SCS - Soddo Catholic Secretariat

-Kenya (HDP) B-BOLD platform Annual Reflection & Core Group Directors’ Meeting

Location: Arba Minch, Ethiopia

Dates: June 8 – June 10, 2026

two productive days, more than 25 dedicated participants representing 9 partner organizations came together to review the journey and strategize for the future.
A major highlight was the Output 1 progress presentation, showcasing the achievements made so far by our 4 Implementing Partners (4IP). The valuable feedback and discussions that followed set a powerful collaborative tone for the rest of the sessions.
team successfully mapped out and planned an accelerated work plan for the remaining project activities under the MAP.
Also a PowerPoint presentation was delivered on the MAP Implementers’ Training Guide, which outlined crucial roles, governance, and operational frameworks.
Lastly, The B-BOLD Constitution was reviewed, alongside a presentation on the establishment of the Governance Council.

Together, we are building stronger foundations for regional development, shared governance, and lasting impact in the borderlands! 🤝

https://www.avs-ethiopia.org/what-we-do/avs-development-commission/careers-and-opportunities
🔊🔊🔊Vacancy Announcement
PROJECT ACCOUNTANT

Careers and Opportunities / AVS Development Commission / What We Do | Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo-Ethiopia

🕊️ Bringing Border Communities Together for Lasting Peace 🕊️

bi-annual Community Peace Meeting was successfully held in Turmi, bringing together more than 100 participants committed to promoting peace, cooperation, and sustainable development among border communities.

meeting was led by the South Omo Zone Peace and Security Office and organized through the Capacity Building for Cross-Border Cooperation on Food Security, Livelihoods, and Peace Building (MAP) Project. Participants included peace committee members, community elders, women's representatives, government officials, partners from the (H&R Foundation) and Groups(Agree Service Ethiopia, Jinka Research Institute ), and dedicated Catholic Caritas Ethiopia\Soddo staff. Representatives from the , , and communities came together to strengthen dialogue and collaboration.

event began with traditional blessings from community elders and heartfelt prayers from mothers, setting a strong foundation for unity, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. Participants reviewed ongoing peace initiatives, reflected on progress made, and discussed practical ways to safeguard peace and stability across the region.

key highlight of the gathering was the discussion on the cooperative management of shared local resources. Recognizing that these resources should serve as opportunities for collaboration rather than sources of conflict, participants signed a joint commitment to promote peaceful and sustainable resource sharing.

The event concluded with a symbolic peace walk accompanied by songs of unity and solidarity, demonstrating the communities' collective commitment to peaceful coexistence.

expressed their appreciation for the platform and emphasized the importance of continuing such dialogue forums to strengthen relationships among border communities, address emerging challenges through dialogue, and build lasting peace.

, through dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding, communities can create a more peaceful and resilient future.

&R_Foundation ,

_በተሳካ_ሁኔታ_ተካሄደ።
ውይይቱ በድንበር አካባቢዎች የሰላም፣ የትብብር እና የዘላቂ ልማት ጥረቶችን ለማጠናከር የተዘጋጀ ሲሆን በደቡብ ኦሞ ዞን ሰላም እና ፀጥታ ቢሮ መሪነት እና በ“Capacity Building for Cross-Border Cooperation on Food Security, Livelihoods, and Peace Building (MAP)” ፕሮጀክት ትብብር ተካሂዷል።

#በውይይቱ ከዳሰነች፣ ኛንጋቶም እና ሐመር ማህበረሰቦች የተውጣጡ የሰላም ኮሚቴ አባላት፣ የሀገር ሽማግሌዎች፣ የሴቶች ተወካዮች፣ የመንግሥት አካላት፣ (H&R Foundation)እና (Agree Service Ethiopia, Jinka Research Institute) Group አጋሮች እንዲሁም የካቶሊክ ካሪታስ ኢትዮጵያ-ሶዶ ሠራተኞች ተሳትፈዋል።

መርሃ ግብሩ በሀገር ሽማግሌዎች ባህላዊ ምርቃት እና በእናቶች ጸሎት ተጀምፘል። ተሳታፊዎች እስካሁን የተከናወኑ የሰላም ግንባታ ሥራዎችን ገምግመው የተመዘገበውን እድገት በመመልከት፣ በአካባቢው ዘላቂ ሰላምና መረጋጋትን ለማስጠበቅ ያላቸውን የጋራ ኃላፊነት ተወያይተዋል ፣ እንዲሁመረ በጋራ የሚጠቀሙባቸውን የአካባቢ ሀብቶች በትብብር የማስተዳደር ጉዳይ ላይ ውይይት ያደረጉ ሲሆን እነዚህ ሀብቶች የግጭት ምንጭ ሳይሆኑ የትብብር እና የጋራ ጥቅም እድል መሆን እንዳለባቸው በመግለጽ፣ ተሳታፊዎች ሰላማዊና ዘላቂ የሀብት አጠቃቀምን ለማበረታታት የጋራ ቃል ኪዳን ፈርመዋል።

መርሃ ግብሩ በአንድነትና በወንድማማችነት ሙዚቃዎች የታጀበ የሰላም ጉዞ በማካሄድ ተጠናቋል፤ ይህም ማህበረሰቦቹ ለሰላማዊ አብሮነት ያላቸውን የጋራ ቁርጠኝነት በተግባር አሳይቷል።

#በመጨረሻም ተሳታፊዎች ለተፈጠረው የውይይት መድረክ ምስጋናቸውን ገልጸው፣ በድንበር ማህበረሰቦች መካከል ያለውን ግንኙነት ለማጠናከር፣ በውይይት አማካኝነት ችግሮችን ለመፍታት እና ዘላቂ ሰላምን ለመገንባት እንዲህ ያሉ መድረኮች በቀጣይነት መካሄዳቸው አስፈላጊ መሆኑን አሳስበዋል።

"ወደ ዓለም ሁሉ ሂዱ፤ ወንጌልንም ለፍጥረት ሁሉ ስበኩ።"
ማር 16:15
(21/09/2018 ዓ.ም)

በኢትዮጵያ ካቶሊካዊት ቤተክርስቲያን በሶዶ ሀገረ ስብከት ውስጥ በሚገኘው በኦሞራቴ የቅዱስ መጥምቁ ዮሐንስ ቁምስና፣ የአስተርእዮ ማርያም የጸሎት ቤት በመስዋዕተ ቅዳሴ ተባርኮ ለአገልግሎት ክፍት ሆነ።

በዕለቱ መስዋዕተ ቅዳሴውን የሶዶ ሀገረ ስብከት ጳጳስ እንደራሴ የሆኑት ክቡር አባ አለማየሁ ወልደየሱስ የመሩ ሲሆን በርካታ ምዕመናን በተገኙበት የጸሎት ቤቱ ተባርኮ አገልግሎቱን በይፋ ጀምሯል።

! 🙏🏽

በኢትዮጵያ ካቶሊካዊት ቤተክርስቲያን የካቶሊክ ካሪታስ ኢትዮጵያ የሶዶ ቅርንጫፍ ጽ/ት ቤት፣ ከለጋሽ አጋራችን ካቶሊክ ሪሊፍ ሰርቪስ (CRS Ethiopia) ኢትዮጵያ ጋር በመተባበር በሰገን ዙሪያ ወረዳ ሜሌጋ ዱጋያ ቀበሌ በጎርፍ አደጋ ለተጎዱ ወገኖች የአስቸኳይ ጊዜ የምግብ እና ምግብ ነክ ያልሆኑ ቁሳቁሶች (NFIs) ስርጭት ተደረገ።

ይህ የአስቸኳይ ጊዜ ድጋፍ 357 አባወራዎችን እና እማወራዎችን (2,026 ግለሰቦችን) ተጠቃሚ ያደረገ ሲሆን፥ በተለይም ለአደጋ ተጋላጭ የሆኑ የኅብረተሰብ ክፍሎችን ማለትም ዕድሜያቸው ከ5 ዓመት በታች የሆኑ 233 ሕፃናትን፣ 119 የሚያጠቡ እናቶችን እና 98 ነፍሰ ጡር ሴቶችን ቅድሚያ በመስጠት የሕይወት አድን እርዳታ አድርሷል።

የድጋፉ ጥቅል ለተፈናቀሉ ቤተሰቦች ጤና፣ ደህንነት እና መጠለያ ለማረጋገጥ የሚያስችሉ እንደ አስቸኳይ ጊዜ የምግብ እህል፣ የላስቲክ ሸራዎች፣ የመኝታ ምንጣፎች፣ የወጥ ቤት ዕቃዎች፣ የፕላስቲክ ጄሪካኖች፣ የንፅህና መጠበቂያ እቃዎች እና የውሃ ማፅጃ ክሎሪን ጨምሮ አስፈላጊ የሆኑ ቁሳቁሶችን ያካተተ ነው።

ለአጋራችን CRS Ethiopia ላደረገልን ትብብር እና ፈጣን ምላሽ በምናገለግለው ማህበረሰብ ስም ከልብ እናመሰግናለን።

Caritas Ethiopia Branch Office of Soddo, in collaboration with donor partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ethiopia, has successfully completed the distribution of emergency Food and Non-Food Items (NFIs) to flood-affected individuals in Melega Dugaya Kebele, Segen Zuria Woreda.

The intervention delivered life-saving assistance to 357 households (2,026 individuals), specifically prioritizing highly vulnerable groups including 233 children under five, 119 lactating mothers, and 98 pregnant women.

The distributed relief package provided essential survival resources, including emergency food rations, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, cooking utensils, jerry cans, dignity kits, and chlorine tablets to ensure health, safety, and shelter for the displaced families.

We are profoundly grateful to our partner, CRS Ethiopia, for their invaluable collaboration and support.

**o

Ethiopian Catholic Church Pastoral Appeal for the Protection of Human Life and Dignity of Ethiopian Migrants

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”. (Mt 5:7)

To all political leaders, religious leaders, human rights organizations, local advocates, the media, and to all people of goodwill.
Dear brothers and sisters in our shared humanity,
We, the Ethiopian Catholic Bishops, wish to raise a pressing concern of our time regarding Ethiopian migrants. Across our nation, millions of young men and women leave their homeland not out of a lack of love for their country, but out of a desperate search for honest employment and a livelihood that honors their inherent worth. Their motivations are noble and sacrificial: to uplift their lives, sustain their families, and ultimately contribute to the flourishing of their nation. Tragically, instead of finding the dignity they seek, our migrants find themselves ensnared by structural exploitation, fear, isolation, and acute vulnerability. No matter how desperate their circumstances, their human dignity remains sacred and can never be ignored or erased by a border, a legal status, or an economic system.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin” (CCC 2241). This teaching reminds us that migrants are not to be treated as outsiders or burdens, but as brothers and sisters whose dignity must be respected and protected.
However, many migrants encounter serious challenges and suffer greatly throughout their migration journeys. We have observed the following key migration destinations and the associated difficulties faced by our brothers and sisters:
1) Some Middle Eastern Countries:
a. Saudi Arabia: There are many Ethiopian migrants residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia expresses deep sorrow, profound concern, and urgent hope regarding reports that hundreds of Ethiopian citizens currently detained in the Kingdom are facing the possibility of ex*****on.
We earnestly hope and appeal that the authorities of Saudi Arabia will show compassion and mercy to all those affected, upholding the dignity of human life.
b. Yemen: Many Ethiopian migrants pass through the Red Sea, Djibouti, or the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to enter Yemen or proceed onward to Saudi Arabia. Yemen is often used as a transit route to other Gulf countries; however, many migrants suffer greatly along the way, facing violence, abuse, and inhumane treatment. Tragically, a significant number lose their lives due to the perilous nature of the journey and the harsh conditions they endure.
c. Lebanon; Many Ethiopian migrants in Lebanon face constant danger due to the ongoing conflict and instability in the country. As a result, a considerable number are seeking repatriation, longing to return safely to their homeland and reunite with their families.
d. The Gulf Countries: Many Ethiopian migrants in these countries find themselves in situations of constant danger and uncertainty due to escalating regional tensions and conflicts involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
2) The Republic of South Africa is another destination for many Ethiopian migrants. A significant number face serious threats to their lives and property. Some are detained in transit countries along the way, while others who reach their destination continue to live in fear and uncertainty. We have received ongoing reports that some migrants have been victims of violence and have even lost their lives due to recurring xenophobic attacks in the country.
3) The Sudan - Libya - Europe Route: This route has long been one of the most frequently used paths by traffickers, and it has brought immense suffering to countless migrants. Many have perished while crossing the harsh and dangerous desert terrain under inhumane conditions. At present, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has made this journey even more perilous. Those who reach Libya often face imprisonment, extortion, forced labor, and severe abuse. Some have even suffered persecution and lost their lives because of their Christian faith. Migrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea in unsafe boats risk drowning; many tragically lose their lives, while only a few manage to reach the shores of Lampedusa. There, Pope Francis once laid a wreath of flowers in memory of those who died at sea, and Pope Leo XIV is also expected to visit the island, continuing the Church’s mission of solidarity, compassion, and advocacy for migrants.
These Ethiopian migrants are not statistics. They are sons and daughters of families who often send them abroad with tears, hope, sacrifice, and desperation. Too often, migrants fall into systems of exploitation, fear, abuse, isolation, and vulnerability. Many endure conditions difficult to imagine.
In the spirit of Christian charity and international fraternity, we raise a specific and urgent plea to the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to suspend any planned ex*****ons involving Ethiopian nationals and to consider clemency and mercy in these cases. Mercy does not weaken justice. Mercy elevates justice and gives hope where despair seeks to prevail.

This painful situation must also challenge the international community to confront the deeper causes driving irregular migration. Socio-economic hardships, environmental degradation, and many other factors continue to force millions of people onto dangerous migration routes across the world. A world that ignores these root causes cannot resolve the migration crisis. Indeed, the true measure of our humanity of civilization itself lies in how we treat the most vulnerable among us.

As Bishops of Ethiopia, we continue to pray fervently that dialogue, mercy, and wisdom may prevail over despair and death. We entrust these vulnerable Ethiopian migrants, their families, and all decision makers to the mercy and guidance of Almighty God.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia.
Addis Abeba.
18/05/2026

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽