“Development through exchange”: this is the slogan of FK Norway (Fredskorpset) an Norwegian government agency mandated to facilitate and support exchange of professional personell within the framework of institutional cooperation. The FK Norway South-South programme allows young, educated and employed Africans, Asians and Latin Americans aged 22-35 to travel, stay and work for a year with an associate of their employer in another country. Neighbouring countries are given an opportunity to learn from each other and work more closely together. Currently, five organizations in Ethiopia take part in this exchange: the ANPPCAN Ethiopian Chapter (working on Children’s rights), the Ethiopian Women Lawyer’s Association, the Ethiopian Media Women’s Association, the Ethiopian Environmental Journalist Association (EEJA) and the Women Association of Tigray (WAT).
Explored Tanzanian media
One of the Ethiopian participants, Hibete Tesfaye from Ethiopian Television, went to Tanzania to work with the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) for a year.
- One thing I notice here, is that women are very active in the media. Back home it is very hard to get women to participate, even officials. Here, they express themselves, says Tesfaye to the FK Norway information brochure on the South-South programme. Hibete visited two remote villages and produced stories and photographs of the lives of women and children there.
- The biggest impact has been when I have been traveling in the rural areas, not in Dar es Salaam. We spent days in the villages talking to many people, Tesfaye says.
Capacity buiding
The FK Norway South-South programme promotes mutual capacity building through exchange of staff who both learn and contribute their skills and knowledge on-the-job. All participants joins a preparation course and over a time-span of 2-3 weeks, around 30 participants from 6-8 nations, representing a variety of professions, political attituted and religious beliefs, prepare together for their stay abroad. Participants are motivated to join the South-South programme by improving their CVs, potential job networks, cultural exposure and sense of purpose.
Joining the South-South programme?
The South-South exchange programmes are administered by FK Norway’s regional offices in Kampala and Bangkok. If you would like to participate in the South-South programme – either as a participant, a partner or would like to start your own South-South programme, please contact one of the FK regional offices – see links on the right.