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Addressing adolescent reproductive health and youth employment issues will promote youth development, but fostering youth leadership will sustain these changes. Again, currently Ethiopia has had a 200% increase in the number of students enrolled in tertiary education from 1999 to 2006 (UNESCO Global Monitoring Report of 2009, page 338). As of 2005, Ethiopia had over 21 public universities, 60 private colleges, and 172,000 university level students (Ibid). From these educated students, young men and women will need to provide leadership of their peers to channel this youth into productive activities. In order to be represented in decisions affecting youth, young men and women need to get involved in their communities, learn the issues, problems, and processes. Ethiopian youth need to understand how to create a vision, articulate it and implement it.
Without any leadership opportunities, youth can get frustrated, disappointed, and feel unable to affect their surroundings. Together with potential political instability, unstable economic environment and low wages, these conditions contribute to youth leaving the country to work elsewhere. A study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development showed that in 2004, 1 million educated people from Less Developed Countries emigrated out of a total skilled pool of 6.6 million - a loss of 15%. It is estimated that “brain drain” costs sub-Saharan Africa $4 billion per year. Instead of the most educated, ambitious, and skilled youth applying their talents to motivate their communities to improve the lives of their neighbors, these youth leave. Other countries benefit from the product of Ethiopia’s educational investments.
On the other hand, by developing youth leaders, young men and women see that they can affect change here in Ethiopia. By driving getting involved in their communities and driving improvements, young people develop a greater sense of responsibility towards their communities and their country. As leaders, youth not only sustains development efforts made to date, but builds upon them. This leads to a larger investment of themselves as citizens of one nation.
Active programs.
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ECHO Youth Leadership Council |
In 2008, with the support of Advocates for Youth, TaYA founded the Ethiopian youth Council for Higher Opportunities/ECHO/. This select group of 8 young women and men are dedicated to improving the reproductive health of Ethiopia’s youth. The specific objectives of the council for the upcoming year are the following: - To increase access to modern contraceptives for young women between the ages of 15 to 29 years,
- To be involved in decisions regarding policies, programs, and evaluations of adolescent reproductive health.
It is partnering with Advocates to advocate on US foreign policy as it relates to youth sexual reproductive health. Lobby US congress person in promoting additional funding to international family planning programs and to include comprehensive sex education in the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief /PEPFAR/. ECHO members are actively engaged in promoting youth sexual reproductive health. Several ECHO members represented TaYA at international AIDS conferences in the US and Senegal. TaYA has an online blogging sites o encourage young people their views in areas of youth SRH in particular and youth development issues in general. Amplify your voice is an interactive online blogging site designed for young activists to share their view on adolescent sexual reproductive around the world. You can view the Ethiopian campaign page here http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/ethiopia. You can also join the Ethiopian youth activist group on face book. Http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=75472312061 |
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How does TaYA Support Youth Leadership? |
- TaYA fosters a life-long sense of stewardship in its young people to maintain a continual cycle of youth supporting other youth. Youth’s leadership within their communities sustain the hard earned progress in development areas such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS, advances in gender equality, youth-started businesses, etc.
- TaYA provides specific training to select leaders within its programs. Training focuses on participation, cooperation, and win-win approaches for motivation and problem solving.
- TaYA also sends youth to international conferences to participate in worldwide forums on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.
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Adolescent Girls’ Advocacy & Leadership Initiative |
The Adolescent Girls’ Advocacy & Leadership Initiative (AGALI) promotes global health and development by enhancing the capacity of Latin American and African leaders to improve the health, education, and livelihoods of adolescent girls and young women. Implemented by International Health Programs (IHP) of the Public Health Institute (PHI), AGALI will strengthen the ability of established leaders to improve adolescent girls’ health and socio-economic well-being, while also training young women to develop their own solutions to the obstacles they face. TaYA is one of this great program participating organizations. For more information please go to http://agaliprogram.org.
By fostering youth leadership, TaYA will positively impact Ethiopia’s youth.
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Kasahun has a business degree from a local college. After graduating, 
Fuad has been involved in anti-HIV/AIDS youth clubs from primary school. 
Freiwot joined a TaYA-supported anti-HIV/AIDS youth club in secondary school.