UK taxpayers have picked up a brand new £5.2million invoice to fund a chat present for Ethiopia's personal Spice Women.
Yegna, a five-strong pop group, has been awarded a contract to develop its 'branded media platform', which additionally features a radio drama and music.
The overseas assist money - which is able to hold the band going till at the least 2018 - comes regardless of officers warning it might be a waste of cash.
An Ethiopian lady band known as Yegna, pictured, have obtained £5.2 million to fund a chat present
Yegna's purpose is to empower younger girls within the African nation by way of music.
In 2013 a Mail investigation from Ethiopia, which is among the greatest recipients of British assist, revealed a UK-funded challenge named Woman Hub had supplied £4million to assist fund the group.
Ethiopian critics on the time mentioned it was sufficient cash to run the Yegna initiative for 154 years.
Then final yr the Unbiased Fee on Support Impression watchdog warned ministers to halt the challenge except managers might present it was working.
It known as for a evaluate on whether or not 'funding is merited' amid 'vital issues' as officers thought of plans to pour one other £16million into the challenge as a complete.
However following the report, the Division for Worldwide Improvement (Dfid), gave the go-ahead and injected an extra £5.2million within the Yegna model alone, it may be revealed.
The remaining of the £16million deliberate for the broader challenge of Woman Hub - then re-branded as Woman Impact - was additionally signed off.
The £5.2million Yegna contract for its model and media platform was revealed on the Authorities web site beneath its Dfid contracts.
Plans to pour new cash into the challenge has by no means been publicly introduced by the federal government.
MEET THE ETHIOPIAN SPICE GIRLS
The Ethiopian, from left, Lemlem Hailemichael, Zebiba Girma, Rahel Getu, Eyerusalem Kelemework and Teref Hassahun, have been funded by the UK taxpayer
Like the unique Spice Women, the Yegna members every have a nickname.
Lemlem Hailemicheal, 29, performs a tomboy, Zebiba Girma, 25, a mysterious character, Rahel Getu, 25, a reliable one, Eyerusalem Kelemework, 30, is a genius, and Teref Kassahun, 29, performs a spoiled brat.
They've carried out live shows in Ethiopia, taken half in movie screenings, and had a number of primary hits.
Their music This Home says: 'Girls are sisters, girls are moms, girls are wives. Let's respect them. Inform that man to respect women and we are going to respect him.'
They're now seeking to develop their media model.
In 2013, Miss Hailemicheal mentioned: 'It's positively value the price – it's an incredible challenge. It means loads to Ethiopia and we're utilizing the cash successfully … We're just like the Spice Women besides our music is not only for entertaining – it's academic.'
Yegna supervisor Selome Tadesse has mentioned the band goals to result in behavioural and materials change for women, by women.
Paperwork present a contract was awarded to an company to handle the Yegna model and media merchandise up till August 2018.
The three yr section has the long-term aim of 'altering how women are valued and perceived in Ethiopian society'.
It mentioned the most recent plan was designed to 'develop, increase and enhance the model and implementing the media actions'.
In accordance with the Dfid contract, entitled 'Woman Hub Ethiopia - Yegna model and media platform, the brand new section would come with engaged on the model technique, advertising and marketing, communications, manufacturing of media merchandise and broadcasting.
This could 'make sure that Yegna continues to be as distinctive and impactful as attainable'.
Tory MP Peter Bone, pictured, requested whether or not the cash could possibly be diverted to pay for aged folks residing within the UK
The £5.2million contract mentioned : 'Woman Hub Ethiopia (GHE) needs to contract an company to handle the primary work stream of its programme - Yegna branded media platform - which encompasses a radio drama and speak present, and music that champions women and creates a nationwide dialog about their challenges and their potential to beat the issues.'
It comes after ministers unveiled controversial plans to permit city halls to hike council tax by as much as 6 per cent to assist pay for very important social care companies.
The plans fuelled requires Theresa Might to place aged folks first by diverting the £12.2billion overseas assist funds to assist sort out the aged care disaster at residence.
Tory MP Peter Bone mentioned: 'How can we be spending tens of millions on a woman band when the cash could possibly be a lot better spent at residence on serving to the aged?
'That is the type of up the wall challenge which reveals why we should not have an assist pledge linked to GDP.
'This isn't serving to ravenous folks, this isn't serving to refuges. We have now to become familiar with this.'
Tory MP David Nuttall mentioned: 'Spending more cash on initiatives like Woman Hub can be seen by most individuals for instance of wasteful spending.
'No nation ought to obtain non-emergency assist like this except they will clearly display they bettering their very own funds by way of commerce and financial progress.'
He mentioned there was a hazard some nations would change into 'reliant on worldwide handouts for ever'.
Ethiopia has change into one of many greatest recipients of Britain's ballooning overseas assist funds, regardless of being an autocratic one-party state.
The Yegna 'leisure model' was established in April 2013 as a part of the Woman Hub challenge that additionally operates in Nigeria and Rwanda.
Woman Hub is run collectively with the Nike Basis and had already obtained £27.1million from taxpayers up till final yr.
In June 2015, the ICAI report raised issues about 'governance' of the challenge, and questions whether or not Nike had met its commitments in full.
The report on the Woman Hub challenge as a complete, from June 2015 mentioned: 'Icai totally recognises the significance of working to guard and help adolescent women however questions whether or not GH (Woman Hub) supplies adequate impression or worth for cash and whether or not it's, as presently structured, an applicable automobile by way of which to realize change on such a fancy, holistic and vital challenge.'
Tory MP David Nuttall, pictured, claimed taxpayers would query the selection of challenge
It mentioned there have been 'ongoing points because the governance' of the challenge, transparency and effectiveness. The hard-hitting report added: 'We advocate that DFID ought to take into account in depth whether or not ongoing funding is merited and both attain a call to stop funding or take into account extending the challenge for a yr to allow the analysis to be accomplished.'
Six months later, in December, the challenge was given overseas assist money as a part of a 3 yr plan to implement a brand new section of the challenge.
The Woman Impact challenge as a complete goals to drive behaviour change amongst women and the broader neighborhood by way of media.
In accordance with Dfid it additionally goals to 'affect companions working in Ethiopia to drive higher sources to girl-centred interventions to enhance outcomes for women'.
It goals to make use of 'branded social communication programmes to affect social norm change within the creating world'.
John O'Connell, Chief Government of the TaxPayers' Alliance: 'It is essential that every one overseas assist is used correctly and meaning focusing it in the direction of the world's poorest.
'However each penny leaving these shores have to be accounted for and may really be serving to susceptible folks.
'We have to drastically rethink our assist coverage and ditch the arbitrary spending goal, which delivers poor worth for taxpayers' cash, and begin judging successes by outcomes and never by how a lot cash the federal government can spend.'
Like the unique Spice Women, the band members every have a nickname.
Teref Kassahun performs the spoiled brat, Lemlem Hailemicheal, a tomboy generally known as the defender, Zebiba Girma, the mysterious character, Eyerusalem Kelemework, is the genius and Rahel Getu, the reliable one.
Lyrics to considered one of their songs, This Home, has included: 'Girls are sisters, girls are moms, girls are wives. Let's respect them. Inform that man to respect women and we are going to respect him.'
The largest regional beneficiary of Britain's £12.2billion assist funds is Africa, which obtained a complete of £2.54billion final yr.
Ethiopia was given the only largest quantity on the continent of £334million.
Initiatives in war-torn states, reminiscent of Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria, had been in every case value in extra of £200million.
Final night time Dfid defended the challenge.
A Dfid spokesman mentioned: 'This progressive partnership is tackling pressured baby marriage, violence, teen being pregnant, migration and college drop-out, that are holding a technology of younger Ethiopian girls again.
'Within the Amhara area the UK's work on women and girls, together with Woman Impact, has averted or delayed marriage for practically 40,000 women.'
It comes after the help watchdog final week warned that Dfid initiatives aimed toward women had been the truth is benefitting extra boys.
The £5.2million Yegna contract for its model and media platform was revealed on the Authorities web site beneath its Dfid contracts.
Plans to pour new cash into the challenge has by no means been publicly introduced by the federal government.
0 Response to "Britain gives £5m to Yegna for their new talk show on top of £4m we've already given"
Post a Comment