The Organization for Social Services, Health and Development (OSSHD), in partnership with the German Foundation for World Population (DSW), is implementing a project entitled ‘Make her Voice Heard: Empowering Women and Girls to Prevent and Combat GBV in three Regions of Ethiopia’. The Action focusses on Bahir Dar, Dessie, Jimma, Nekemet and Gambella.

Tinsae Alehegn, 18 years old, lives in Bahir Dar, explains the benefit that she received from the project as follows:

"I am the last child my family and have five siblings. Unlike my older siblings who never had interests to get involved in-school clubs, I have taken different roles in every extra curriculum activity. I coordinate the mini-media sessions for my peers in school and took a lot of interest in leadership. My activism further strengthened as DSW and OSSHD facilitated a training programme in life skills and voluntarism at DSW’s youth development training center in Bishoftu. 

I became passionate in taking roles that impact the SRH needs of other youth much as the same that the changes felt in my life. I also encourage other peers to do the same by asserting how voluntarism sets to twirl the ability of volunteers in terms of furthering their commitments and a sense of empowerment.

Armed with, skills, commitments and confidence, we engage as many high school students as we could possibly reach out in a series of peer discussion sessions all year long. The issues of SRH no longer can be left out for others to discourse and decide on our behalf. Because, we believe the power of advocating for our SRH needs comes from our knowledge of them and more so the manner in which our ability to cascade the skills we possess reach out as many young people as there are out there in need."