She has spent most of her life fighting violence against women and girls and promoting gender equality. Maria is the founder and Executive Director of the Association for Women’s Sanctuary and Development (AWSAD), UN Women Ethiopia’s key implementing partner. Established in 2005, AWSAD provides shelter and comprehensive essential services to survivors of sexual violence, including counseling, medical care, legal aid, and skills training to help them reintegrate into society.While serving as a judge at the Federal High Court, Maria witnessed the challenges women faced in accessing justice. This experience led her and fellow female lawyers to establish the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) in 1995. “I became a strong advocate for women’s rights through the provision of legal aid to ensure equal access to justice and to push for law reforms that protect women’s rights,” Maria said.AWSAD also provides multisectoral training for service providers at both institutional and community levels, helping ensure that gender issues are well understood and mainstreamed into violence prevention and response services.Maria is often seen with survivors at AWSAD, engaging in art and craft activities—an important part of the healing process. According to the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey, 23 percent of Ethiopian women aged 15–49 have experienced physical violence, and 10 percent have experienced sexual violence. At least one in three women has faced spousal violence. Contributing factors include discriminatory traditional norms, gaps in the legal framework, low awareness and enforcement of existing laws, and limited comprehensive services for survivors.A national report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration, published by the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs in June 2024 with support from UN Women, highlights the continued impact of restrictive social norms and humanitarian crises, which increase the vulnerability of women and girls to gender-based violence (GBV). The demand for GBV services remains high and largely unmet, pointing to the need for better coordination and expansion of services.Maria also highlights new challenges in the fight against GBV. “Technology-facilitated gender-based violence, sexual violence targeting young children, and persistent gaps in awareness are all slowing progress,” she says. “Social media and other technologies are creating new forms of VAWG at an alarming rate. The lack of systems to hold perpetrators accountable only encourages more violence. We need an urgent shift in our prevention and response approaches.”She has observed a shift in societal attitudes since she began her work. “When we established AWSAD over 20 years ago, I had to persevere to justify its need in a country where traditional norms normalized VAWG and biased attitudes toward women and girls were prevalent,” she reflects. “Today, it’s different. Thanks to the effectiveness of our comprehensive services, even those who initially opposed us—and the government—are now coming to us to help expand the services.”Maria currently chairs the Ethiopian Network of Women’s Shelters (ENWS) and supports an association of rehabilitated survivors who give back to the community by advocating to end violence against women and girls.As AWSAD continues to expand its services, so does the demand for action. “Considering the magnitude of the problem, what we have done so far is just a drop in the ocean,” says Maria. “Our community outreach is encouraging more survivors to seek help. Turning them away due to limited space breaks my heart. This work requires continuous commitment and accountability.”Now, Maria is leading the expansion of AWSAD’s facilities on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. “When we started, ending VAWG was seen as our concern alone. Today, the police, religious leaders, elders, men, and boys are joining the call to end violence against women and girls,” she emphasizes. , filtered_html

Funding cuts disrupted services. A few held on without salaries but eventually, even they stopped showing up. Confused and anxious clients arrived to find the gates closed. Some waited. Others turned away. The crisis quickly spread from Bahir Dar, where key population programmes came to a halt. Outreach workers, who had built trust door by door, were laid off. Fear took hold. Clients asked for extra medication, unsure whether services would return. Peer support groups vanished, and with them, protection against stigma and transmission."I often find myself overwhelmed with stress,” said a woman from a women led association. “If the medicine and other services stop coming, where will I go? I simply don’t have the financial means to afford the treatment I need.”The data collated by the women-led association of people living with HIV is stark. For two months, no new clients have been enrolled in PrEP, the prevention prophylaxis taken orally that protects from HIV infection. “One of my biggest concerns is the fear of not having access to condoms,” said a case manager from the women led association. “Without them, we know HIV can spread much more easily.”In the face of this collapse, the UNAIDS Ethiopia team visited Bahir Dar and surrounding towns to document the impact firsthand. They spoke with organizations, youth groups, and people living with HIV. They visited what remained of the services and listened to voices that too often go unheard—adolescents, mothers, peer educators—people still holding the line, even as systems crumbled around them.“I worry deeply about the spread of HIV,” said a female member. “Will medicine still be available? Will we still have access to viral load testing? If condoms run short, we risk seeing the virus continue to spread, along with other infectious diseases.”"Without a financial budget, our members are left without the basics they need to survive; no food, medical care, or even hope," said the association manager. "They have families, they have children, and they rely heavily on this support. It would make a huge difference if members could access free medical treatment and hospital services. Today, many can't even afford one meal a day. Their health is deteriorating; their children are suffering. What they need most is dignity, food, and a fighting chance." “There’s a real fear that if funding ends, everything else will follow—medicines, condoms, even access to medical personnel,” said a member from the women led association. “Without these, proper care becomes almost impossible.” And yet, even in collapse, communities are refusing to give up.Young volunteers have stepped in. They have formed informal networks, checked in on peers, and created WhatsApp groups to stay connected. Mothers banded together to support their children’s treatment. Youth collectives used community radio and shared airtime to spread critical information. Where formal systems failed, communities built their own safety nets.Bahir Dar was both a breaking point and a wake-up call. It laid bare the fragility of systems built around a single funding stream—when the money stopped, so did the services, the trust, and the hope.This crisis makes clear that resilience must be built in, not left for later. Emergency preparedness must be a core part of national HIV responses. Community-led organizations must be recognized as essential. And youth-led innovation must be scaled up—because it is young people who keep the response alive when everything else falls apart."Resilient communities are the backbone of the HIV response," said Tina Boonto, UNAIDS Country Director for Ethiopia. "When systems collapse, it is communities that hold the line. Their leadership, courage, and innovation are not optional—they are essential. Building lasting responses means putting communities first, not as an afterthought but as the foundation of everything we do."HIV must remain central to humanitarian, development, and recovery agendas. The intertwined challenges of conflict, displacement, gender-based violence, and HIV demand integrated, people-centered solutions. This won’t happen if HIV is treated as an afterthought or reduced to clinical care alone.The story of Bahir Dar shows what happens when systems fail, and what people do in their absence. It is a testament that resilience is forged in crisis by those most often left behind who still find ways to move forward., filtered_html

The UN community in Ethiopia is participating in a series of activities as part of UN Wellness Week, a global initiative led by the United Nations to promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of its staff.Organized by the UN Health Care Center, the week features a variety of events including a health expo, screenings for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), informative lectures on a range of health topics, and wellness activities such as mindfulness exercises and stress management sessions. At the opening of Wellness Week, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, emphasized the importance of staff well-being in achieving the UN’s mission.“Here at the UN, we have a duty—not only to advocate for global health—but also to lead by example by promoting health and wellness within our own community,” said Dr. Alakbarov.He noted that while UN staff work tirelessly to promote sustainable development and equity, non-communicable diseases pose a threat to these goals.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries, where 82% of premature NCD-related deaths occur. Diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, cancers, chronic respiratory illnesses, and diabetes caused at least 43 million deaths in 2021—representing 75% of all non-pandemic-related fatalities globally.Dr. Alakbarov urged staff to take simple, daily steps to reduce their risk of NCDs and to support one another in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.“We need to commit to prevention and encourage one another to take advantage of wellness programs and mental health resources in the UN,” he said. He also reaffirmed the UN Country Team’s dedication to fostering a supportive workplace that prioritizes the health and well-being of all staff.“A supportive workplace is essential to promote our health,” Dr. Alakbarov said., filtered_html

Tesfaye has spent his career transforming the household latrines in his home village in Bushera, Misrak Bedawecho woreda (district). He often upgrades his customers’ mud floors that absorb urine and attract flies into a cleaner, more hygienic space with a durable concrete floor and a SATO Pan.Tesfaye isn’t just a mason; he is a pioneer. In 2015, he received specialized training in manufacturing and installing concrete slabs. With this new skill and a vision for a healthier village, he launched Lakilina Sanitation Enterprise with his friends. Their goal was to provide better sanitation solutions and generate income. Over the years, the enterprise flourished, selling and installing more than 7,000 concrete slabs in 10 years. However, the high cost and weight of the slabs made transportation difficult, limiting access for remote households. Then, plastic latrine products entered the market, revolutionizing sanitation solutions. These lightweight, affordable slabs made latrine upgrades accessible to even the most remote communities. In the past year, Tesfaye and his team installed over 1,000 SATO Pans.Despite his success, Tesfaye faced another hurdle: he did not have a dedicated space to showcase his products. “I always dreamed of owning a shop where people could see, learn, and buy better latrine solutions,” he said. Recognizing his dedication, the Make a Splash phase three (MaS III) project, a global partnership between UNICEF and LIXIL, provided financial assistance to help him build his dream shop.Strategically located, the shop allows customers to explore sanitation options firsthand. Currently, it features two plastic latrine products, but Tesfaye plans to expand his inventory to include construction essentials and other cleaning and hygiene products.“It’s incredible to see people transitioning from open defecation to proper sanitation,” Tesfaye says. “This work is not just about improving latrines; it’s also my livelihood. It has helped me improve my living standard, build a better house, and send my children to a better school.”The MaS III project is strengthening sanitation markets across eight woredas (districts) in four regions of Southern Ethiopia. By building sustainable market systems, the project aims to improve the coverage of basic and safely managed sanitation, empowering communities to invest in decent sanitation and ensuring a healthier future for all. The initiative also aims to support the progress of SDG target 6.2, which aims to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by 2030.Written by Dawit Haile and Netsanet Kassa, filtered_html