Marriges for infinity

By Tedla Desta

“I have never been given any training on marriage when I first got married. It was just in the usual and conventional way that we too conducted our wedding.” said Tibebu Tikuye, who has been married for five years now.
Tibebu says getting some guidance or training before marriage is essential as entering into a married life becomes very hard for many.
Many couples think that they know each other well enough that they don’t need counseling.  Some are right, but unfortunately others are not. There are a number of common alternatives to accommodate the different needs, relationships and backgrounds of couples.  In secular (non-religious) circles, the decision to pursue pre-marital advice and/or training is generally a personal choice. Some religions, however, have specific pre-marital requirements.
In a society where most marriages have been conducted by the selection of a husband and a wife by the parents, a company that trains on marriage could be somewhat bizarre. However, there does exist one in Addis. Posterity Academy is a local company which is the first of its kind to give a pre-marital guidance and training. The Academy was established by three young Addis Ababa University graduates in Psychology and Language and Communication namely, Tigest Waltenguse, Endalkachew Assefa and Meskerem Alemu, in partnership with highly experienced managers in the field of consultancy.
The academy provides consultation and training   services in psychology, management, educational and study skills, and creative and critical thinking.  
“We are very eager to see our country not only freed from poverty, ignorance, and HIV, we want also to see society free of psychological and social problems., says Tigest Waltenguse, Coordinator of the Academy.
Since establishment it has been providing life skills training and confidence building programs to about 3000 youngsters and consultation for parents, providers of child care, families and other individuals   
“We have seen many challenges since the idea of psychology training and consultation is new. Many people and organizations were disappointed at first but when they saw our professional consultation and training they started to cooperate with our vision,” she adds.   
Commenting on what quality it gives to the traditional way of marrying the Academy said that traditional marriage has a beauty of itself but it doesn’t give room for couples to solve their problems by themselves. The academy gives training to help engaged couples on how to solve their problems without third party interference and manage their budget and family effectively.
Currently, the Academy is giving a one year training for 1,200 couples married during the millennium, on sexual Psychology, Parental Psychology and Social life and Communication skills.