ABSTRACT
In 2005, Hiwot and FHI rented out a large western-style hall belonging to the Addis Ababa municipality and put on a joint ceremony for two cohorts of CHW initiates and graduates. 1 Within the great hall, Hiwot’s graduating and incoming volunteers came together with several higher-status guests and officials from Hiwot, FHI, and the city administration’s HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office. The CHWs sat toward the back of the hall, behind the officials who were seated directly in front of the high stage. A banner hung across the stage named the event, in Amharic, as the “Home-Based Support-and Care-Givers Blessing Ceremony.” The same phrase was printed on the white T-shirts produced for the occasion and worn by all the CHWs present.
