YMCA Ethiopia is one of the oldest non-government organizations and first Youth Focused Initiative in Ethiopia. Plans to start YMCA work in Ethiopia began in 1947 as the idea of Michael Wassef, an Egyptian YMCA secretary, a member of the Cairo YMCA, and supervisor for physical education in the Ethiopian government’s school system. The National Council of the YMCA in Ethiopia was organized with the help of Naguib Kelada, James K. Quay. Wassef’s initial plan was developed with the encouragement and intense interest of Emperor Haile-Selassie I, and representative citizens of the community. It was also made possible through the support of the North American YMCA. Active programs were in place as of 1949. An Ethiopian YMCA constitution was drafted and adopted in 1950 and endorsed and made into law by Emperor Haile-Selassie in 1951. During the early years the YMCA in Ethiopia operated in quarters at the Arat Kilo. The central YMCA in Addis Ababa was officially opened in 1955 by the emperor. Able-bodied, well-educated, enthusiastic and devoted to his work, Wassef introduced social, recreational and educational activities including athletic teams, informal recreation programs, dramatic clubs, religious programs, bible classes, lectures and cinema programs. Though he had a strong association already, Wassef was anxious to have the assistance that a North American secretary assigned to Ethiopia would bring.
Merlin A. Bishop was the first North American secretary sent to Ethiopia. He arrived in 1951 and initially began a program for health education. By 1953 it reached more than 200,000 people with information and demonstrations on nutrition and hygiene. Bishop also introduced natural sciences such as astronomy and handicraft classes such as woodwork, metalwork, carving, mimeograph, and printing. Bishop also recruited and kept on three local secretaries by 1954. In 1955, when the Addis Ababa YMCA building was officially opened, Marvin J. Ludwig was sent to assist the program in Ethiopia.The expansion of the YMCA took place by request of communities asking for the YMCA services. The Ambo Student Centre was begun in 1955 in cooperation with the program of the Ambo Agricultural School. The Asmara YMCA was opened in 1960, Adwa opened its YMCA in 1961. The first additional branch of the Addis Ababa Central YMCA was opened in 1962 in the market area (Addis Ketema). Work in Bahr Dar was opened in 1963 as well as the second additional branch of the central YMCA. In late 1963 work was begun in Dire Dawa. The fourth central branch YMCA in Addis Ababa, the Foundation YMCA was opened in 1964, and the Debre Berhan Student Centre was opened in 1965. By 1967 there was fifteen Ethiopian secretaries, two fraternal secretaries, two buildings owned, five buildings rented, and three buildings used rent free.In 1967 there were programs in YMCA leadership, club leadership, physical education leadership, crafts teaching, counselling, guidance, boys’ work, handicraft, a future citizens’ club, and the desire to develop a stronger camping program. There were adult education programs that included literacy classes, mass education, dramas, and lectures. Religious programs were regularly organized around the holidays and festivals of the Orthodox Church and also conducted regular World Week of prayer programs in cooperation with the World Alliance and the local Orthodox Church. The YMCA in Ethiopia also had a regular radio program on Saturday afternoons and a TV program on Saturday evenings. In 1964 the Ethiopian YMCA was the first agency to receive the Haile Selassie First Prize Trust Award for “Outstanding Achievements in Humanitarian Activities.”In 1973 the province of Wollo in Ethiopia was seriously affected by drought. This drought caused a massive flow of displaced and starving people to travel to the capital of the Wollo province, Dessie. Dessie, which was already suffering a 55 percent rate of unemployment, was unequipped to manage the massive flow of new population. The YMCA quickly set up shop in Dessie providing relief services to these dispossessed people. They set up temporary housing, provided children with food and medicine and built latrines in town as to avoid illness that poor hygiene was bound to create. The YMCA focused its attention on the supplying of clothing and medicine. There was a campaign in Addis Ababa and other areas to collect used clothing. The YMCA saved the lives of at least 250 abandoned and orphaned children in Bati, a drought-hit town within the province of Wollo.Since 1975 YMCA started focusing on self-help community development activities and farming programs. The rural development program’s purpose was to improve the existing conditions of subsistence farming, to improve the living conditions of farmers, to develop community self-help organizations and to upgrade the education level of the farming population.
Unfortunately, in 1976, a military regime took power in Ethiopia and all companies began to be nationalized. This limited the YMCA’s ability to gather its funding, which prior to this had been eighty percent covered by the contributions of local businesses. The YMCA began to ask the International Committee and the North American YMCA for assistance as well as the Ethiopian government. Shortly thereafter, in 1977, the Ethiopian government decided to also nationalize the Ethiopian YMCA. All sixteen branches and twelve buildings were taken over by the government and the local staff was retained by the government as well. At this point the association for all intents and purposes was dissolved.
In 1992 the Ethiopian YMCA was re-established by the support of the ‘new’ Ethiopian government. It was developed as a volunteer-led association with programs on HIV/AIDS awareness, street children education, physical fitness and character-building training. Consequently, it became a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs in 2006. The following diagram summarises YMCA’s turning points in timeline:
Since then, YMCA Ethiopia, whose philosophy is built with Christian principles and values, has continued functioning as a non-political and non-religious entity and working for spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being of individuals and communities employing a holistic approach to development. The approach is symbolized by the well-known YMCA triangle representing body, mind and spirit.Therefore, YMCA Ethiopia is working with youth and other destitute community groups (vulnerable children and needy women and men) through intellectual, physical, and spiritual programes to train the mind, the hand and the heart.The merged emblem of the YMCA consists of a red triangle with the equal sides representing the essential unity of a human being – Spirit, Mind and Body.
Regarding governance and constituencies, YMCA Ethiopia is currently re-registered under the revised CSO law of the country (Proclamation Number 1113/2019) as a local organization (NGO) by the Federal Government of Ethiopia, Authority for Civil Society Organization (ACSO). According to its current bylaw, which was last updated on November 2017, YMCA has a governing council i.e. General Assembly (drawn from local branches – advisory board members, women representatives, youth delegates etc.), a democratically elected National Executive Board (with 9 members), a National Secretariat/Head Office led by a National General Secretary (NGS), and Branch Offices. YMCA has nearly 25,000 registered members, of which 3000 are paying members (they pay membership fees). Currently, it has 10 active branches (branch offices) and two emerging branches (project offices in Axum and Teji) which directly report to the head office.In terms of affiliation and membership, YMCA Ethiopia is an affiliate (a member) of the African Alliance of YMCA and World YMCA. At national level, YMCA is a member of Ethiopian Civil Society Council; Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA); Consortium of Reproductive Health Associations (CORHA); Population, Health and Environment – Ethiopia Consortium (PHE) and a member of Men Engage Ethiopia Network (MEEN).As depicted in the below figure, the organization is currently operating in five regional states of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray) through the 10 branches and two project offices with a total of 64 fulltime staff and more than 100 volunteers engaged in different programs and projects.
Under each of the branch offices, YMCA Ethiopia has implemented different programmes and projects in partnership with Y-family partners, other various donors, government sector offices and CBOs and other community groups, and positively impacted the lives of hundred-thousands of youths, vulnerable children, and adults.
The merged emblem of the YMCA consists of a red triangle with the equal sides representing the essential unity of a human being – Spirit, Mind and Body.
