Eneweyay (Let's Discuss). Report from a training programme for democracy in rural Ethiopia

Abstract

Report of a project to teach principles of democracy in a "down-to-earth" way, through discussions with rural and urban people in Ethiopia. The "Ecumenical Training Initiative for Democracy" developed before the elections of 1995 out of an attempt of European church aid organisations to contribute to confidence building through voter training and election monitoring. Responding to felt needs, it developed a unique teaching material, and started to train trainers in different rural areas, who continue to go to the villages and urban neighbourhoods, to engage people in discussions about the ways how they make decisions in their everyday life and who is participating, and how they safeguard the rights of social minorities and of the underprivileged among themselves.