Girls' Advocacy Alliance Ethiopia SUMMARY 
The Girls Advocacy Alliance Programme in Ethiopia forms part of a broader initiative by Plan International Netherlands, Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands and Terre des Hommes Netherlands to promote equal rights and opportunities for girls and young women. Particular emphasis is being placed on improving policies and practices for the elimination of violence against girls and women and ending their economic exclusion.

In Ethiopia, the programme is implemented by Plan International Ethiopia, Terre des Hommes and Defence for Children. It runs from January 2016 to December 2020, and is carried out in in Amhara Regional State North Wollo Zone, targeting 26 Kebeles (wards). Through lobby and advocacy,  the programme works with government, traditional and religious leaders, private sector agents, local CSO’s and youth advocates to combat FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), child marriages, child trafficking and sexual exploitation and strives for decent work. One of the most common forms of GBV is domestic violence. This includes physical, psychological, sexual violence by family members or intimate partners. ACPF’s study shows that more than 84 % of girls in Ethiopia reported to have experienced some form of physical abuse where as 30%  reported to have been victims of rape. Studies show that more than half of the women or girls (50-70%)  not report cases of GBV, primarily due to the fact that they may be stigmatized and shamed by the community. A number of underlying factors help perpetuate violence against girls in Ethiopia some of which include: traditional gender norms, parental concerns surrounding premarital sex and pregnancy and the desire to secure social, economic, or political alliances.
Different types of harmful practices are prevalent in the country, in particular female genital mutilation (23% of 0-14 girls in 2011), child marriage (17% of girls between 15-19 in 2014) and sexual violence. In 2010, 49% of children aged 15 and 16 years were out-of-school (53% girls). In 2008/09 girls comprised 27.6% of the total number of students enrolled in grades 11 and 12, 46.2% in technical and vocational training and 29% in higher education in 2007/08. Girls between the age group of 10 to 17 are the most affected by school drop-out. These groups are also more at risk of being trafficked, forced into commercial sex, and end up as domestic housemaids and subsequent labour and sexual exploitation. The Theory of Change for the Girls Alliance Programme in Ethiopia follows four interrelated paths. 

Three of these lead to legislation, understanding, adherence and monitoring of public and private policies and practices regarding violence against girls and young women and their economic empowerment. Each focuses on a specific type of actor: (1) government officials at national, state, province, district and community level, and representatives of customary systems; (2) private sector actors; and (3) girls’ and women’s organisations and other CSOs and CSO networks with enhanced organisational and advocacy capacity. 

The fourth path leads to the abandonment of social norms and practices that discriminate against gender and to the change of deeply rooted and widely upheld beliefs that negatively affect policy makers, local government officials, local courts and/or service providers’ willingness to adopt and implement gender equality policies. The main actors are community, traditional and religious leaders and other key opinion leaders. 

Each of the paths will entail three levels of change: agenda setting, policy setting and, ultimately, changes in practices. The Girls Alliance Programme builds on the outcomes realised, lessons learned and relationships built up by the three alliance organisations during various programmes. An example in Ethiopia is the Girl Power Programme that was implemented from 2011 till 2015 by an alliance of six Dutch NGOs, including lead organisations Plan Netherlands and Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands.  

The Girl Power Programme focused on the wellbeing and economic empowerment of girls and young women, making them better protected against sexual and other forms of gender-based violence and improving their access to secondary education. The Girls Alliance Programme will build on the thematic and strategic expertise and experience that was gained during the Girl Power Programme, including partnering, networking and collaboration and cooperation. The end beneficiaries of the Girls Alliance Programme of Plan in Ethiopia will be girls and young women (up to the age of 24) in Amhara Regional State North Wollo Zone, of which 26 Kebeles of Lasta Woreda will be targeted. The programme focuses on four strategic goals.
1.	Public support for the long-lasting positive change on the wellbeing of girls and young women and the economic inclusion, will be increased.
2.	The influence of civil society organisations and networks (particularly girls’ and young women’s focused CSOs) on governmental and corporate/private-sector actors on the wellbeing and the economic inclusion of girls and young women, will be increased. 
3.	The policies and practices of corporate/private-sector actors that support long-lasting positive change on the wellbeing of girls and young women and economic inclusion, will be improved.
4.	Legislation and public policies, as well as improved practices of governmental actors, that support long-lasting positive change on the wellbeing of girls and young women and economic inclusion, will be effectively implemented.

The programme embraces two main strategies. 

The first of these involves strengthening CSOs and networks (particularly girls’ and young women’s focused organisations). This will make them better able to influence government and private-sector actors for the long-lasting positive change on the wellbeing of girls and young women and the economic inclusion of girls and young women.
 
The second of these strategies entails collaboration/cooperation and promotion of increased public support, improved policies and practices of private-sector actors, as well as effective implementation of legislation and public policies and the improvement of practices of governmental actors that support the long-lasting positive change on the wellbeing of girls and young women and economic inclusion. The changes that will be instigated by the Girls Alliance Programme in Ethiopia will be sustainable. The main strategies of the programme, which are capacity development and policy influencing, will both underscore sustainability. Institutional sustainability will be ensured by the programme’s focus on capacity strengthening of all local partner organisations. This will be based on carrying out assessments of individual organisational capacity and then annual assessments of the progress in custom developed capacity-strengthening plans. The financial sustainability of the programme’s outcomes and, more notably, the processes of change it will initiate, will depend on the financial and organisational sustainability of local partner organisations after the life of the programme. These aspects will receive plenty of attention during the capacity-strengthening trajectories that will be developed and rolled out with all local partner organisations. Inclusivity is an important principle of the programme and this will also be embedded in the capacity-development activities. 

Lesson(s)



Learning and reflection are important aspects of the programme. During the course of 2016, a learning agenda will be worked out and this will focus on the continuous assessment of the assumptions underlying the programme’s design and Theories of Change. These Theories of Changes will be reviewed critically every year at country, regional and alliance levels, resulting in strategic adjustments where necessary to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the interventions. 

Learning will also be an outcome of the programme’s evaluation agenda. A baseline will be conducted in the first half of 2016 and a midterm review and final evaluation are scheduled for 2018 and 2020 respectively.