Supporting civil society in Ethiopia through CSIF
Attendees at the July 2022 launch of CSIF, including the INTRAC-AGAR team
The Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF) is a multi-year initiative to support civil society in Ethiopia. Funded by the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement – AFD), CSIF aims to support new and emerging CSOs dedicated to the development of a more democratic, pluralistic, and innovative civil society sector. Its overall objective is to contribute to a stronger role for civil society in support of a democratic, peaceful, and stable Ethiopia.
The CSIF was formally launched in July 2022 and will run into 2025. INTRAC is working in partnership with the local Ethiopian organisation AGAR Development Partners Consulting. Together, INTRAC and AGAR have been contracted by AFD to provide technical support in project management, coordination, and capacity development of CSIF partners.
The CSIF takes the form of three consortia projects, which together involve a total of 15 local CSOs:
Project 1: Promoting inclusion in society through rights-based research, dialogue, and advocacy. This project is led by the Centre for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) and will take place in Addis Ababa as well as Amhara, Oromia, and SSNPR Regional States.
Project 2: Advancing human rights through legal aid services. This project is led by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and will take place in Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa.
Project 3: Ethiopian Civil Society Engagement Program (ECSEP). This project is led by the Civil Society Resource Center (CSRC) and will take place in Addis Ababa as well as Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Somali Benishangul-Gumuz and Gambela Regional States.
