RESILIENT WE: Reducing Environmental Shocks and Improving Livelihoods

In the Oromia region of Ethiopia severe environmental degradation and climate change have exacerbated the lived experience of women and girls leaving them marginalized in decision-making enjoyment of rights and access to and control over important resources. This project aims to improve the resilience of women in the Oromia region of Ethiopia to the negative impacts of environmental degradation and climate-induced shocks. It focuses on training local communities on gender-sensitive natural resources management and using established approaches to tackle the social-cultural barriers that create and perpetuate gender inequalities. These approaches complement activities that build and increase women’s agency with leadership training decision-making and collective action with support from local women’s organizations. The project aims to reach 56 000 beneficiaries in the Haraghe regions of Ethiopia.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) enhanced agency and decision-making power of women and girls over social economic and environmental aspects that affect their lives in the Oromia region; (2) increased participation of women and girls in the management of climate risks and sustainable use of natural resources in Oromia region; (3) increased access to and control over diverse safe livelihoods and benefits fro women in the Oromia region; (4) increased ability of targeted communities to change discriminatory gender norms and power dynamics that limit women’s rights leadership and decision-making particularly on social economic and environmental issues; (5) increased ability of women to participate in decision-making leadership and collective action in the governance of natural resources response to impacts of climate change gender based violenceand economic issues; and (6) improved capacity of targeted regional and woreda governments to develop gender-responsive policies plans and budgets for sustainable use of natural resources and adaptation to climate change.