuring that projects have a lasting impact.

In conclusion, Helvetas’ work in Ethiopia showcases the power of sustainable, community-driven development. By addressing poverty, inequality, and climate resilience through strong partnerships, they empower communities to create lasting change. Despite challenges such as conflict, Inflation and drought , Helvetas adapts and continues to make a meaningful impact. Their approach ensures that the benefits of their projects endure, leaving a lasting legacy of empowerment and progress in Ethiopia.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Meron Wubishet, Program Director, Ethiopia, for her invaluable support. I would also like to thank Barbara Dietrich, Becky Neely, and Rukiyye Besler for granting me this incredible opportunity.

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Sources:   https://www.helvetas.org/en/ethiopia

Images: Helvetas