Ethiopia

SOS Children’s Villages ensures that children grow up with the care, protection and relationships they need to become their strongest selves (photo: SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia)

Ethiopia is also known as “The Land of Origins”, and is believed to be the origin of humankind. It’s definitely the origin of the Blue Nile, the longest river in the world.
Around 123.4 million people live in Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa, one of the most unstable regions in the world, which is often hit by natural disasters. When 80% of people live off small-scale farms, droughts have a devastating effect on the lives of millions of families. The situation was worst in the regions affected by conflict.

SOS Children’s Villages has been supporting children and young people without parental care, or at risk of losing it, in Ethiopia since 1974.

Villages in Ethiopia

  1. Addis Abeba
  2. Bahir Dar
  3. Gode
  4. Harrar
  5. Hawassa
  6. Jimma
  7. Makalle

Children are at risk

Children growing up in Ethiopia face many risks. An estimated 12.5 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance to get them through the most recent crises – they need food and medical treatment, they need a safe roof over their heads and they need to go to school to improve their lives. The future rights of children must be protected. Only 3% of children are registered at birth. If children do not have official documentation, they can be denied their rights to healthcare, education and social assistance.

20.4M

People need food assistance in Ethiopia

Malnourishment

Climate change and conflict have affected all areas of Ethiopia. As a result, the number of children (especially those under the age of 5) who are malnourished is increasing in all areas of the country.
The number of people affected by the lack of sufficient and nourishing food change from one region to another, but according to the World Food Programme, 20.4 million people are in need of food assistance across the country.

47%

Of children complete primary school

Education

More and more children are starting primary school in Ethiopia, but getting children to stay in school remains a problem. Only 47% of children finish primary school in the country. And just 27% of young people between the ages of 15 and 18 attend secondary school.
Girls are more likely to drop out of school than boys are, often due to a getting married early. 40% of young women are married before they turn 18 years of age.

12.5M

Children need assistance

Conflict and disasters

Conflicts and prolonged natural disasters such as prolonged droughts, famine, and locust infestations take their toll on families. Around 4.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes and start their lives again somewhere else.
A grand total of over 29.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 12.5 million of these are children. Children’s well-being is at risk due to the lack of food and clean drinking water. In such cases, children and adults are at risk of diseases such as cholera.

Together we can make a difference for children in Ethiopia

1,190

Children

Grow up in our care

27,530

Adults and children

Are supported in the community

7,123

Children

Learn at our kindergartens and schools

10,260

Medical services

Were possible

3,700

Young people

Are supported on their way to independence

In Ethiopia, young people plant trees and learn about irrigation and cultivation techniques. They will then pass on this knowledge to their families and communities. “Our aim is to create an awareness that everyone is responsible for the environment and thus for their future and that of future generations,” says the project manager (photo: SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia).