Ethiopia
About Ethiopia
The situation in Ethiopia is urgent. As many as 20 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia as conflict and historic drought have led to widespread hunger and a lack of access to health care.
The United States Agency for International Development has warned that Ethiopia is facing a “perfect storm” of drought, COVID-19, and skyrocketing food and commodity prices. The number of displaced Ethiopians tripled in 2021 as conflict spread across regional states like Afar, Ahmara, Oromia, and Tigray. Today, millions of women and children are in need of humanitarian care as violence and drought continue.
In 2018, Ethiopia had the fastest-growing economy in the region, yet agriculture and pastoralism are still the backbone of the country’s economy. Eighty-five percent of the workforce depends on farming and livestock to make a living. But life in the agriculture industry is anything but stable — success is entirely subject to the weather. Millions of small farmers are feeling the effects of the warming climate, as shifting seasons, flooding, and droughts jeopardize their crops, the health of their livestock, and their own health and well-being. When the rainy season is dry and harvests fail, families are often forced to leave home in search of better work, food, water, or greener pastures for their cattle.
The main health concerns in the country include maternal mortality, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, all of which are exacerbated by malnutrition and lack of access to clean water. But in 2021, Ethiopians also faced an increase in violence that upended the lives of millions of people. The country is currently facing its worst drought in 40 years and skyrocketing costs of food and commodities due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have put it on the brink of a humanitarian emergency.
The Challenges
Violent conflict, drought, and inflation
Ethiopia is facing a humanitarian emergency due to the worst drought in four decades and widespread conflict that has displaced millions of people. The United Nations has warned that “hunger is tightening its grip” around Ethiopia; in Tigray, one-in-five children under 5 and half of all pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, according to the World Food Programme. With many people living on the edge of crisis, inflation has had a devastating impact: food prices climbed 43% in one year, with the cost of staples like vegetable oil and cereals skyrocketing.
>> READ MORE: Project HOPE Sounds Alarm for Humanitarian Crisis in Ethiopia
Maternal, neonatal and child mortality in developing states
One in 15 children in Ethiopia dies before turning 5, and most of these deaths occur during infancy. Maternal mortality is just as much of a concern. In 2016, there were 412 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in the country — a rate 25 times higher than in the U.S.
Despite significant reductions in mortality rates and increased coverage of primary care services in recent years, women and children remain at high risk in the more remote regions of Ethiopia. These four geographic regions make up over half of the country (by land mass) – Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella and Somali – and are known as Developing Regional States (DRS), with a combined population of over 8 million people.
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS among women, and the stigma of discordance
Ethiopia has made significant strides in reducing HIV incidence and HIV/AIDS-related mortality over the last several decades. Despite progress in controlling the epidemic, however, there remain significant disparities between affected populations across the country.
Women are disproportionately affected by HIV. There’s a social stigma surrounding the virus as well — so much so that those who are HIV-positive often keep their diagnosis from their own partners.
Protecting marginalized communities from COVID-19
Project HOPE is strengthening COVID-19 prevention, preparedness, and case management for health systems in Somali Regional State and Dire Dawa city administration, with support from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The project aims to support 327 outpatient health facilities and 68 inpatient facilities across the Fafan, Sitti, Jarar, and Erar Zones as well as Dire Dawa City.
The COVID-19 situation in these areas is complex, as they host high numbers of internally displaced people in communities where the risk of transmission is high. Somali Regional State also borders three countries, and there are high cross-border movement and direct transport routes, making it particularly susceptible to the virus.
Learn more in the full situation report on our COVID-19 response in Ethiopia.
Bringing HOPE to Ethiopia
Our history in Ethiopia
Project HOPE’s work in Ethiopia began in 2017 with the foundation of the PEPFAR-funded USAID Community HIV Care and Treatment (CHCT) program, which reaches more than 200 priority districts. Though this program is a relatively new one, we’ve been fighting the global HIV epidemic for nearly three decades.
Reducing the burden of HIV
As one of the leading international health organizations with a presence in Ethiopia, HOPE is committed to helping the country’s fight against HIV.
Through the CHCT program, we’re expanding access to comprehensive HIV education, prevention, care, and treatment services in Ethiopia’s most vulnerable communities. We’re helping high risk populations get tested; supporting people with HIV to manage their condition; and strengthening community capacity to provide quality health services.
All of our progress is underscored by innovation — we’ve explored several approaches to improving testing and treatment and fostering greater facility and community collaboration.
Additionally, through the use of the CommCare platform, we help health workers more efficiently collect information, better manage patients, and improve data for decision making.
Improving health for mothers, newborns and children
As a partner on the USAID-funded Transform: Health in Developing Regions program, HOPE is increasing access to quality maternal, neonatal, and child health services for the country’s unserved and underserved populations. As part of the five-year, $30 million program, we’re reducing gender inequality in health services and supporting patients and health workers in making more informed decisions.
In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, Project HOPE is increasing the number of mobile health and nutrition teams that it has deployed in remote communities far from care. These mobile nutrition teams will provide essential medicines, vaccines, medical supplies, and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF).
Our Impact
Through the CHCT program, HOPE has provided testing services to more than 110,000 people with HIV and helped 120,000 people with HIV better manage and treat the disease. We’ve trained more than 500 health workers, enrolled more than 115,000 people living with HIV in community adherence support services, and distributed over 1.5 million condoms to help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.
Read: With Treatment, A Father’s Life is Renewed after HIV and TB Diagnosis >
HOPE is also helping thousands of mothers give birth safely, improving the health of thousands of newborns across Ethiopia. Since fall 2017, we’ve mentored health workers in over 50 health facilities and trained over 5,200 health workers on best practices for newborn care.
