Kiya Gezahegne is a senior feminist researcher for Includovate and leads the Policy and Rights Portfolio. She is currently working on a review of the Ethiopia Women policy. This interview is for a blog series that reflects upon the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on research work at Includovate.
Where do you live and what is the government’s response to COVID-19?
I live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After the first case was reported in the country, the government adopted preventive measures followed by a state of emergency. The government had declared a partial lockdown for the previous two weeks in Addis Ababa. International borders and flights were closed later in the process, but many citizens and residents have criticized it as “too late and irresponsible”. Sanitization campaigns, obligatory sanitation measures, and social support systems were introduced to control the spread of the disease and help those who have been economically affected by COVID-19. Nonetheless, the number of positive cases increased, mainly reported among migrants returning from Kenya, Djibouti, and Dubai. Health professionals continue to address the nation about the necessity of social distancing and washing hands. Religious fathers have declared a month of prayer across the nation. Donations are coming in to assist the effort the government is making to control COVID-19. Regardless, negligence among the public in adhering to sanitation and social distancing measures as well as myths about the disease being a curse negatively affect the response to COVID-19 in Ethiopia.
What is the current project you are working on?
The Department for International Development (DFiD) (the United Kingdom government department responsible for delivering overseas aid) has funded a Seizing the Moment project to strengthen Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women Children and Youth (MoWCY) as an institution so that it can better support and hold other line ministries to account for delivering on gender transformative outcomes. This will be achieved by capitalising on the current dynamic political context in Ethiopia, and utilising CARE Ethiopia’s expertise and learning on gender transformative work. As part of this project, Includovate is reviewing the 1993 National Women’s Policy and conducting a nationwide consultation process. The review aims at evaluating the effectiveness of the policy in addressing modern issues facing gender equality in Ethiopia and the status of women in the country at present. It also researches how well the MoWYC works to implement the policy itself. Based on the findings, an integrated document including an action plan and recommendations will be presented to the Ministry.
How has COVID-19 affected the policy analysis?
The women’s policy analysis includes a focus on national and regional consultations across all regions, and context analysis focusing on government offices. For this agenda, data was being collected through interviews and focus group discussions. We were in the process of collecting data when the pandemic broke in the country. As a result, after the state of emergency was declared, we were forced to drop the national and regional consultations. Focus group discussions and community dialogues were not possible with restrictions limiting social gathering to under four people. This reality created a challenge and also an opportunity to search through possible new ways to collect information.
We were also in the middle of interviewing other government ministries to gather their feedback on the Ethiopia’s Women’s policy and how they work with MoWCY. Government offices were partially closed, which was, at first, an obstacle for the researchers to make contact. However, working together with the MoWCY and CARE Ethiopia, the team at Includovate was able to conduct interviews over the phone and online via email.
How will research change post Covid-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity for researchers and institutions such as Includovate to become more creative during the research process. It has taught us that research can go on, even under such circumstances. It is yet too early, at least in Ethiopia’s case, to say how research will change post COVID-19, without conclusive evidence that shows a halt in the spread of the disease.
Anything else to add or share?
The months since March, when the first case was reported in Ethiopia, have been a learning journey. COVID-19 has shown how the world is connected in more ways than we can ever imagine. It has also made visible the most vulnerable groups in our society. As a researcher and an anthropologist at Includovate, it is noteworthy to record issues that are not being addressed by the government. With schools being closed, students, mainly girls, are burdened with more chores. Those living with a disability are not given accessible information that can help them keep safe. Forty percent of households in Ethiopia lack access to water. Mothers are giving birth at home; afraid to visit health stations as a result of COVID-19 . Ethiopia already has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the world but things were improving. We should all be aware of these factors and bring to light such social and economic issues that result from the pandemic.