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The Ethiopian People=s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) overthrew the military dictatorship of Mengist... more The Ethiopian People=s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) overthrew the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam in May, 1991. Just over one year later, the interim EPRDF administration conducted regional elections which defined the whole future course of the Ethiopian political transition and the nature and extent of its democratic outcomes. These elections were to be crucial events shaping Ethiopia=s quest for democratic governance in the wake of nearly two decades of authoritarian rule. This report considers the context and conduct of these 1992 regional election processes and their consequences for democratic governance and the long quest for a post-imperial state in Ethiopia. .. The report offers strategic recommendations, based on the Ethiopian experience for the conduct of initial democratic elections in war-torn societies. 1. Context Ethiopia confines to be one of the world=s very poorest countries by almost every conventional measure. It also is one of the oldest, continuously functioning polities in the world with historical roots dating well into pre-Christian times. Few countries exhibit greater cultural diversity. Particularly, in the twentieth century, Ethiopia has been an African empire held together by emperors skillfully employing the country=s historic identification with Coptic Christianity, blending elements of modernity with deeply ingrained tradition, quasi feudal political and economic structures and practices. Civil war, famine and pestilence have combined to create both diasporas within and outside the country. Twice within a generation Ethiopia has attempted a transition from authoritarian rule. An incipient revolution in 1974 ended the reign of Ethiopia=s last emperor, Haile Selassie I. A 120 man committee of middle and junior level military officers seized leadership of this revolution-in-the-making and charted a transformation from the quasi-feudal inegalitarianism of the emperors to some form of socialism. But this revolutionary upsurge metastasized into seventeen years of military dictatorship under Mengistu Haile Mariam. Mengistu=s regime inflicted its authoritarian rule on Ethiopians at the grass roots to an unprecedented degree. This and its unflinching insistence on military solutions to the problem of Eritrean secession and to state-centric development fueled a civil war led by the Tigre-based Ethiopian People=s Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) which overthrew Mengistu in 1991.
The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) pioneered a Community-based FP Distribution [C... more The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) pioneered a Community-based FP Distribution [CBD] program in Ethiopia in 1991. The CBD agents were selected by the community members through prior set selection criteria including interest and willingness to volunteer for community work and sufficient knowledge about the socio-economic and cultural context of the community. The CBD program was very widely replicated by many other institutions as a low cost, effective strategy to increase access to modern contraceptive services in under-served communities. Considering the challenges related to distance and access to fixed health facilities among women with high unmet needs; and the lessons drawn from project based success stories of the CBD programs, the government of Ethiopia initiated the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2003 to accelerate utilization of primary health care services in rural communities. The HEP is implemented by trained health extension workers/ practitioners at the community level with strong focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and empowering community members to make decisions and take actions on their own health. The Health Extension Workers (HEW) were recruited from the community among those who completed high school and trained for one year. Currently, two female HEWs are assigned at each kebele (the lowest administrative unit) and to implement a package of 16 primary health care services including FP and maternal health. A total of about 35,000 rural HEWs and 4,800 urban Health Extension Professionals [Graduate Nurses] are deployed by MoH, as government employees, throughout the country. The program has created a better opportunity, particularly for rural women and young people to access health services including FP/RH. In addition, the fact that all HEWs are young women implies that the strategy empowers women as agents of change and as leaders of social and development.
The Ethiopian People=s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) overthrew the military dictatorship of Mengist... more The Ethiopian People=s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) overthrew the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam in May, 1991. Just over one year later, the interim EPRDF administration conducted regional elections which defined the whole future course of the Ethiopian political transition and the nature and extent of its democratic outcomes. These elections were to be crucial events shaping Ethiopia=s quest for democratic governance in the wake of nearly two decades of authoritarian rule. This report considers the context and conduct of these 1992 regional election processes and their consequences for democratic governance and the long quest for a post-imperial state in Ethiopia. .. The report offers strategic recommendations, based on the Ethiopian experience for the conduct of initial democratic elections in war-torn societies. 1. Context Ethiopia confines to be one of the world=s very poorest countries by almost every conventional measure. It also is one of the oldest, continuously functioning polities in the world with historical roots dating well into pre-Christian times. Few countries exhibit greater cultural diversity. Particularly, in the twentieth century, Ethiopia has been an African empire held together by emperors skillfully employing the country=s historic identification with Coptic Christianity, blending elements of modernity with deeply ingrained tradition, quasi feudal political and economic structures and practices. Civil war, famine and pestilence have combined to create both diasporas within and outside the country. Twice within a generation Ethiopia has attempted a transition from authoritarian rule. An incipient revolution in 1974 ended the reign of Ethiopia=s last emperor, Haile Selassie I. A 120 man committee of middle and junior level military officers seized leadership of this revolution-in-the-making and charted a transformation from the quasi-feudal inegalitarianism of the emperors to some form of socialism. But this revolutionary upsurge metastasized into seventeen years of military dictatorship under Mengistu Haile Mariam. Mengistu=s regime inflicted its authoritarian rule on Ethiopians at the grass roots to an unprecedented degree. This and its unflinching insistence on military solutions to the problem of Eritrean secession and to state-centric development fueled a civil war led by the Tigre-based Ethiopian People=s Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) which overthrew Mengistu in 1991.
The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) pioneered a Community-based FP Distribution [C... more The Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) pioneered a Community-based FP Distribution [CBD] program in Ethiopia in 1991. The CBD agents were selected by the community members through prior set selection criteria including interest and willingness to volunteer for community work and sufficient knowledge about the socio-economic and cultural context of the community. The CBD program was very widely replicated by many other institutions as a low cost, effective strategy to increase access to modern contraceptive services in under-served communities. Considering the challenges related to distance and access to fixed health facilities among women with high unmet needs; and the lessons drawn from project based success stories of the CBD programs, the government of Ethiopia initiated the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2003 to accelerate utilization of primary health care services in rural communities. The HEP is implemented by trained health extension workers/ practitioners at the community level with strong focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and empowering community members to make decisions and take actions on their own health. The Health Extension Workers (HEW) were recruited from the community among those who completed high school and trained for one year. Currently, two female HEWs are assigned at each kebele (the lowest administrative unit) and to implement a package of 16 primary health care services including FP and maternal health. A total of about 35,000 rural HEWs and 4,800 urban Health Extension Professionals [Graduate Nurses] are deployed by MoH, as government employees, throughout the country. The program has created a better opportunity, particularly for rural women and young people to access health services including FP/RH. In addition, the fact that all HEWs are young women implies that the strategy empowers women as agents of change and as leaders of social and development.