In Ethiopia only 1 in 5 girls reach secondary education, 74% of women live with FGM and almost half of the female population experience violence and abuse. Women and girls deserve better.
A prolonged and obstructed child labour can cause an obstetric fistula – a hole torn in the bladder, vagina or rectum. The injury can have devastating physical and social consequences for women.
Accessing quality education remains a challenge for so many in Ethiopia. There are many barriers to overcome; the expense of uniforms, food and equipment, the attitudes of parents, and the stigma of menstruation. Every child and young person should be able to fulfill their potential.
People living with disabilities are routinely denied their most basic human rights, and are cut off from education, employment and healthcare. In Ethiopia, many live in extreme poverty.
We focus on the needs of vulnerable Ethiopians at grass roots level. This hinges on sustained relationships with trusted Ethiopian partners.
Two decades ago, the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa was the only place where fistula patients could be treated. Today, not only can patients access the treatment they need through six fistula centres across Ethiopia, but they can also access complete physical and social rehabilitation facilities. Hamlin’s College of Midwives actively recruits and trains new midwives and then deploys them back to their own rural communities to provide maternal healthcare and support in the regions they’re needed most.
Dignity Period helps Ethiopian girls stay in school by providing the supplies and education they need to manage menstruation. In areas where menstruation is a highly taboo subject and school dropout rates for girls are as high as 51% (over 20% higher than that for boys), this enables girls not only to finish their education but also to enjoy better joy and life prospects. Dignity Period works across the regions of Afar and Tigray, distributing locally-made, reusable sanitary pads and hygiene kits to girls in school, and also providing educational booklets to both girls and boys which help dispel myths and reduce the stigma behind menstruation.
With five safe houses across Ethiopia, the Association for Women’s Sanctuary & Development (AWSAD) is a beacon of hope to those who have experienced domestic violence or abuse. Staffed 24 hours a day by AWSAD staff, they offer more than a safe place to sleep. Along with food and medication, AWSAD provides counselling and legal follow-up, basic literacy courses, art and dance therapy, self-defense classes and vocational skills training so that women can leave the shelter as confident, independent and workplace-ready individuals.
The Afar Pastoralist Development Association (APDA) was created with local Afar leaders who felt their needs were not being met by formal government services. Today, in addition to life-changing work in water harvesting, mobile health and education, APDA is dedicated to ending harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage and the lack of rights for women in marriage.
Hope Enterprises has created the ‘Ladders of Hope’ programme to help people in need climb from poverty to prosperity. A key focus is education with seven sites across Ethiopia where children and young people can access kindergarten through to primary/secondary school, university or vocational training. Once a student is accepted into a Hope school every effort is made to ensure their long-term success. Hope Enterprises also works to fight hunger and malnutrition, plus improve community health through clean water and hygiene.
Cheshire Services aims to bring about a disability-inclusive society across
Ethiopia. They do this through their main activities: treating orthopedic disabilities among children and youth, creating community awareness to remove the stigma associated with disability, and provision of mobility aids and rough rider wheelchairs. Their Menagesha Rehabilitation Centre is their flagship site, providing both resident children and outpatients with corrective surgery, physiotherapy and custom-fitted prosthetic limbs and mobility aids. For children living in more remote areas, Cheshire Services run a mobile outreach service where a team of physiotherapists, orthopedic technologists and a social worker can assess, treat and follow-up both new and old patients.
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