A three day workshop on Channels of Hope for Gender (CoH – Gender) was concluded from November 27-29 2017 at EGST. Jointly organized in partnership with the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE) and Norwegian Church Aid, (NCA) the workshop involved a total of 40 women leaders from EECMY, EKHC, 15 ECFE member denominations, four ministries and ECFE affiliated para-church organizations.
Addressing the participants in his welcome message, Ato Addise Amado, Head of EGST Development and Communications introduced EGST to the participants and emphasized the importance of engaging on gender issues with church leaders. He also mentioned the role of EGST in providing master level academic teaching on Gender, Health and Theology as well as the progress of capacity building training for church leaders in Addis Ababa and Holeta. He further indicated that four ECFE Zonal Fellowships in Butajira, Woliso, Adama and Debre Berhan towns are included in the training scheme that adopts a model on Channels of Hope for Gender.
“Our responsibility for change entails personal transformation, institutional commitment for change and international and national partnerships”, Ato Addise remarked. He encouraged the participants for strong collaboration and commitment to promote gender equality and equity in the churches and to multiply the effects in sustainable manner.
Introducing the objectives of the training, Ato Tadele Lemma, ECFE Health Project Coordinator, motivated participants to engage actively and expressed his hope that the training will help to empower women for effective ministry in their respective churches.
It was acknowledge that such progresses are advanced due to the Gender Alliance established with EGST owner churches’ Women Ministry Departments of EECMY, EKHC and ECFE and collaborating with other organizations like NCA, WVE and other institutions.
It was further recalled that Channels of Hope (CoH) model had been implemented by EGST on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in 2016 in partnership with 15 WVE Area Programs.
