Trainers Equipped to Lead Community Outreach Across the Country

The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA), with technical and financial support from the ILO BRMM programme, conducted three rounds of Training of Trainers sessions in Adama between 27 August and 19 September 2025. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of regional officials responsible for implementing the National Communication Strategy to Prevent Irregular Migration and Promote Safe Labour Migration Options. A total of 87 participants, including 19 women, took part in the sessions.

Participants were drawn from Regional Women and Social Affairs Bureaus, Labour and Skills Bureaus, Regional Partnership and Coalition Offices, and MoWSA’s migration and protection teams. The ToT programme aimed to enhance their ability to deliver targeted community training, apply behaviour change communication approaches, and support coordinated awareness-raising activities at regional and local levels.

The training responded to persistent information gaps in communities most affected by irregular migration. In many areas, prospective migrants rely on informal networks and misleading narratives that downplay the risks of irregular routes. The National Communication Strategy was developed to address these gaps by guiding structured, context-specific, and sustained awareness efforts. The ToT sessions provided regional officials with the practical tools needed to translate the strategy into action.

Across the three rounds, facilitators introduced the structure and objectives of the Communication Strategy, key messages, priority audiences and implementation modalities. Sessions covered behaviour change communication principles, participatory facilitation techniques, and approaches to engaging vulnerable groups, particularly women and youth. Participants also reviewed the main drivers of irregular migration, common community misconceptions, and the role of regional institutions in providing accurate and consistent information.

Practical exercises formed a major component of the training. Participants worked in groups to analyse regional contexts, develop tailored communication messages, and test facilitation approaches suitable for community dialogues. Scenarios reflected real-life situations involving at-risk youth, returnees, parents, and community leaders. The training also emphasised gender-sensitive communication, highlighting the specific risks women and girls face during recruitment, transit, and employment abroad

A key outcome of the programme was the development of localized cascade plans. Each regional group prepared a step-down training plan identifying target groups, timelines, and delivery methods for community-level outreach. These plans include engagement with woreda-level officers, youth and women’s associations, religious leaders, community police, returnee networks, and civil society organizations, aiming to ensure consistent messaging and strengthened inter-agency collaboration at the sub-national level.

The sessions also created space for improved coordination among stakeholders. Participants discussed how to align communication activities across bureaus, share resources, and monitor progress. MoWSA and BRMM facilitators provided guidance on simple monitoring approaches, including document training sessions, collecting community feedback and assessing changes in knowledge and behaviour.

By the end of the three rounds, participants expressed confidence in their ability to implement the Communication Strategy within their respective regions. The programme contributed to building a pool of qualified trainers capable of supporting ongoing awareness and behaviour change initiatives, thereby strengthening national and regional efforts to prevent irregular migration and promote safe migration alternatives.