2020 KMG UPDATE

Introduction

We are pleased to report that KMG leadership is determined to advance Boge’s legacy despite her sudden and unexpected death, and the disruptive effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Our report is organized in the following five areas:

• Governance
• Visioning and Strategic Planning
• Funding & Operations
• Projects
• Commemorations

Governance

The KMG Board intends to recruit a CEO to replace Boge. In the meantime efforts are underway to strengthen and invigorate the Board by adding new, experienced members. Therefore, the Board has been expanded to seven, with the addition of three new members. The current members of the Board are:

• Abesha Fereda, Chair
• Bekele Basore, Vice Chair
• Salfiso Kitabo member,
• Tamrat Getahun, Member (recently joined)
• Gerahayalsew Pawolos( (recently joined) )
• Emebet Woldyes, Member (recently joined)
• Petros Wontamo, Member

The new members are currently receiving orientation and training, and there are plans to add more members.

 

Visioning and Strategic Planning

In line with the strategic thinking of Bogletch Gebre, the Board has updated the KMG organizational profile including, vision, mission, and key thematic areas.

The Board has reaffirmed the following six thematic areas as components of an integrated set of development interventions: sexual and reproductive health, education, livelihood and food security, Gender Based Violence (GBV) including Harmful Customary Practices (HCPs), environment, and infrastructure.

The Board is also working on a 5 year strategic plan (2021 – 2025) in accordance with its vision and mission.

 

Funding & Operations

Currently, KMG has 44 paid staff, and 800 community volunteers. It operates in 20 ‘woredas’ (districts), in 6 zones.

KMG’s projects are currently funded by the following donor entities:

• Plan International Ethiopia
• Packard Foundation via CCRDA- phasing out after 2 months
• World Bank, multi-trust Donor fund
• David & Lucile Packard Foundation
• United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) supported by Aid of Italian Dev. Corp.
• Aktion Regen, Austria

Funding is in the pipeline from the following donor entities:

• Rotary Club, project agreement signed with the donor
• The foundation from Spain, MOU is about to be signed
• The King Baudouin Fund

The Board is planning to form coalitions with other NGO’s to better position itself to access additional donor funds for  sustaining & expanding its operations.

 

Projects 

KMG has several projects – many continuing from previous years. These include:

• Ethiopian Social Accountability Program (ESAP). ESAP seeks to improve the quality and accessibility of basic public services by holding the government to account for its service delivery through strengthening social accountability mechanisms and institutionalizing them. The program utilizes a multi-trust fund administered by the World Bank. Funders include Austrian Development Agency, Embassy of Sweden, UKaid, Irish Aid, and the World Bank.
• “Yene Raey” (My Vision) This program aims to advance children’s wellbeing and gender quality of adolescent girls through an integrated intervention approach. Specifically, the aim is to help adolescent girls, adolescent boys and the community at large adopt attitudes and behaviors that value girls, respect their rights, condemn gender-based violence, and enable better economic and social opportunity for them. This project is funded by Plan International.
• Project to improve reproductive health by increasing contraceptive prevalence rate. This is a second phase of a project funded by the David & Lucile Packard Foundation in Kore Woreda
• Project to eliminate factors affecting the wellbeing of women and girls in 4 Woredas of Wolayta and Hadiya Zones, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR), funded by UNFPA
• Project to eliminate FGM and other GBV in 45 woredas of 2 ‘kebeles’ (wards or neighborhood associations) in Gamo Zone, SNNPR, funded by UNFPA
• “Knowledge As a Chance” project within Kambatta Tembaro Zone to enhance family planning, contraceptive use among women and girls and eliminate GBV including FGM. Funded by Aktion, Austria.

 

In addition, KMG is developing a detailed plan for a Girls Education project that will be funded by King Baudouin Foundation. The objective of the project is to improve the attendance and academic performance of girls in secondary schools (9-12) by supporting girls in a variety of ways. These include providing tutoring, school supplies, sanitary supplies (such as menstrual pads), as well as promoting girls clubs.

Commemorations

Bogletch Gebre is resting in peace, but she is not forgotten by the communities she selflessly served. To recognize her contributions & keep her legacy alive, the government has named the largest hospital in the area, the Kembata Tembaro Zone General Hospital after Boge.  Besides naming the biggest hospital by Boge’s name, the government and the hospital staff are working on putting a  statue of Boge in the compound, and a second one by the roundabout.

In addition, youth groups created the following billboard with Boge’s picture and placed it the Durame stadium as a tribute to her.

Finally, the family is working on a statue by her grave site in Durame that will be unveiled during the commemorations on first anniversary of her death, which Ethiopians call ‘Mut  Amet’ (Death anniversary) .

Boge strongly believed true change comes from within and the engagement of communities in creating a more equal, inclusive and just society. So, we are confident Boge’s life work will have an enduring positive impact on the lives of the girls, women and the communities at large that she mobilized, organized, and empowered.