Ethiopia Humanitarian Aid

Facts and Statistics

• Population: 76,511,887
• Population Growth Rate (annual %): 2.3
• National Poverty Rate (%): 44
• Life Expectancy at Birth (years): 49
• Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): 92
• Children Under-5 Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): 127
• Lifetime Risk of Maternal Mortality (1 in number stated): 14
• Adult Male Literacy Rate (% of males 15+): 50
• Adult Female Literacy Rate (% of females 15+): 35

Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank, UNDP

Numbers at a Glance

• 6 percent of births are attended by a skilled health professional
• 1 in 4 women dies in pregnancy or childbirth
• 4 million children are orphaned, nearly 1 million by AIDS
• Only 18 percent of children reach grade five

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Save the Children in Ethiopia

Save the Children has been a significant presence in Ethiopia since 1984, when we arrived to provide life-saving food, water and health services for over half a million people devastated by famine. Today, our programs have grown significantly to meet the persistent challenges that confront Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest countries. Our work focuses on its chronic poverty and food insecurity, the poor health of the general population, a growing HIV/AIDS crisis and a substandard education sector.

• East Africa Food Crisis
• Challenges for Children
• Education
• Health
• Food Security
• Health
• HIV/AIDS
• Saving Newborn Lives
• Plans for the Future
• Life in Ethiopia

East Africa Food Crisis

Save the Children is provide life-saving help to children and families in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia whose lives are at risk due to severe food shortages sparked by drought, crop failures and livestock deaths. The UN has called this East Africa’s worst drought in 60 years.

Millions of children are in danger of becoming critically malnourished due to severe droughts in the region. Save the Children is already on the ground saving lives. We're rapidly providing food, water, medicine and crucial support to families who have lost their incomes.

Since the famine in 1984, Save the Children has grown to meet the constant challenges of a country that ranks as one of the five or six least developed in the world. Through humanitarian response and development programs throughout the country, we continue to improve the health, education and well-being of children and their families, making a difference in the lives of over 4.8 million Ethiopians.

Challenges for Children

The issues that children in Ethiopia face are some of the most challenging in the world. Even in an "average" year, the education, health and economic situation for millions of Ethiopian children can only be described as a crisis.

Frequent food shortages and periodic famine-like conditions continue to put children at risk. With inadequate health care services, many children die before reaching the age of 5. Of those that survive, only 36 percent of children attend primary or secondary school. In addition, the HIV/AIDS crisis is devastating families at a rate that is destabilizing entire communities, leaving many children orphaned and at risk for exploitation.

Our Response

In Ethiopia, Save the Children has implemented cross-cutting strategies that focus on strengthening partnerships with local as well as key international agencies. Through this structure, we create stronger community-based solutions coupled with advocacy on a national level. The result means significantly more impact for our programs and their ensured sustainability. Specifically, we've focused on education, health, food security, HIV/AIDS prevention/education and saving newborn lives.

Education

Health

Food Security

• Preserve and recover range land;
• Increase access to veterinary services;
• Encourage alternative livelihoods, particularly for women; and
• Support improved nutritional practices, especially for mothers and their young children.

HIV/AIDS

Saving Newborn Lives

Ethiopia has a neonatal mortality rate of 49/1000 births — one of the highest in the world — with tetanus infection being the second major cause of infant/neonatal death. Save the Children's approach has been to educate mothers on healthful practices while encouraging utilization of key services, like tetanus vaccinations, to improve the health of themselves and their newborns. This initiative is part of a nationwide behavioral change strategy, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). Together, we've improved the health of over 2.8 million women by providing tetanus vaccinations and promoting clean delivery practices.

Life in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a land of great natural beauty, with many mountain ranges and national parks. Even though it is near the equator, the climate is varied, because of the wide range in elevations. Natural disasters are frequent here, with droughts and floods common. These have a devastating effect on the largely agricultural societies that inhabit the region.

The official language is Amharic, a Semitic language, spoken by about 27 million people. The second most popular language is Oromo, a Cushitic language, spoken by about 30 percent of the population.

The government of Ethiopia is considered a multi-party democracy, represented by a federal parliamentary republic.

Last Updated May 2012