The WaterBlog

Afar Women Leading Change - Empowering Pastoralist Communities Through Grassroots Initiatives in Ethiopia

By Nardos Masresha & Valerie Browning (APDA) This blog is part of a dossier on locally-led adaptation, featuring insights and lessons from the Reversing the Flow (RtF) program. RtF empowers communities in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan to build climate resilience through direct funding and a community-driven, landscape approach. In the remote, arid lands of Ethiopia’s Afar Region, where pastoralist communities have thrived for centuries, the role of women has often been confined to traditional domestic responsibilities. However, the Afar Pastoralist Development Association (APDA) is working to change that narrative by empowering Afar women as agents of social change. Through grassroots initiatives and community-led programs, APDA is helping women secure their rights, gain economic independence, and become community leaders. The Role of Women in Afar Society Afar women have been the backbone of their pastoralist households for generations, tending to children, managing household duties, and playing crucial roles in livestock management. However, their contributions have often gone unrecognized,… Continued