Thoughts on my time in Ethiopia - Susan Kramer MP

3.22.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Aug 2008

Susan Kramer MP meets members of the National Network of Positive Women Ethiopians.

As a VSO volunteer for 2 weeks in Ethiopia this summer, my role was to advise the National Network of Positive Women Ethiopians (NNAPWE) on strategies to strengthen its role as an advocate for HIVpositive women. These advocacy efforts are currently directed largely at getting laws against violence against women strengthened and properly enforced, encouraging programmes which make women aware of the risks of HIV/AIDS and seeking opportunities for women living with HIV/AIDS to make a living.

It is the women of Ethiopia who are the majority of the country's 1.3 million HIV/AIDS victims. Almost twice as many women as men are infected and infection rates are closely tied to female genital mutilation, abduction and rape of women for marriage, rape within marriage and a continuing tradition of marrying young girls to much older men.

For my part, I came away with such admiration for the women of NNPWE and its member organisations. In a very conservative culture, they have dared to go public on their HIV positive status. These women battle daily to keep to a tough medical regime to stay well, earn a living as the breadwinner for their families and go out into the community to try to prevent the spread of AIDS and to improve the status of other HIV positive women.

But in Ethiopia the women do this against a background of severe poverty, inadequate medical services and above all a deeply embedded view that a "good" woman is a passive, obedient home-maker who does not raise her voice. A recent survey by VSO demonstrated that even HIV positive women largely shared this view of women and their roles. Women politicians in Ethiopia, according to the people I talked to, also rarely speak out or take actions to challenge the status quo. So I was a bit of a shock!

With such a short stay, my contribution was probably most useful in providing outside recognition and boosting morale.

We also exchanged ideas on how to respond to new legislation proposed by the Government which threatens NNPWE and many other charities and social organisations. This legislation would classify NNPWE as a foreign entity because of the money it receives from international charities and would consequently prohibit it from carrying out advocacy work. Unfortunately, because Ethiopia is a poor country, there is no alternative of switching fund-raising to local sources. Before I left I met with local representatives of the UK Department for International Development (Dfid) to press the cause of the local charities. The UK Government has taken a strong line but I will continue, in Parliament, to press the issues.

I also discussed with NNPWE ways to raise the status of women and especially the need for strong women role models. Consequently, I will on behalf of NNPWE, tackle the various NGO and other organisations working in Ethiopia to stress the importance of placing Ethiopian woman in senior, prominent and decision-making positions.

Lastly, I want to express my thanks to VSO for making this trip possible. It was a fascinating experience giving me a taste of one of the poorest countries in the world but one with so much potential. I have made life-long friends. I have also come away with huge admiration for the cadre of VSO staff and volunteers who share their expertise with people who just by chance have few of the comforts and opportunities we take for granted.