On December 19, 2025, Save Your Generation Ethiopia (SYGE) officially launched its project on Preventing and Responding to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) with a key stakeholder workshop at Ayteyef Hotel in Dessie. The event brought together twenty (20) representatives 15 male and 5 female participants from critical government sectors including Disaster Risk Management, Finance, Education, and Women and Children Affairs as well as school principals and representatives from the "Degan" and "Gerado" Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) centers. The primary objectives of the workshop were to enhance collective understanding of SGBV vulnerabilities in North East Amhara, clarify multi-sectoral referral pathways for response, and foster a shared commitment to developing community-led prevention strategies.
The workshop commenced with a comprehensive presentation by the SYGE Programme Officer, detailing the organization's profile, the global and national context of IDPs and SGBV, and the specific strategies, targets, and expected results of the project. This was followed by an engaged and dynamic discussion where participants sought clarifications and offered constructive feedback to strengthen project implementation. A key point raised by attendees highlighted the critical, immediate needs within IDP centers, such as access to food and sanitary pads, prompting a dialogue on the balance between urgent humanitarian provision and SYGE’s primary focus on long-term SGBV prevention.
The workshop concluded successfully with a clear consensus and commitment from all participating stakeholders to collaborate harmoniously with SYGE in implementing the project. While SYGE clarified its strategic emphasis on prevention and systemic response mechanisms, the open dialogue ensured that community-voiced concerns were acknowledged. This collaborative launch established a foundational multi-sectoral partnership, aligning government bodies, community leaders, and IDP representatives towards the common goal of enhancing SGBV prevention, safe reporting, and protection for vulnerable adolescents in the region.