About us
Background
Timret Lehiwot Ethiopia is an Ethiopian Residences Charity Organization with a Social Enterprise wing which has been engaged in number of development programs since June 2004 G.C with a good record of achievements working with communities & partners to bring positive change throughout Ethiopia.
Re-registered on October 01, 2019 as Ethiopian Resident Charity organization according to the new civil Society’s legislation with a registration number 0189.
The organization has established comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure effective governance, accountability, and operational efficiency. These include:The organization has established comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure effective governance, accountability, and operational efficiency. These include:
- General administration procedures
- Cash disbursement policy
- Internal controls policy
- Policy on fraud, theft, and misappropriation, including investigation processes and reporting mechanisms
- TLHE IFRS Financial Policy and Procedures
- Human Resource Policy
- Logistics and Procurement Policy
- Monitoring and Evaluation Guideline
- Delegation of Authority Manual
- Safeguarding of Project Participants Policy
- Child Protection Manual
- Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
What is the core work of Timret Lehiwot Ethiopia
The core work of Timret Lehiwot Ethiopia is to empower marginalized and vulnerable communities, particularly women, youth, and hard-to-reach groups, through sustainable socioeconomic development, environment protection, health/SRHR, and peace-building initiatives. TLHE applies an empowerment model that equips beneficiaries with knowledge, skills, and access to resources rather than relying on charity-based interventions.
In the past year alone, TLHE reached over 3,700 female sex workers (FSWs) across three cities. Parallel to this, the Youth Peace Corners Project engaged 3,000 young people affected by conflict, offering safe spaces for healing, dialogue, and creative expression while strengthening their leadership in peace and reconciliation.
Through health services, socio-economic empowerment, education, peace initiatives, and environment protection, TLHE continues to create lasting impact by improving wellbeing, reducing inequalities, and promoting dignity, resilience, and social cohesion.
Governance Structure
The governance structure of Timret Lehiwot Ethiopia (TLH Ethiopia) is comprised of the following:The governance structure of Timret Lehiwot Ethiopia (TLH Ethiopia) is comprised of the following:
- Board of Directors: The highest decision-making body responsible for overall governance, strategic direction, and oversight of organizational performance.
- Management Committee: Supports the Board in operational oversight, planning, and implementation of organizational policies.
- Field Office Coordinators: Manage and coordinate field-level activities, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and compliance with policies.
This structure ensures effective governance, accountability, and operational efficiency across all levels of the organization.
Vision
Creating Aspired, Inspired and Empowered Society
Mission
Enlighten, serve and equip marginalized and hard to reach segment of the society.
Expertise & Target Groups
The major thematic areas of the organisation are; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Youth and Women Socio-economic Empowerment, Environment Protection and rehabilitation, WASH, Migration Governance & Migrant Protection, Active Citizenship, Peace building and localize rotary Ethiopia.
What geographic areas do you work in?
Federal ( Addis Ababa), Amhara Region ( Bahirdar city and surrounding areas), Sidama Region ( Hawassa town)
Programs and Projects
Wise Up: A nationwide HIV prevention program targeting sex workers, their clients and other most targeting sex workers, their clients and other most at-risk populations (MARPs). More than 10,000 stakeholders & bar
owners sensitized; approximately 20, 000 Sex Workers trained on HIV/STIs, approximately 1.7 million IEC/BCC materials distributed, 26 Sex Workers Cooperatives and 8 SHGs formed, 350 mass events organized. Altogether,
more than 4 million people addressed through the project.
Social Empowerment: Aims to bring radical social transformation and empowerment among poor and underprivileged women and girls by increasing access & control over diversified income, increasing confidence and self-esteem and engaging men to unlock women’s potential to be decision makers. The project has graduated more than 4,500 women in different vocational skills and facilitated other empowerment services.
SEW ALE: Amharic word synonymous with I am inside the toilet, intends to change the attitude of people by changing the environment, showing what can be done about places craving with liquid waste. Constructed
Individual Urine-Diversion mobile toilets repaired severely affected School Toilets and installation of incinerators for sanitary napkins’ disposal and conducted awareness raising campaigns on sustainable sanitation and hygiene
practices at schools and community centers.
AFRI: ‘AFRI’ Youth Hubs to Unleash Creativity and Innovation initiative is designed considering the demands of the youth & aims to enhance their capacity through building skills, knowledge, leadership, networks, developing
stronger sense of responsibility, provide platforms for new learning and perspectives, positive attitude building and enable them make a positive impact to local community through Active Citizen’s Training Programme.
Zare: The word Zare is an Amharic word which literally means “Today”. The project designed with the objective of contributing to a reduction in HIV incidence and the mitigation of economic developmental and societal impacts
of HIV. It majorly focus in addressing the issue of HIV through focusing in behavioral change intervention and raising the awareness of domestic workers, brokers, High school & University students, Teachers, Female Idirs members, PLWHIV & Health extension workers in urban settings.
Beku : This project essentially represents an innovative and comprehensive response to improve migration management, and in particular to address the trafficking and smuggling of migrants from Ethiopia particularly in selected
highly irregular migration source and transit border routes. More than 2,300 migrants and victims of trafficking benefited from emergency shelter, food and family reunification assistances. 120 Major state and non-state actors benefited from capacity building.
Smashed: The Smashed Project is a global theatre-in-education program dedicated to breaking the culture of underage drinking and reducing alcohol-related harm amongst young people around the world. TLHE is now delivering
the project in Ethiopia and has directly reached more than 60,000 young people around across different schools in Addis Ababa.
Shega Crafts: Shega Crafts is a Social Enterprise registered as a business wing of TLH Ethiopia. It is designed to assure the quality of handicrafts in Ethiopia and to contribute to one of the world’s largest industries & the fastest growing
sectors of global trade, tourism while empowering the local artisans.
Gwaro: This project is developed as an extension of the Women Empowerment/Raswa Program with the intent of helping poor households and poor women grow food for their families and for market by providing them with land, resources, and demonstrations of a variety of growing methods. The initiative runs ten community gardens in Gulele Sub City of Addis Ababa. All of the gardens are divided by plots with each plot being assigned to women Self HelP Groups. Guaro brings people together to work on common project, provide food (and income) for those who need it, facilitates education around sustainable local agriculture and food systems, and It provides nutritious food for deprived communities through collective action.
Nat: Is an economic strengthening intervention directed toward FSWs typically incorporate microfinance and/or vocational training to decrease FSWs’ vulnerability to HIV by decreasing their financial reliance on sex work. Economic need is associated with decreased bargaining power and decreases in the likelihood that FSWs will refuse clients who insist on sex without a condom. Nat intervention seek to diversify FSWs income sources or to enable them to leave sex work altogether for alternative forms of employment. Nat also serve as platforms for HIV prevention.
Synergies with Partners:
TLH-Ethiopia implements all its programs with the financial and technical support of donors and local stakeholders. All our actions are designed to maximize synergies with target communities, donors and relevant government sector bureaus.
Medium and long-term goals and current main Priorities
Medium- and long-term goals of TLH Ethiopia focus on advancing the health, rights, and resilience of marginalized communities, particularly female sex workers, young women, irregular migrants and returnees, and conflict-affected youth. In the medium term, TLHE aims to expand community-based SRHR and HIV services, strengthen youth peacebuilding initiatives, and build technical capacity for humanitarian response. Long-term, the organization seeks to institutionalize sustainable models of empowerment that integrate health, livelihoods, gender equality, and peace-building, while contributing to national policy and systems strengthening.Medium- and long-term goals of TLH Ethiopia focus on advancing the health, rights, and resilience of marginalized communities, particularly female sex workers, young women, irregular migrants and returnees, and conflict-affected youth. In the medium term, TLHE aims to expand community-based SRHR and HIV services, strengthen youth peacebuilding initiatives, and build technical capacity for humanitarian response. Long-term, the organization seeks to institutionalize sustainable models of empowerment that integrate health, livelihoods, gender equality, and peace-building, while contributing to national policy and systems strengthening.
Current priorities include:
- Expanding access to SRHR and HIV prevention services through drop-in centers and outreach
- Promoting gender equality by addressing power imbalances, GBV, and harmful norms while ensuring women’s leadership in decision-making.
- Strengthening youth peace initiatives using art, dialogue, and skills training.
- Enhancing referral systems for GBV, SRHR, HIV, and psychosocial support.
- Securing sustainable funding to scale impactful interventions.
