SYL supports the higher education of students with disabilities in three public universities in Ethiopia. The project strengthens the inclusion of higher education students with disabilities by establishing or strengthening disability services at universities. The project is funded with project support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Meri Leppänen, SYL specialist, Venla Lehtinen, member of SYL’s Advisory Board for Development Cooperation, and Hanna Saino, member of HYY’s Development Cooperation Committee, took part in the monitoring visit in November.
In my mind, Ethiopia is a country of extremes. Abundance and luxury, glamorous hotels, but also extreme poverty and inequality. Burning hot days and treacherous sunshine balanced by cold nights. Centuries-old cultural traditions and unique food culture mix with modern technology and multiculturalism. The more than a week we spent on the project monitoring visit was busy but even more rewarding.
Warm welcome to Bahir Dar
On the first day of our visit, we met our ECDD partners Yohannes and Hana, with whom we would be spending following next week. We headed straight back to the airport and towards Bahir Dar. The city is located in the Amhara area, which has been a place for tensions in recent years. However, the conflict is not currently active in the city, and the places of danger are located on the outskirts of the area.
In Bahir Dar, we visited the ECDD regional office, where we received a lot of praise for our arrival in the city. Many NGOs and project partners have withdrawn completely from the region due to the conflict.
At Bahir Dari University, we were received with open arms. The university rector said that their own professor and mentor, the previous rector of the university, had studied at the University of Oulu. On the university campus, we were able to meet students who talked about the impacts of the project on their lives. Students with disabilities were satisfied with the changes achieved through the project.
As a result of the project, the university campuses have acquired aids such as voice recorders, Braille printers and computers. An accessibility survey has also been carried out on the campuses to identify physically inaccessible locations, and some of these locations will be repaired for accessibility next year. In particular, the different training courses offered by ECDD have produced results. The trainings have empowered students and made them more aware of their own rights. They have also reached university staff, which has led to a broader change in attitudes. We also visited the campus Disability Services Centre and participated in a welcome event for new students with disabilities. I was delighted that we had decided to visit this magnificent city despite external uncertainties.
A trip south: Wolaita Sodo and Hawassa
The second main activity of the trip was a visit to the University of Wolaita Sodo. Wolaita is located in the regional state of South Ethiopia and surrounded by hills and mountains. The surrounding area is dry savannah, and the sun is scorching hot during the day.
We met again with students with disabilities, and they were enthusiastic and active in the discussions we got to have with them. However, we noticed in Wolaita what we had noticed at Bahir Dar University: there were significantly fewer female students than male students. Our project also aims to address gender issues and to take intersectionality into account. We visited the Ethiopian Women with Disabilities National Association and discussed how women with disabilities are also more vulnerable to sexual abuse, for example.
We were also there just at the right time to celebrate International Disability Day. The different celebrations throughout the day were a great end to our journey.
Vision for the future
During the project monitoring visit, we got the impression that both our work and the wider disability work of Finland in Ethiopia are highly appreciated. In true Finnish fashion, we also felt slightly confused about the praise given to Finland. In Ethiopia, we were seen as pioneers, but we also noticed how much knowledge and expertise Ethiopian actors have on disability issues and how much we can learn from them.
SYL has a long history in development cooperation. Now that I have seen the impact of our project on my own, I sincerely hope that the role of development cooperation in the student movement will be further strengthened in the future.
Venla Lehtinen
Member of SYL’s Advisory Board for Development Cooperation
