CSRC in partnership with ACLP has designed a mentorship and training program for eight emerging and newly established CSOs to enable them in becoming independent forces in their respective fields. The primary aim of this project is to provide tailor-based training and mentorship from experienced CSO leaders. It will also provide ample networking opportunities with established human rights advocates groups. This program aims to support eight organizations in a 10-month program. These organizations will be given strategic and tactical support to overcome the challenges they will face as new organizations in the Ethiopian civil society scene.

Check out this program’s testimonials here.

Emerging CSO Profiles

Defend the Environment

Defend the environment is a local board-led civil society organization that aims to tackle environmental problems plaguing Ethiopia, especially environmental pollution. It was established in 2012 but officially started operations in 2021 with a mission of using legal enforcement and environmental public interest litigation to bring environmental justice.  Defend the Environment is working to ensure the public’s right to enjoy a clean, green, healthy, and safe environment is protected and respected.

Digital Rogue Society Experiment Group

Digital Rogue Society Experiment Group (DRSE.G) is a local board-led civil society organization that aims to redefine the role of civil societies in the digital age. Established in 2019, DRSE.G has a mission of using technology to inform and advocate civic engagements with the introduction of effective and reliable ways of experimentation. It advocates for digital inclusion, and seeks innovative solutions to fake news and misinformation, and works to ensure accountability and transparency of government, businesses, and civil society organizations.

Engineering and Construction Ethiopia

Engineering and Construction Ethiopia is a professional association of engineers that aims to holistically strengthen the field of engineering by organizing training and discussion platforms, conducting legal and policy reviews, and increasing the participation of women in the field. Established in 2021, Engineering and Construction Ethiopia have a mission of serving as a platform for dynamic and productive interaction in the engineering and construction spheres. It advocates for the rights of those who work in the engineering and construction field and it also works to raise awareness about the rights of workers.

Ethiopian Labor Rights Watch

Ethiopian Labor Rights Watch (ELRW) is a civil society organization that aims to tackle labor rights issues in Ethiopia. Established in 2019, ELRW has a mission of contributing to the realization of labor rights in Ethiopia through awareness creation, advocacy, legal aid, and capacity building. Since its establishment, it has been working to ensure workers’ rights are protected through policy engagement, increasing government accountability, and research-based advocacy.

Health Relief Ethiopia

Health Relief Ethiopia(HRE) is a board-led institution that aims to strengthen the public health system in remote areas of the country by educating the public about its rights, helping the government prepare for public health emergencies, and holding the government accountable. Established in 2020, HRE has a mission of assisting communities and institutions prepare, respond and recover from public health emergencies. It is working to make sure people across the country are getting comprehensive support from the government.

TIMRAN

Timran is a board-led organization that aims to empower women to become leaders and take up public space. Established in 2020, Timran has a mission of working towards the enhancement of Ethiopian women’s active engagement in political and public leadership, to ensure their constitutional right to equal participation in the nation’s political, social, and economic undertakings. The participation of women will contribute to building a just society based on gender equality and maintain the peace and security of the nation.

The Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA)

The Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA) is a professional association of lawyers with disabilities that aims to empower persons with disabilities (PWDs). To such an end, it engages in evidence-based advocacy and leverages national and international legal instruments to defend the rights of persons with disabilities and enhance the capacity of its members. ELDA is the first professional association of persons with disabilities and it was established in 2019 with a mission of ensuring the full promotion, protection, and respect of all rights for all PWDs in Ethiopia.

WARKA Center

WARKA CENTER for Sustainable Development, Democracy, and Peace (WARKA CENTER) is a board-led, civil society think-tank established in 2020. It aims to facilitate evidence-based policy formulation and serve as a center of excellence for the pursuit of a public discourse that helps realize demographic, democratic, and peace dividends in Ethiopia. WARKA CENTER implements activities with multi-sector interventions focused on addressing the cross-cutting challenges of underdevelopment (i.e. youth unemployment, reproductive–health, and skill-based education/training), democratic-deficit (i.e. lack of deliberative platforms, low civic engagement, the deficit in good governance, and human right violation), and conflict (i.e. migration, religious extremism, and ethnic/political conflict).