EIIPD conducts seminar on civic and voters education in Mekelle

The Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD) conducted a Training of Trainers (TOT) on Civic and Voter Education for three days at Makell from March 8-10, 2008.

Opening the training seminar, EIIPD’s Finance and Administration Head, W/rt Genet Mamo said, “The objective of the seminars is to contribute to the democratization process underway in the country through awareness generation about principles and values of democracy and sensitization among various levels of the society on tolerance, human and democratic rights and good governance.”

During TOT

She added, “The programme will bolster the practice of communication and interaction between people engaged in law enforcement and administrative functions and the public at large through widespread public discussions stimulated as the result of the seminar programmes.”

Certificate Ceremony

The seminar is part of the series of seminars to be conducted over a period of one year in Amhara, Tigrai, Oromya and Southern Peoples, Nations Nationalities regions. The seminars target law enforcement agencies, ministries, authorities drawn from various public and private institutions.

The TOT conducted at Mekelle was a successful one for many of the participants were very enthusiastic about the whole training . Some even commented that such kind of awareness generating seminars should often be conducted to sensitize the community. The timing of the seminar was perfect as the woreda and kebele election progamme was approaching. 24 participants drawn from the seven kebeles of the town attended the seminar. One third of the participants were women.

The seminars are funded by the Civic and Voters Education Association. The Civic and Voters Education Association is a coalition of 19 civic associations and humanitarian organizations, including the EIIPD. The Association was established in 2006 to conduct civic and voters’ education throughout the country. It runs its activities through funds it mobilizes from international donor agencies and embassies such as the embassies of Sweden, Norway, Canada, UK, Netherlands and Ireland.