The Network of Ethiopian Women's Associations is a national network of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n societies who share the goal of advancing

women’s rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

, and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia.

History

The Network of Ethiopian Women's Associations states that it was created in 2003 as a network of

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s and women's associations in Ethiopia. After a change in the ''Charities and Societies'' law in 2009, NEWA reorganized itself as a consortium of Ethiopian societies working on

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. NEWA consisted of 42 organizations and associations from around Ethiopia in 2009. NEWA said that it aimed at a "vision of an Ethiopian society where gender equality is realized ndbecomes the normal context for women's and men's lives in Ethiopia".

Area of expertise

The network aims to ensure that women and men at all levels are made aware of women's

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

al and

legal right Some philosophers distinguish two types of rights, natural rights and legal rights. * Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are ''universal'', ''fundamental right ...

s, and to solicit practical support from various sectors.

Works

NEWA recently created a book featuring the stories of 64 of the women interviewed so far, selected to portray a wide range of occupations, ages and backgrounds and for the inspirational quality of their stories.

References

{{Reflist 2003 establishments in Ethiopia Organizations established in 2003 Women's rights in Ethiopia Women's rights organizations