Earning money from homestead garden
Project participant women living in Tigray Kelete Awlalo woreda are producing vegetable in homestead garden and consuming their product. Not only consume what they produced in small plot of land and vertical farming technique but also, they earn money by selling the excessive products. For instance, Nigisti Abrha is one of the target women earns more than 2 thousand Birrs within past 6 month by selling cabbage and vegetable seedling. Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) has a pilot project focused on women empowerment. Through women economic empowerment and adolescent initiative intervention, ECSC-SUN plans to improve household nutrition status in three regions: Tigray, Afar and Somali. To assess the implementation progress of the project, ECSC-SUN secretariat conducted visit to project area Tigray, Kelete Awlalo. Project participant women conducted cocking and feeding demonstrations for visiting team. They used vegetable (cabbage, tomato), animal products(egg) and pulse to produce nutritious dense food for children and adults separately. The team consists of regional and woreda Food and Nutrition implementing sectors, ECSC-SUN secretariat, Mums for Mums (MfM) Save the children Tigray office. The team appreciate the progress and encourage the women’s effort. The woreda multi sectorial coordination is clearly seen in this project. Health, agriculture, water and women affair sectors collaborate to support the beneficiaries to produce, consume and to bring attitudinal change regarding women and children feeding practice. These coordination and commitment are best indicators for the sustainability of the piloted project.
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ECSC-SUN secretariat conducted visit to Afar
The aim of the visit is to observe the Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) Women Economic Empowerment and Adolescence Initiative (WEE & AI) intervention progress. The visiting team oversees the impact of knowledge gained through training and outcome of the distributed resources as well as practical actions taken by target beneficiaries with an emphasis on the added value to household nutrition. As WEE & AI intervention, target beneficiaries living in #Afar #Asayita, have been provided skill training, 40 milking goats for 20 women, vegetable seeds (onion, tomato, pepper, and cabbage) for 10 households per their preference. In addition, agricultural hand tools (Hoe, shovel, watering can, fork,) and fruit seedlings (500 Mango, 400 Orange) have been provided to Hameltole Primary schools. Now, target beneficiaries are producing milk from the goat and feed their children. The school gardening activity is in good progress. For instance, in Hameltole school the seedling is ready to transplant to the gardening area. Adolescents in school club presented drama to the visitors. Their edutainment technique was powerful to address nutritional messages like child feeding practice, food restriction norm, hand hygiene and gender equality. The community was not familiar with consuming some food items. Through training, knowledge sharing and social and behavior change intervention, now beneficiary groups started to eat egg in a roosted form. ECSC-SUN and implementing partner #Amref Health Africa, Gender Equality Project at #Save the children Semera field office and government sectors like #agriculture, #health and #women affair worked closely to bring these positive changes. The visiting team appreciated the progress and joint efforts !
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Planning workshop completed
ECSC-SUN and implementing partners plan alignment workshop was successfully completed. The ECSC-SUN secretariat held its annual plan alignment workshop with implementing partners from November 8-9, 2024, at the Robi Hotel in Adama. Attendees included representatives from Save the Children’s Award Office, Gender Equality Project (GEP) staff from Afar and Somali regions, and key implementing partners Amref Health Africa (Afar) and Mums for Mums (Tigray). The workshop aimed to synchronize each partner’s plans with ECSC-SUN’s strategic objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. Based on the secretariat annual plan, implementing partners drafted their plan and presented to the workshop participants. After through discussion, partners incorporated the feedback and produced refined aligned version of the plan. Each plan now includes specific budget allocations and a timeline for implementation. In addition, Essential donor compliance and reporting standards shared; financial and narrative reporting tips were given to participants to improve reporting quality and consistency. The workshop officially closed with closing remark. In his closing remark, Mr. Abebe Bimerew, ECSC-SUN National Lead emphasized revitalizing regional platforms key is the key priority in the annual plan, with a particular focus on Tigray. He urged regional leads to actively map Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in their areas and foster collaboration. He also emphasized the importance of early project initiation and timely reporting to achieve planed activities. ECSC-SUN has been implementing Irish aid funded project named “Enhancing Leadership, Commitment and Accountability to Improve Nutrition Outcomes”. GEP and implementing partners implementing Women Economic Empowerment and Adolescent Initiative (WEE&AI) intervention pilot project in three regions, Afar, Tigray and Somali, benefitted 90 target women.
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Regional Sensitization Workshop
The workshop aimed to sensitize Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on nutrition multisectoral integration in Central Ethiopia Region in Butajira Town. Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) secretariat participated in the workshop on October 30, 2024. It is recalled that ECSC-SUN General Assembly delegated The Hunger Project Ethiopia to coordinate the Central Ethiopia’s support platform. The workshop, financially supported by The Hunger Project Ethiopia, gathered key stakeholders from CSOs to discuss regional platform establishment. It was collectively decided that the official regional platform establishment workshop would be scheduled for the first week of December 2024. The ECSC-SUN Secretariat’s technical support was also formally requested to ensure the success of this upcoming event. # ECSC-SUN # TheHungerProjectEthiopia
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ECSC-SUN conducted regional review meeting
Malnutrition has been significant challenge for Ethiopia. It has multifaced immediate, underlying, and basic causes and resulted morbidity and mortality among children. To get out of the strap of vicious cycle of malnutrition, well-organized, strongly integrated and multisectoral and multidimensional response become crucial. Coordination is vital to comprehensively address malnutrition problems in the country. Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) is established to support ending malnutrition activities. A part of this effort ECSC-SUN conducted Sidama, Central Ethiopia & South Ethiopia Regions Support Platform Bi-annual Review meeting. The meeting aimed to strengthen partnership of coalition members who engaged in livelihood/food/ nutrition security, WASH and Health related development and humanitarian endeavors operating in Sidama, Central Ethiopia and South Ethiopia Regions. These integration in turn create shared spaces for improved nutrition with aim to end malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. In his closing remark, Abebe Bimerew ECSC-SUN national lead, emphasized the importance of the regional ECSC-SUN platform, providing regular report updates, and discussing the next steps to achieve the set goals. #Togetherfornutrition
Read MoreECSC-SUN participated in CSO conference
Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) presented a paper at the Civil Society Organization (CSO) conference advocating for the integration of multi-sectoral nutrition approaches. On his presentation, Abebe Bimerew ECSC-SUN national lead, emphasized CSO profound impact on people’s lives. The paper provided substantial evidence and underscored the critical importance of addressing this issue. Three points were recommended: Strengthen multisectoral coordination and ownership vertical and horizontal linkage to ensure joint planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring at all levels. Finalize the establishment of food systems and nutrition council to ensure nutrition governance and accountability. It is known the existing multi-sectoral coordination and governance platforms have no legal framework. Strengthen resource mobilization for additional financing from government treasury budget, partners, donors, and private sector. # Together for nutrition
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ECSC-SUN participated in CSO conference.
Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) presented a paper at the Civil Society Organization (CSO) conference advocating for the integration of multi-sectoral nutrition approaches. On his presentation, Abebe Bimerew ECSC-SUN national lead, emphasized CSO profound impact on people’s lives. The paper provided substantial evidence and underscored the critical importance of addressing this issue. Three points were recommended: Strengthen multisectoral coordination and ownership vertical and horizontal linkage to ensure joint planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring at all levels. Finalize the establishment of food systems and nutrition council to ensure nutrition governance and accountability. It is known the existing multi-sectoral coordination and governance platforms have no legal framework. Strengthen resource mobilization for additional financing from government treasury budget, partners, donors, and private sector. # Together for nutrition
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Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling-Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) held its coalition’s steering committee meeting.
On his welcoming speech Mr. Abebe Bimerew, ECSC-SUN national lead, highlighted that staffing of ECSC-SUN secretariat team and strengthening the steering committee was the coalitions priority agenda and it was so far achieved. Mr. Austin Kennan, Concern Worldwide country director, opened the meeting. In his opening remark, he noted that malnutrition continued as Ethiopia’s economic and health challenge. He emphasized the need for a multisectoral collaboration to avert this problem. Progress updates, challenges and priority issues presented by each coalition member organizations. Concern worldwide, care Ethiopia, Discussion was held on the upcoming ECSC-SUN general assembly and preparatory works. Action points were raised, and responsible organizations assigned to legalize the accomplish the activities. Legalizing the coalition was one of the issues discussed. ECSC-SUN is hosted by Save the Children. As a host organization, Save the Children made a closing remark. Ms. Dragana Strinic, Save the Children Country director, recalled that ECSC-SUN has been the best platform for advocating and supporting the government of Ethiopia to achieve its nutrition goals. She also called upon mutual accountability and harmonized efforts to end malnutrition in all its forms.
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Save the Children team discussed with Ireland Embassy staff
Save the Children higher official and Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) secretariat discussed with Ireland embassy staffs on key achievements, challenges, and next priorities of the coalition. ECSC-SUN has been implemented Irish aid funded projects for the last 9 years. It has initiated the development, finalization and endorsement of Food and Nutrition Policy in Ethiopia and the National Food and Nutrition Strategy. In addition, developing and implementing ECSC-SUN website and conducting Nutrition Leadership training are among the achievements of the coalition. High Staff turnover and inflation are main challenges that ECSC-SUN faced. Women Economic empowerment and adolescent initiative intervention are on progress in three regions. After the team presented progress update to the donor, detailed discussion held. The donor forwarded the way to overcome such challenges and to strengthen the efforts of the coalition activities.
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ECSC-SUN participated regional event
Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN) participated in the East and South Africa (ESA) regional meeting on Scaling Up Nutrition held from 14-20 April 2024 in Keniya, Nairobi. Abebe Bimerew, National Lead, represented ECSC-SUN. The meeting aimed at learning and exchanging knowledge among Civil Society Alliances (CSAs) in the region. The event helped to strengthen capacity for CSAs in good governance, resource mobilization and documentation of good practices. This experience-sharing event was organized by the East and South Africa Alliance.
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