Access to accurate information is critical in curbing misinformation about COVID-19, helping people understand their individual rights and liberties, and ultimately helping Ethiopians keep themselves safe and prevent the spread of the virus.

“The ignorance we have seen on coronavirus worries us,” say Ermias and Getu who live in the city of Dire Dawa.

Ermias and Getu are listeners of a USAID-sponsored weekly radio program called Yene Menged (“My Way”), which addresses issues of human rights and civil liberties, and more recently has stimulated public discussion on how these issues must be protected during the COVID-19 emergency.

Yene Menged airs on a major national radio station reaching up to 8 million listeners across the country. Listeners call in from major cities like Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, as well as from more remote areas like Worabe in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region or Aremachiho in the Amhara region.

Hosted by Solomon Guangul, who doubles as a practicing lawyer, the weekly programs have been informing listeners about new laws to protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been enacted to protect people from being evicted from housing or being terminated from their job. Discussion also focuses on addressing myths and misconceptions about the virus.

“We’ve gotten feedback from all corners of the country to the center. The acceptance we received from our listeners is beyond our expectation,” says Solomon Guangul.

During this unprecedented time, USAID is continuing to work with local partners and the media to build the public’s understanding of COVID-19, as well as build awareness of their rights by encouraging public dialogues around legal issues and justice reform.