Conflict, drought and disease outbreaks have displaced millions of people across Ethiopia, leaving families with almost nothing. We're on the ground delivering life-saving support - and we won't stop until every child is safe.
Updated April 2026
The situation in ethiopia
Ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia's northern regions, combined with the effects of climate change, have forced an estimated 4.7 million people from their homes. The majority are living in displacement camps, with limited access to food, clean water, healthcare and education.
As of May 2024, conflict drove 69% of all displacement in Ethiopia - with the Amhara, Oromia, Somali and Tigray regions most severely affected. An estimated 53% of those displaced have been living away from home for three or more years. It is estimated that 8 million children in Ethiopia are currently in need of urgent humanitarian support.
Working together with communities and partners, Save the Children has helped almost 500,000 people since the start of the conflict. We’ve been distributing emergency food, as well as shelter and emergency kits. Our Health & Nutrition teams have set up mobile clinics to offer essential healthcare, as well as treatment to children with malnutrition.
Save the Children has been working in Ethiopia for decades. Right now, our teams are providing emergency shelter, cash assistance, safe learning spaces and nutrition support to families in some of the most hard-to-reach areas of the country.
How your support helps
"Without it, I could not have saved my wife's life" - Hassen's story
Hassen* with his daughter Sada* in front of the temporary shelter built for his family through Save the Children’s SWAN-funded Rapid Response Mechanism in partnership with the local government. They are among more than 2,000 households, around 8,000 people—who fled conflict in Oromia region and now live in the temporary location in Amhara region with support from the government and humanitarian partners.
Hassen* is 43 years old. Four years ago, he fled his home in Ethiopia's Oromia region with his wife and five children when conflict suddenly broke out in their area. They walked for days with nothing but the clothes on their backs, eventually reaching a displacement camp in the Amhara region where they have lived ever since.
Before they fled, Hassen farmed the land and sold grains at the local market. Life was stable. Now, with an arm injured in the crossfire that still hasn't fully healed, and his wife critically ill and receiving treatment hours away in Bahir Dar, he was caring for their youngest children alone.
Through our SWAN project - a strategic partnership between Save the Children and consortium members - families in the camp were provided with one-time cash transfers of 10,000 Ethiopian birr (£45). For Hassen, that money arrived at exactly the right moment.
"I used most of it for my wife's treatment and travel expenses," he says. "With what was left, I bought food for our children. This support arrived at a critical moment. Without it, I could not have saved my wife's life."
Rabia* is 15 years old and in the fifth grade. That might not sound remarkable - but for Rabia, it represents something extraordinary. She had never been to school before arriving at a displacement camp in Ethiopia's Amhara region four years ago, after her family was forced to flee their home in Oromia.
When she first arrived, there was no proper school. Lessons were held under plastic sheeting that tore in the wind and offered no protection from dust. Attendance was impossible to maintain.
Then Save the Children, through the SWAN project, built a new Learning Centre - three blocks, six classrooms, tarpaulin walls and a corrugated iron roof. A safe, stable place to learn.
Today, that centre gives 2,082 children - including 976 girls - the chance to study, socialise and dream about their futures. Rabia ranked fourth in her class of 65 students last year. Her favourite subjects are English and Amharic. She wants to go to university and become an engineer.
"Now, thanks to the new classrooms that Save the Children built for us, we learn in a safe and clean environment," she says. "I am happy when I am at school, and I love playing with my friends."
Kemal*, 28, the school's principal, has been teaching there for nearly four years. He remembers lessons under a tree, with no blackboards or teaching materials.
"There is no greater joy than seeing a child smile again," he says. "That smile is why I wake up early each day and come to school."
"I love being at school" - Rabia's story
Rabia*, 15, is a fifth-grade student and one of the top performers at the school in the camp. Last year, Rabia* ranked fourth in her class of 65 students when she was promoted to fifth grade. Rabia* dreams of becoming an engineer when she grows up and hopes to achieve this goal after completing university.
THE IMPACT OF A DECADE OF SUPPORTING ETHIOPIA'S CHILDREN
A recent study explored the long-term impacts of our partnership with kids and families in Woliso, Ethiopia to help realize their goals – and the results were AMAZING!
*Names changed to protect identities
