Hilina Berhanu Degefa is a 31-year-old gender equality and social inclusion specialist from Ethiopia.

How did you first hear about the project and what made you sign up/what were your expectations?

I was introduced to the project by a friend. What really intrigued me and solidified my decision to apply were the virtual format, the cost-free nature of the training, and the flexible scheduling options. Having had distance from a feminist community and organised thinking for some time, in applying for the programme, I was seeking both community and scientific frameworks to reinvigorate my feminist fire.

As feminist educators, Tebussum and Inderjit employed various tenets of feminist and development pedagogy: treating trainees (us) as co-educators; building equality, solidarity, and support; anchored in examining how power is challenged, transformed, and created.

What did you think of the training programme?

The programme offered structured thinking around feminism while leaving room for open discussions and interventions from participants. As feminist educators, Tebussum and Inderjit employed various tenets of feminist and development pedagogy: treating trainees (us) as co-educators; building equality, solidarity, and support; anchored in examining how power is challenged, transformed, and created. Moreover, their willingness to adapt the course to our changing needs was quite admirable. Enriched by extensive group discussions rooted predominately in black and brown feminist thought, this training is one of the best practically grounded and continually reflective feminist interactions I have participated in.

How has the project impacted you personally and/or professionally?

The concepts discussed in the six sessions directly spoke to my everyday life and guided my growth of feminist knowledge, self-confidence, and genuine curiosity about power structures. It was like being on the receiving end of a feminist and development work firehose. My "Aha!" moment came with the realization that, for many years, my work as a feminist activist in Ethiopia meant fighting layered battles and sparing little time for care of myself. I equated rest with being a sitting target (for patriarchal violence). As a young activist, I also grappled with imposter syndrome, the headache of resourcing (including grant writing), witnessing patriarchal hostility, and different forms of conflict and negotiation at work. The training helped me trace the feminist leader in myself that advocated for rest and leisure while virulently taking on the task of challenging and changing power structures. It helped me understand the different faces of power for the feminist leader and re-think resourcing and conflict-handling methods. The course had another effect, perhaps unintended (then again, perhaps not): It forced me to embrace my vulnerabilities. The break-out rooms particularly enabled rigorous, honest sharing of our joint and separate struggles as social justice activists amongst our diverse cohort, comforting each other with varying degrees of emotions, including tears.

What could have been done better?

While initially, six sessions/18 hours seemed much, throughout the learning, it became evident that extending the hours could have enabled us to delve even deeper into the wealth of knowledge and resources that WRC and its dedicated staff have to offer. This realisation left me wishing we had extended hours to explore even more valuable feminist insights and resources they could offer.

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Thank you so much Hilina for all the value you brought to the Feminist Leadership training programme!

For more about the programme Hilina attended, please click button below.

Feminist Leadership 2022-2025

To apply to attend the programme in autumn 2023, click button below:

Feminist Leadership Autumn 2023