Ethiopia, the largest and most populated country in the Horn of Africa, has taken massive strides in poverty reduction over recent years, as well as having one of the fastest-growing economies in the region with an estimated growth of 6.4% last year. Despite this, it remains one of the poorest in its area. The most recent data available for Ethiopia states that 24% of the population still sits below the poverty line. Many Ethiopians suffering from poverty depend on charities and NGOs operating in Ethiopia to give them the support they need to live and thrive. Here are five charities operating in Ethiopia right now.

1. The Caleb Foundation — Save Life with Pennies

Located in Ethiopia’s bustling capital city, Addis Ababa, The Caleb Foundation — Save Life With Pennies is a nonprofit organization aiming to eradicate poverty through education while providing support for underprivileged families. 

Tenadam Alemu founded the charity in 2010 after her son sustained a life-threatening infection while hospitalized, leading her to realize the importance of helping children in need. While her son made a full recovery, Alemu said, “It was during this time that I realized a desperate mother who is crying out for help should never be put on hold.”

Save Life with Pennies provides many different programs in an effort to aid underprivileged citizens. One of its main focuses, however, is their daycare program, a free-of-charge service that provides care, education and food for up to 50 children a day. This allows single mothers to support their families without having to worry about childcare. The program has helped around 800 children since its start.

2. Splash

One of the charities operating in Ethiopia is Splash. The charity aims to provide support for children in urban poverty, especially regarding issues involving water, sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health. 

Their project in Ethiopia began in 2008 after observing the rapid population growth in Addis Ababa, which had tripled in size since 1970. Despite Ethiopia’s growing economy, Splash estimates that more than 80% of Addis’ population lives in slum districts with limited access to clean water. To combat this, Splash has aligned itself with existing government goals, all while aiming to reach its goal of providing help to 450,000 children in the most needed areas.

3. Fair Planet

While urban poverty is a big issue in Ethiopia, so, too, is poverty in the country’s more rural areas. Agriculture is a key component of Ethiopia’s economy and employs more than 60% of the population, meaning that many Ethiopians depend on this livelihood to avoid living in poverty. Based in several different areas of Ethiopia, Fair Planet is an NGO that fights poverty through improved agriculture. 

Their goal is to provide food security and economic opportunities for local farmers by providing better-quality vegetable seeds and training on how to grow them most effectively, all while ensuring there is minimal change to traditional farming practices.

The project launched in 2012 and has since provided seeds for 75,000 farmers, as well as training more than 2,000 lead farmers on how to best use them.

4. Facing Africa

Facing Africa is a charity made up of volunteer medical staff who are fighting the effects of noma in Africa.

Noma is a gangrenous infection that affects the face, mainly targeting children under the age of 6. Promoted by extreme poverty and malnutrition, the infection begins with ulcers in the mouth. At this early stage, it is treatable with mild antibiotics and nutritional rehabilitation. If left untreated, however, the ulcers progress to painful swelling in the cheeks or lips and eventual gangrene, leading to gaping holes developing in the face. It is estimated that the mortality of noma can reach up to an alarming 90%, due to most cases occurring in remote rural areas that have no medical facilities.

Facing Africa first visited Addis Ababa in 2007, where a team of surgeons, anesthetists and nurses spent two weeks carrying out various facial reconstruction surgeries on noma victims. Every year following, the charity has sent out two teams of volunteers every year, as well as securing a place for patients to receive pre- and post-op care within Ethiopia’s Cheshire Home, a facility that was previously used for polio victims. The charity has raised more than $6.3 million since its humble beginnings in 1988 and continues to use this money to help those suffering from noma.

5. Tearfund

Tearfund has been operating in Ethiopia since the 1970s, working with institutional donors, religious institutions and partner organizations to fight the extreme poverty occurring in Ethiopia. 

Its main focus is providing relief and development programs that are not only helpful but sustainable, too. Its goal is to equip and envision local organizations and churches with the materials and knowledge to start their own development projects, allowing them to tackle poverty for the community, by the community.

So far, Tearfund has given communities access to clean water, helped with conflict resolution, provided vocational education and advocated for a fairer future for all. Last year alone, Tearfund helped 1.6 million people through emergency response, and a further 1.3 million with their community development work.

Despite facing struggles such as civil war and difficult climates, Ethiopia has continuously improved its poverty rates in recent years. While there is a long way to go for many of its citizens, the important work these five charities operating in Ethiopia are doing, among many others, will continue to guide the country toward a future where everyone can survive and also thrive.

– Jodie Donovan
Photo: Flickr