WaterAid Ethiopia

22/04/2026

We are immensely delighted to share the last quarter newsletter for the FY 2025/2026.

https://phased-launch-cdn.wateraid.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/WaterAid%20Ethiopia%20Newsletter%20Jan-March%202026%20%283%29.pdf

Enjoy the Read!

01/04/2026

WaterAid Ethiopia has been featured on 'The Reporter' Amharic newspaper, marking this years .

Here is what Mihiret Fekedau, Head of Policy and Advocacy and Tigist Desta, Water and Climate Specialist had to say about WaterAid Ethiopia's work and national engagement in Climate Resilient, Gender Responsive water supply initiatives across Ethiopia.

Enjoy the read!

https://ethiopianreporter.com/154121/

ወተር ኤይድ በኢትዮጵያ መሥራት ከጀመረ ከ40 ዓመታት በላይ አስቆጥሯል፡፡ በንፁህ ውኃ፣ በመፀዳጃ ቤት፣ በንፅህና አጠባበቅ ዙሪያ ሁሉን አቀፍ የ WASH ፕሮግራሞችን በኢትዮጵያ እየተገበረ ....

27/03/2026

Strengthening Civil Society Organizations for Gender Responsive, Climate Resilient WASH service delivery

The inception launching workshop of the Civil Society Leadership in Mobilizing for Better WASH (CLIMB) Partnership Programme was held in Adama Town, from March 25-26, 2026.

WaterAid Ethiopia invited representatives from the selected implementing partner CSOs including Consortium of Christian Relief Development Association (CCRDA), Consortium for Climate Change Ethiopia (CCC-E), Ethiopian Women and Children Association (UEWCA), and Ethiopian Community Radio Broad Casters Associations (ECRBCA). Alebachew Adem, WaterAid Ethiopia's Country Director officially opened the workshop, warmly welcoming all participants and conveying WaterAid Ethiopia’s commitment to working collaboratively with implementing partners to achieve the project’s goals.

During the two days workshop WaterAid Ethiopia team presented on key required operating procedures, policies and compliance requirements including,
💦 WaterAid’s values and expectations of the Global Code of Conduct
💦 Financial management (including budget, acquittals, asset registers, payments, tranche, fraud management and counterterrorism)
💦 Procurement systems and approaches
💦 Monitoring and evaluation tools and mechanisms
💦 Branding and visibility
💦 Safeguarding at WaterAid, child safeguarding, complaints reporting mechanisms, Representation in Communication Policy, and deep dived in to partners safeguarding assessment tool

CLIMB project manager also shared governance and coordination arrangements, the type of partnership that applies to the project, roles and responsibilities of partners, and detailed implementation plan and expected key deliverables for phase 1 of the project.

The three years project funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), aims to mobilize community-based organizations (CBOs) and call on duty-bearers to act on their commitments and to end the WASH crisis. Through strengthening and empowering civil society to act as agents of change, WaterAid Ethiopia targets to enhance Gender Responsive, Climate Resilient WASH services delivery in Gumbichu Woreda and nationally.

Lasting change happens when we work together across sectors.

12/03/2026

Members of WaterAid Ethiopia Women’s Forum travelled 102 kilometers to our Universal WASH Programme district to mark International Women's Day celebrating, inspiring and motivating girls at Finchwa Egzihabhairab Primary School. 🌸 Thank you to all members and our Regional GEDSI Advisor Elias Ermias and Gumbichu team for your support in making the trip happen.

10/03/2026

The Celebration continues🥳🌺

March 10, 2026- North Mecha Team commemorated 'sDay with members of the community from North Mecha and South Achefer Woredas.

The event opened with an inspiring remark by Zelalem Minchl, North Mecha Woreda Administrator participated over 150 participants, including 20 men. The event featured entertaining drama performances and insightful panel discussions that sparked meaningful dialogue, and powerful testimonies from members of the Women Solidarity Groups. As part of the From Taps to Policy: A Multifaceted Approach for Sustainable Water Service Delivery project, WaterAid supported the establishment of a Women’s Solidarity Group in both woredas, equipping them with all the necessary skills and resources to take leadership roles in planning, oversight, and maintenance of community water services.

WaterAid Ethiopia is honored to have received a recognition certification from the North Mecha Women, Social, and Children Affairs Office as a key contributing partner.

09/03/2026

At WaterAid Ethiopia, celebrating, honoring, and empowering women is a shared resolution. On this year’s ’sDay staff across the Country Programme gathered to reaffirm just that.

We believe change starts with us; thus, we seize such global commemorations as opportunities to promote conversations around inclusive WASH service delivery, from social to technical aspects.

The celebration commenced with an inspiring remark and personal reflection by one of our active members of the Women’s Forum, Samrawit Tesfaye. This was followed by a ‘Squatting exercise,’ an interactive exercise designed to help people understand the challenges women, particularly pregnant women and people with disabilities face in accessing and using toilets.

The event continued with a panel discussion featuring Filagot Lemma, Head of People and OD, Tsega Zerihun, Grant Assistant, Alula Bruk, Design and Quality Specialist and Dejene Tagesse, Action Head of Business Development. The discussion centered around creating equitable job opportunities and favorable working environment for women across the globe as well as within WaterAid. The highly interactive panel was also about sharing perspectives on the roles we play collectively and individually in supporting women to personally and professionally excel.

The discussions concluded with all staff committing towards a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) pledge for this year.

WaterAid Ethiopia reaffirms its commitment towards creating a enabling environment for women in the workplace, as well actively engaging them from conception to implementation of WASH service delivery initiatives.

Happy International Women’s Day to all women and girls across the world.

05/03/2026

Day 3 of public health experts and creatives coming together to develop a comprehensive hygiene behaviour change (HBC) intervention package targeting Adadi Gole and Bishan Tino Kebeles of Gumbichu Woreda.

The creative team continued exploring the science behind human behaviour change, while generating actionable activities and nudges for this particular hygiene campaign. They were told that there is ‘an elephant in the room’ and through this creative process, the missing pieces of that elephant were gradually coming together helping the team see the bigger picture of what drives good hygiene behaviours.

The sessions analyzed the barriers identified by the Formative Research, hindering communities, students and health workers from practicing key hygiene behaviours. The team discussed on ideas and activities to overcome these barriers.

Dr Om Prasad Gautama shared examples of proven-to-work hygiene campaign activities in other countries, and the team participated in demonstrating some of these games and activities. They further brainstormed on context-driven behaviour change package rituals to be persistently used throughout the campaign. Critical motivational benefits for each of the behaviour on all settings were also developed by the team drawn from the Formative Research.

The Creative Agency team then took on the assignment to translating these ideas into illustrations that visually communicate the actions and benefits of the promoted behaviour.

wastemanagment

05/03/2026

Day 2 was a working shop for crafting a comprehensive hygiene behaviour change (HBC) intervention package targeting Adadi Gole and Bishan Tino Kebeles of Gumbichu Woreda.

The sessions deep dived into the creative process, starting from translating the findings of the Formative Research into innovative and practical insights designed for communities, schools and health care facilities. Participants separated into groups of three representing each setting, to develop activities and nudge ideas aimed at promoting key hygiene behaviours through motivation, disturbing physical settings and changing bad hygiene related cultural norms.

The team came up with several exciting, engaging, surprising activities in line with the key motives indicated on the formative research, along with the tools and touch points needed for effective implementation.

Dr Om Prasad Gautam sustained the team's creative spirit, ending day 2 and marking a step towards a context-driven HBC package.

04/03/2026

WaterAid Ethiopia’s Universal WASH Programme delivers the full package 🚰🚽🫲

Through the ‘Sustainable Practices to Advance Resilient and Inclusive WASH Services’ (SPARK) project funded by WaterAid, we are intervening in two kebeles of Gumbichu Woreda, targeting universal WASH coverage in the district.

SPARK project has managed to create access to clean and climate resilient water and sanitation services for thousands of communities in Adadi Gole and Bishan Tino kebeles.

With the facilitation of Dr. Om Prasad Gautam, WaterAid’s Global Hygiene lead, a diverse group of public health experts, artists, creative agencies and government representatives have come together for a 4 day workshop held in Adama town. The workshop focus on designing a comprehensive hygiene behaviour change (HBC) intervention package including practical nudges for communities, schools, and health care facilities in the target kebeles, with the ambition of scaling the model nationally.

The workshop will:

- Kick off the creative process
- Create understanding of the evidences generated through the formative research conducted by WAE
- Review existing promotional materials and nudges, to develop campaign insights and
- Generate creative behaviour change intervention ideas tailored to the context

Alebachew Adem, WAE’s Country Director and Mr. Tesfaye Demissie, East Showa Zone Health Department, WASH Focal, officially opened the workshop. WAE team shared presentations highlighting the global, national, and Gumbichu Woreda WASH context, as well as the objectives of the SPARK project.

Day one session explored the step-by-step creative process for developing the HBC package, reflected on what has and has not worked in hygiene behaviour change efforts across the country, examined the policy environment for integrating hygiene, and reviewed key findings from the Formative Research.

09/02/2026

SGD 6 is around the corner, yet hundreds of millions of communities across the African continent still lack basic access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
This is WaterAid’s Call to Action for AU Heads of State and government representatives to prioritize and elevate Gender-Responsive, Climate- Resilient WASH agenda by allocating adequate financing and ensuring accountability towards achieving measurable results.

Access to is a human right, not a luxury, therefore in ’sYearofWaterandSanitation, we call on leaders to join us in making this critical need accessible to everyone everywhere!

30/01/2026

North Mecha Woreda WASH Coordination Platform Establishment Workshop was held on January 29, 2026, in Bahir Dar participating Woreda Administration, heads of Woreda WASH sector offices, and representatives from other CSOs. The workshop was officially opened by Zelalem Minyichil, North Mecha Woreda Administrator, who is set to lead the Woreda WASH Team.

WaterAid Ethiopia is playing a key role in organizing and facilitating such workshops to strengthen collaboration among all WASH and related sector actors to achieve universal WASH access in selected districts.

In addition, an overview of WaterAid’s profile and a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were presented for discussion and approval by key WASH stakeholders in North Mecha Universal WASH Woreda.

WaterAid Ethiopia has also managed to do the same in Gumbichu, its other universal WASH Programme Woreda.