![Enfants qui font la ronde](/_next/image?url=%2Fuploads%2FEducation_5bd4145361.jpg%3Fs%3D1330x748%26f%3Dwebp%26pos%3Dentropy&w=1920&q=75)
Democratic Republic of Congo
Health
The University of Gondar is conducting a pilot trial of the Host Family Program, which aims to foster cohesion between non-Amhara students and Amhara families living near the campus. A randomized evaluation will assess the program’s potential to reducing prejudice and preventing conflict.
Project deployed by:
In recent years, Ethiopia has been plagued by numerous internal conflicts. Ethnic bias, primarily stemming from historical tensions between ethnic groups (Abbink, 2012), played a part in the recent war between the federal government and the regional government of Tigray, and is associated with ongoing conflicts in other regions such as Amhara and Oromia (Teshome, 2021). These events have led to fear, resentment and tension being directed towards certain ethnic groups (Admassu 2019, EIP 2021).
In this context, every year, the Ministry of Education randomly assigns students to universities in different geographical regions across the country as part of the admission process for higher education. As a result, nearly 70% of students are assigned to institutions outside of their home region, and live on campus at their new university. A number of researchers have taken an interest in interethnic cohabitation on campuses, and have shown that Ethiopian students tend to stick together according to ethnicity and avoid mixing with other groups (Ashine, 2019; Adamu, 2019; Adamu, 2023), which perpetuates the stigma around certain ethnicities and fuels ingrained prejudices.
To promote better understanding between ethnic groups, the University of Gondar has established the Host Family Program in collaboration with the Gondar City Administration, where, on the weekends, Amhara families living near the campus host non-Amhara students from the university.
This program aims to foster ties between students and families of different ethnicities, promote dialogue, and help combat prejudice in the country, via
While the University has implemented the host-family program (“the Gondar covenant family project”) in 2018-2019, it was later suspended due to COVID-19. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the program facilitated cultural exchange and promoted continued contact, but the HFP has not yet been formally and scientifically piloted in an experimental framework, and its effects are not yet systematically known, which is the purpose of this pilot trial.
By helping to reduce bias, this project aims to limit ethnic conflicts via three mechanisms:
Projects
Projects funded by FID
Democratic Republic of Congo
Health
Benin
Agriculture
Biostimulant to boost farmers income and soil quality in Benin
Morocco
Education
Improving basic academic skills with a remedial education program in Morocco