Haramaya University contributing its share to gender mainstreaming in Health and Medical Curriculums of Teaching Hospitals in Ethiopia.
Haramaya University College of Health and Medical Science, in collaboration with the Netherlands’ Maastricht School of Management, conducted a workshop on “Gender Awareness in Health and Medical Curriculum in Teaching Hospitals of Ethiopia” on November 5, 2022.
While the workshop was conducted on the last day of a five day training Haramaya University was giving to female teachers and health professional trainees from Hiwot Fana Specialized Teaching Hospital, focusing on the nature of gender-based differences and the ideas that enable women to be qualified; the heads of health science colleges; women, children and youth offices and directorates from Addis Ababa, Jigjiga, Dredawa and Haramaya Universities, Harari region and East Hararge zone; and the relevant bodies participated and shared their experiences.
At the opening of the concluding program, Mr. Adisu Alemu, who made the opening speech on behalf of Haramaya University’s College of Health and Medical Sciences, said that, in terms of involving and empowering women, Hiwot Fana Hospital is better than other colleges of the university at involving women in leadership and other sectors.
According to Dr. Mulu Berhan, the National Coordinator of the project, the main objective of this project is to focus on the leadership and research capacity of women teachers and health professionals in the sector, while at the same time working to empower women by preparing awareness-raising training and consultation forums to prevent gender-based violence. The Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands has been exerting this effort in Ethiopia for more than five years, and during that time, it has organized various types of training and consultation forums and done many works involving both men and women.
Dr. Mulu added that even though the project focuses mainly on women, it also works to make men aware of gender-based differences and enable them to become partners in empowering, supporting, and involving women. Such efforts will continue in the future, according to Dr. Mulu.
Likewise, sister Noel Fikre, Head of the Office of Women, Children and Youth at Addis Ababa College of Health Sciences, said,“ Since we have started a new course entitled ‘Gender Inclusive’ and got encouraging results in terms of preventing gender-based differences and building gender equality; that is why we invited in Haramaya University to share the experience that we have had for the trainees and discuss how other institutions can use the experience.
Mrs. Meka Kedir, Director of the Women, Children, and Youth Directorate at Jigjiga University, also stated that they have a motto: “Gender violence against women should stop!” Related to this, awareness-raising activities are being done on a large scale until gender violence has been given zero tolerance, indicating that action has been taken, for example, against three male teachers who committed sexual harassment against female students.
The participants from Haramaya University College of Health and Medical Sciences said that during these five days of training, they learned about the nature of gender-based violence and how it should be resolved, and shared their experiences with one another. For instance, Mrs. Natanium Gegefu and Haregewoyn Kibret, who are lecturers at Haramaya University’s College of Health and Medical Sciences, think that such training should be given for the management to become aware of gender-based violence and to cooperate in the movement against gender-based violence, especially against women.
By: Aweke Ayalneh
Camera: Fuad Ahmed
