Ethiopia

The big picture:

Ethiopians are a strong, proud people and they have the history to show it; the country has been independent longer than any other African nation.

Kids in Ethiopia stay hopeful in the face of the kind of poverty most of the world can only imagine. Extreme poverty is the norm, not the exception in parts of the country where most kids are out of school, most are hungry and most don’t have clean water to drink. Even though it seems like the odds are stacked against Ethiopian kids, they’re always looking for opportunities to improve their lives.

Like most of East Africa, Ethiopia has a major problem with HIV and AIDS. It’s hoped that education aimed at young people can help stop the spread of HIV and put the country’s health back on track.

What’s Plan doing?

Plan teaches Ethiopian kids about their rights through workshops and community outreach: an empowering experience that sets them up for long-term success. We also give them the tools they need to keep developing, like quality educations, nutritious food and medicine. We do a lot of work with kids so they can take charge of their health and protect themselves from HIV. Finally, we help their communities get permanently stronger with training for farmers and health care for new moms.

Issues Plan works on in Ethiopia

Comparison on the Millennium Development Goals**

Country
Population living on less than $1 a day	39%
Enrolment in Primary Education	72.3%	99.5%
Ratio of girls to boys in primary education	0.88	0.99
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births)	123	6
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births)	720	7
People 15-49 years old living with HIV	2%	0.4%
Population with access to improved drinking water	42%	100%
Internet Users per 100 people	0.3	76.77

**The eight Millennium Development Goals, agreed to by all of the world's countries and leading development institutions, form a blueprint to help meet the needs of the world's poorest people.