Through programs like ACE for Women’s Leadership and Higher Education Readiness (HER), IIE harnesses the power of international education to address major challenges facing the world today. Out of our office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, IIE is partnering with local, national and global leaders to tackle issues across the continent. From Addis to Nairobi to Ghana, IIE is working with African students, leaders, and politicians to promote advocacy and build networks within countries and across borders. Below are our top 5!
- IIE’s ACE Director Saba Gebremedhin was in Nairobi, Kenya from October 19-24th, 2015 to facilitate the Feminist Leadership Training of Trainers event. Promoting the program’s mission of contributing to and strengthening the emergence of women’s leadership as a force for equality, social justice, and peace in Africa, the event brought these leaders together to expand their capacities for developing female leaders.
- IIE’s ACE program participants took part in the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Rights under the theme “Realizing Demographic Dividend in Africa: the Critical Importance of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”. The three day conference in Ghana was attended by First Ladies and representatives of many of the African countries and was opened by John Dramani Mahama, the president of Ghana.
- During the 7th Africa Conference, IIE facilitated an ACE workshop in Accra, Ghana. Representatives of the four ACE partner organizations took part in the workshop where they learned about developing their advocacy skills on these issues which they could then apply to work in their respective countries.
- In Ethiopia, 62 HER program graduates are now attending university across Ethiopia. By providing and improving pathways to education, the HER program continues to directly impact Ethiopia’s future by developing a network of educated women and offering a model for women’s empowerment programs. Read the report on results from the first HER cohort and learn more about the key findings from this study.
- Women from the Ethiopian Women’s Leadership Program (EWLP) are giving back and mentoring HER students, helping to improve their networking abilities. These relationships are building networks across the country, creating contacts that can last beyond the timespan of the program, and are teaching HER girls about the benefits of networks for their own personal and professional growth.