Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 80% of people live on less than US$2 a day and one in ten children die before their fifth birthday. School attendance is low in the poorest areas of the country, and a lack of healthcare and sanitation facilities means children still die from preventable diseases.
- We’ve helped 227,000 children survive by providing emergency food and aid.
- We’re enabling 413,900 families to feed and care for their children.
- We're helping 66,700 children to grow up healthy.
- We're making sure 7,600 children from pastoral families get an education.
Save the Children in Ethiopia
We work in Afar, Amhara and Somali with government, local communities and other agencies. Last year, 672,000 children and their families benefited directly from our work.
We're helping children eat better and develop healthily
Regular food shortages mean many families don't have enough to eat. After the latest failure of rains we provided 24,000 children in Amhara region with nutrient-enriched foods and delivered pulses and cereals to 127,000 people in three regions.
Through the government’s safety net programme, we distribute small, regular amounts of cash or food to vulnerable families. We've also provided the families of 51,683 children with livelihood support and training in skills like carpentry. In addition, our Cash, Food, Payment and Risk report has been used to develop the government's 2010—15 food security strategy.
We're helping children get good quality healthcare
Children often don't get vaccinated against diseases because they can't access or afford healthcare. In many rural areas there are no health clinics or services and pregnant women usually give birth at home.
We’ve trained 1,088 volunteers to provide information on basic healthcare to families in their communities. We’ve built eight new water points providing clean water for 5,600 people, and treated a further 18 points to ensure the water’s safe for drinking.
We’re helping children go to school
Many of the poorest children in Ethiopia live in pastoral communities lacking formal schools. We've established 12 centres that help children fit their schooling around tasks such as looking after livestock.
We’re addressing the shortage of qualified teachers by developing distance-learning programmes and we’ve provided thousands of books and teaching aids. We run training workshops to make sure girls enrol and play a part in education and we’ve also provided practical help, such as building separate latrines and water points for boys and girls.
We're supporting families affected by HIV and AIDS
Children affected by HIV and AIDS are at greater risk of ill health, malnutrition, or dropping out of school.
We’ve established sexual and reproductive health units, where young people can get help and information about family planning, unwanted pregnancy, and HIV and AIDS. We’ve also helped train young volunteers in raising awareness and tackling the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS.
For more detailed information about our work in Ethiopia, download the Ethiopia country brief (PDF 95KB)
Ethiopia related articles
- Thursday 22 October 2009 Ethiopia - 25 years on from Band Aid
- This week marks the 25th anniversary of the famine that sparked the Band Aid movement. Ethiopia has come a long way since then, but there's still a long way to go.
- Wednesday 19 September 2007 Africa under water: Children in 19 countries affected by floods
- Half a million children have been affected by widespread flooding across 19 countries in Africa. Torrential rains and floods have swept over east and west Africa in recent weeks, destroying homes and schools and washing away crops and livestock.
- Wednesday 18 June 2008 Food crisis: emergency appeal for children in Ethiopia
- Save the Children is appealing for US$20 million to help around 900,000 people, including 325,000 children, who are bearing the brunt of the food crisis in Ethiopia.
