The new face of leadership in Ethiopia - young, female, and fearless
Abebu is a young woman activist from the Guna Mountain in northwest Ethiopia and founder of the Rama Voluntary Youth Association (RVYA). RVYA members are mostly young women, working on youth-led spaces, climate justice, good governance, and humanitarian crisis issues.
Abebu says “If this program had not come to our community, there would be no strong youth association, and the voice of the youth would not be heard.”
During her leadership period Abebu gave priority and greater emphasis to young women and girls, challenging entrenched gender and social norms which relegate women and young people to passive roles. Together with her co-members, they started the “Equal Work and Pay for Both Sexes” social movement in Guna. The campaign, rooted in safe space dialogues with young women, tackled wage inequality, and pushed for local legislation. After conducting research and mobilising support, the movement succeeded: on July 12, 2024, the local council passed a proclamation on gender pay equity.
To ensure the passage and enforcement of this resolution, organised youth groups supported by the programme play an ongoing and critical lobbying and influencing role. They continue to engage council members, submit formal proposals outlining existing gender gaps, and demonstrate the importance of legal reform for women’s economic inclusion.
Abebu is not only challenging social norms but reshaping what leadership looks like in Guna, and by extension, Ethiopia - young, female, and fearless.
