Award (Amharic:ቀበሌ,romanized: kʼebelē;Oromo:Gandaa;Tigrinya:ታቢያ,romanized: tābiyā,lit. 'neighbourhood') is the smallest administrative unit ofEthiopia: award, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people. Somali word that has meaning of collected people where water is fairly sufficient and available to prolongue their pastoralist livelihood. It is part of adistrict, itself usually part of azone, which in turn are grouped into one of theregions or two chartered cities that comprise theFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.[1]
Each ward consists of at least 500 families, or the equivalent of 3,500 to 4,000 persons. There is at least one in every town with more than 2,000 population. A district's representative had jurisdiction over toward.
The ward, also referred to as apeasant association, was created by theDerg in 1975 to promote development and to manageland reform; they became a key element that the rivalEthiopian People's Revolutionary Party andMEISON fought each other, and the ruling Derg, to control during theEthiopian Red Terror.[2] Thewards were retained as administrative units by theTransitional Government of Ethiopia upon the conclusion of theEthiopian Civil War in 1991; ever since, their administrative role has expanded to include the provision of government services more broadly. AsHuman Rights Watch noted,ward officials determine eligibility for food assistance, recommend referrals to secondaryhealth care and schools, and help provide access to state-distributed resources such as seeds, fertilizers, credit, and other essential agricultural inputs."[3]
The lowest level of local government with limited autonomy there are the kebeles. They are at the neighbourhood level and are the primary contact for most citizens living in Ethiopia. Their administrative unit consists of an elected council, a cabinet (executive committee), a social court and the development and security staff. Kebeles are accountable to their woreda councils and are typically responsible for providing basic education, primary health care, agriculture, water, and rural roads. The kebeles are headed by cadres loyal to the political coalition who see the people's everyday lives. Therefore, they are also excellent for observing movements undesirable for the central government. However, the influence of the bosom is not unlimited and complete. The system is becoming less and less functioning at lower levels in fast-growing urban communities. OPDO in Oromia only introduced the sub-intestinal system in 2001, but it did not fully become operational until the 2005 elections.[4]