The Association for Women’s Sanctuary and Development (Awsad) provides holistic services for women and girls who have survived violence in Ethiopia. (Photograph: Maheder Haileselassie Tadese/Womankind)
Photographs by Maheder Haileselassie Tadese
Women and girls who have been abused need a range of services to help their recovery, including medical care, counselling and legal aid as well as training in life skills and employment, according to a report by Womankind Worldwide, More than a roof. A shelter in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, offers exactly this holistic approach.
The shelter set up in 2003, was the first organisation to open a women-only shelter in Ethiopia to support survivors of violence. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in three women have experienced violence in their lifetime. In Ethiopia, the most recent figures show that more than 48% of women aged between 15 and 49 had experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, and 59% reported sexual violence. (Photo by Maheder Haileselassie Tadese)
(Photo by Maheder Haileselassie Tadese)
Amelework Bezawork, 38, was among the first employees at the shelter. She is now assistant coordinator and trains residents in food preparation. (Photo by Maheder Haileselassie Tadese)
Read the full report and see more photos at The Guardian »
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