FROM A STUDENT CLUB TO A REGISTERED HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE VOICE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
When Sosina Wondafrash took office as President of the University of Gondar Human Rights Club, she shared the passion of many young human rights defenders: to promote human rights, gender equality and social justice among students and the surrounding community. Together with other members, Sosina organised awareness campaigns, community discussions, school outreach programmes and advocacy activities aimed at helping young people understand and defend their rights.
But keeping the momentum going was not always easy. The club had the enthusiasm and ideas to create change, but limited experience in project planning, documentation, monitoring and evaluation, proposal and report writing, and resource mobilisation. Changes in leadership as students graduated also meant that experience could easily be lost from one generation of students to the next.
The members wanted their work to last beyond their time at university. Support from the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) began to change how the club worked. Through project management and resource mobilisation training, financial support and continuous technical guidance, members developed practical skills to plan activities, manage responsibilities, document their work and assess their results.
They also began to think differently about what their activities could achieve. During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, the club organised a digital violence awareness session for students at Atse Fasil Secondary School. What began as an awareness session soon became an open discussion about experiences that many students had previously kept to themselves.
“After the session, many students openly shared that they had experienced or witnessed different forms of online harassment but had never known where to seek help or how to protect themselves. Seeing them actively engage, ask questions, and leave with greater awareness made me realise that our work was creating a real impact.”
For the club members, the experience showed that their role extended beyond organising awareness events. Their activities could create spaces where young people openly discussed rights violations, recognised risks and learned where to seek support. It also strengthened their determination to build an organisation that could continue beyond the students who had started it.
With the experience and organisational support gained through their partnership with EHRDC, the club began working towards formal registration. This marked a significant step for a student initiative that had previously depended largely on informal structures and changing student leadership. The University of Gondar Human Rights Club has now completed its transition into a legally registered Human Rights Association.
“Through its continuous capacity-building training and financial support, we strengthened our organisational structure and administrative systems,” Sosina says. EHRDC also encouraged the members to consider the longer-term future of the organisation and supported them through the registration process. The experience of implementing projects and engaging with stakeholders, Sosina explains, “enhanced our credibility and preparedness.”
Today, the association continues its human rights advocacy, education and community outreach while building partnerships with university offices, civil society organisations and public institutions. The members are also able to draw on the planning, documentation, project management and resource mobilisation skills they developed through the programme.
The organisation now has a formal structure through which knowledge and experience can be passed to new leaders as students graduate. The association plans to strengthen its partnerships and expand its human rights advocacy, education and community outreach activities. What began as a student club driven by the commitment of young people at the University of Gondar has grown into a legally recognised organisation with a new opportunity to carry that work forward.
Partner CSO Name: EHRDC
