Ethiopia Country Information

FACT & FIGURES

Location - Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Capital - Addis Ababa

Population - 88 million

People - Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Language - Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English

Religion - Christian 60.8% (Protestant 50.6%, Orthodox 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8%

Literacy rate - 42.7%

Life expectancy - 55.8 years

% Living below $1.25/day - 39%

Sources - The CIA World Fact Book 2009, Compassion International, www.news.bbc.co.uk

ETHIOPIA

The devastating droughts and famine of Ethiopia and war with neighbouring Eritera in the 1970s and early 1980s, put Africa and the plight of the world’s poor on the map. Images of children with bloated bellies and men and women reduced to skin and bone, stirred a global outcry.

Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country despite a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy. Ethiopia’s economy is heavily dependant on its agricultural base, which is why droughts and famine constantly cripple the nation’s economy and its people. As a result, millions of people need food assistance.

For the average Ethiopian life is a daily struggle. Infant mortality is high and the majority of people do not have access to basic healthcare. The country is also severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic with about 2.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS while an estimated 1.2 million children have been orphaned.

Educational opportunities for children are few and far between and the school drop-out rate has increased with only a third of children attending school. Child labour has become an alarming problem as half of those that work are under the age of 14.

Compassion’s holistic approach to child development ensures children have the opportunity to go to school, receive healthcare, food, clothing and social and emotional support. Since beginning its work in 1993, Compassion’s ministry in Ethiopia has grown with more than 77,700 children being assisted through over 321 church-based projects.

Compassion Ethiopia currently has 14 Child Survival Programmes.

Over 77,540 children are currently being assisted in more than 321 Child Sponsorship Programmes in Ethiopia.

Compassion Ethiopia currently has 175 active Leadership Development Programme students.