Table Day
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Table Day, an initiative by the Yellow Movement, serves as a unique and effective form of grassroots activism on college campuses. The movement engages students through one-on-one and small group discussions, addressing topics carefully selected during annual planning meetings. By setting up tables on campus, members aim to be a consistent voice for gender equality, challenging harmful practices and fostering a dialogue that encourages ongoing engagement with the issues even after the event.
Yellow Week
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Yellow Week, a new initiative by the Yellow Movement, invites self-identified young feminists who are Ethiopian public university students to a transformative camp. The 5-day camp aims to create a space for exchange, inspiration, and empowerment. The Yellow Week aims to develop proactive leadership skills among girls and young women by utilizing non-formal educational methods such as seminars, group assignments, documentary screenings, and design projects to raise awareness of gender inequalities within their communities while empowering them to become active leaders.
The first Yellow Week initiative took place in Addis Ababa from October 9 to 13. Twelve female university students from Addis Ababa University (8), Jimma University (2), DireDawa University (1), and DebreBirhan University (1) actively participated in this impactful campaign.
Mentorship
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Mentorship of new members is part and parcel of Yellow Movement’s member recruitment. The New Yellows will have a 10-12 weeks long mentorship where the team meets once a week and has discussions on topics such as gender activism, sisterhood, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), personal politics, community roles, and tools of personal development. After the mentorship program is concluded, new members will have a graduation ceremony (መቀነት) and be assigned to the respective teams (coordination team, recruitment and mentoring team, communication team, and learning team) according to their area of interest and where they want to contribute most to the movement.
She Leads Programme
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Yellow Movement is collaborating with FEMENT in implementing the She Leads program: to increase the sustained influence of girls and young women (GYW) on decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in the formal and informal institutions in Ethiopia.
The She Leads consortium is a five-year (2021- 2025) strategic partnership between Terre des Hommes, Plan International, Defense for Children/ ECPAT, African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Mentee Graduation
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Yellow Movement will celebrate the achievements of our 2022/23 mentees as they complete the transformative Yellow Movement Mentorship Program. The event will focus on strategic planning for their ongoing involvement, allowing them to choose teams in areas like learning, administration, communication and advocacy, recruitment and mentoring, and coordination. This ensures their effective contribution to the movement’s growth and impact, aligning with their skills and aspirations.
In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of our mentees, the event will also serve as a formal welcome for new students who recently joined the Yellow Movement during the Yellow Week initiative. This welcoming ceremony aims to facilitate a seamless transition for the next generation of Yellow Movement advocates.
Poetry and film screenings
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On December 7th, a significant poetry and film screening event was organised by the Yellow Movement at The Urban Center. The focal point of the event was the screening of the acclaimed film ‘India’s Daughter,’. The award-winning film ‘India’s Daughter’ is a story about the life and death of Jyoti Singh, an Indian medical student whose violations and murder by gang rapists exposed the problematic way the society she lived in viewed women.
The film served as a powerful catalyst for illuminating societal issues about women, with filmmaker Leslee Udwin underscoring the global prevalence of these challenges across various countries. In conclusion, the poetry and film screening event provided a platform for meaningful discussions, raising awareness, and advocating for change.
“This is not just an India problem; this is a problem that affects almost every country in the world.” – Leslee Udwin, the filmmaker of ‘India’s Daughter’
In collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Ethiopia, this event was organized as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. The objective was to encourage attendees to actively participate in discussions, lend an ear to the stories of women and girls, and advocate for transformative change and accountability. The collaboration aimed to leverage the platform to foster dialogue on crucial issues affecting women and girls.
Yeguada taricoch
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The Yellow Movement, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and the Swedish Embassy, launched the #YeGuadaTarikoch film contest. The initiative aimed to encourage young filmmakers to document the lives of young female domestic workers across Ethiopia, capturing their perspectives and exploring opportunities for professional and personal development. Entrants were urged to create character-driven documentaries using their phones, shedding light on the nuanced experiences of Ethiopian domestic workers and fostering reflection on cultural norms.
On May 15, 2019, at the Urban Center in Addis Ababa, the Embassy of Sweden and ILO, in collaboration with The Yellow Movement AAU, invited attendees to a panel discussion on “Making Decent Work a Reality for Domestic Workers: The Challenges and the Way Forward” at 4:30 PM. Following the discussion, there was a prize ceremony for the #YeguadaTarikoch video contest.
The faces behind the Yellow Movement: How Ethiopia’s young women are vowing to change culture of sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence
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The young, educated and empowered women of Ethiopia have vowed to make a change to their country’s culture of sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence.
The Yellow Movement: Ethiopian Women Use Valentine’s Day to Promote Girl Power
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While the rest of the world turned red on Valentine’s Day, students from the Addis Ababa University (AAU) were turning yellow as part of an initiative to empower women.
The Yellow Movement sells flowers donated by flower farms to raise money that will support poor students pay their way through university.
Valentine’s Day is considered more of a foreign celebration in Ethiopia, and while many young people mark the day with gifts and flowers for their loved ones, some people think the ‘Yellow’ version makes more sense.
“What they are doing and their program is Holy! It is a very good idea because it is about stretching hands to those who need support. However, I don’t personally subscribe to the idea of the so called ‘Valentine’s Day’ because, it is not our culture. Even if we say it’s okay to celebrate it, I think it has gone way out of line in Ethiopia. You spend the day with someone this year and next year with another person. Generally, it is not normal what the young boys and girls are exposed to,” said Lemlem Minasie in Addis Ababa.
The idea for Yellow Movement was sparked in 2011 after two violent attacks on women at AAU.
With the help of one of the professors, a group of female students decided to start a campaign that could support women and raise awareness about gender based violence.
“People do not know inequality when they see it. I see it. I think it affects us big time. Although we want to lie about it, we want to cover it up. Our culture is mainly patriarchal and we tend to ignore the female side of things. Therefore, it is really important for us to focus on that and to bring that to attention as well,” said Hilina Birhanu, one of the Yellow Movement’s founders.
Along with the Valentine’s Day fundraiser, they also hold regular debates on campus about gender equality and share some of the experiences they face and getting help for victims.
Yegna movie panel discussion
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On May 12, 2016, at 6:00 PM, a screening of the Yegna movie followed the journey of five girls from a small town to Addis Ababa for a national music contest, highlighting the challenges faced by Ethiopian girls in pursuing their dreams. The movie screening was accompanied by a panel discussion on the portrayal of women in movies and the underrepresentation of women in the film industry. The panel features notable figures such as Mette Thygesen, Ambassador of Denmark to Ethiopia; Azeb Worku, a well-known director and actress; and Abraham Gezahegne, a respected director in the Ethiopian film industry, with moderation by Blen Sahilu, a law school lecturer and chairperson of the Yellow Movement advocating for women’s rights.