If you sponsor — or are thinking about sponsoring — a child in Ethiopia, here are some facts to help you learn about this ancient nation, its land and its people.
Ethiopia is a landlocked nation in eastern Africa, bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and South Sudan and Sudan to the west. It is predominantly an agricultural country, with close to 80 percent of its population living in rural areas. Three major crops are believed to have originated here: grain sorghum, castor bean and coffee, which today is the national drink of Ethiopia. Ethiopians drink coffee at least three times a day, often prepared in a ritualized ceremony called buna mafflat.
Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world, with more than 3,000 years of ancient history. It differs from other African nations in that it has never been colonized, apart from a five-year occupation by Italy. Its customs continue to be deeply rooted in centuries of practice, and many aspects of daily life are ritualized.
Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world, with more than 3,000 years of ancient history.
For example, there is a correct and traditional way to serve coffee, cut chicken, fold a dress and even greet people. (It is customary to greet the eldest people first out of respect, for instance, or shake hands lightly when greeting strangers.) The country also has its own ancient alphabet — the Amharic — and a calendar consisting of 13 months. Moreover, the nation is home to one of the earliest Christian religions, the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
Basic Facts About Ethiopia
Capital
Addis Ababa (Amharic for “new flower”)
Population
135.4 million people (est.). Ethiopia follows Nigeria as the second-most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also the most populous landlocked nation in the world.
Official Language
Amharic, spoken by 29.3% of Ethiopians. English is the major foreign language taught in schools.
Area
426,372 square miles, slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Climate
Ethiopia is presently in the midst of a years-long drought, but the nation typically has three seasons. The bega, the long, dry season, lasts from September to February. The belg, a short, rainy season, takes place in March and April. May — a hot, dry month — precedes the kremt, or long, rainy season that extends from June through August. December and January are generally the coldest months in Ethiopia. March, April and May are the hottest.
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox, 43.8%; Muslim, 31.3%; Protestant, 22.8%; Catholic, 0.7%; traditional, 0.6%; other, 0.8%
Ethnic Groups
Oromo, 35.8%; Amhara, 24.1%; Somali, 7.2%; Tigray, 5.7%; Sidama, 4.1%; Gamo-Gofa-Dawro, 2.8%; Guragie, 2.6%; Welaita, 2.3%; Afar, 2.2%; Silte, 1.3%; Kefficho, 1.2%; other 10.8%
Type of Government
Federal parliamentary republic
National Celebrations
Because Ethiopia was one of the first countries in the world to convert to Christianity, many of its major celebrations revolve around significant Orthodox Christian events. These joyful, colorful festivals often last for days and are accompanied by deliciously large feasts. Here are two celebrations of note.
Timkat (the Epiphany) commemorates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the river Jordan and is the most colorful festival of the year. It lasts for three days, with the main celebrations taking place on January 19. On this day, Ethiopians — dressed in white and with their heads covered in scarves — attend church and renew their baptismal vows. Afterwards, families enjoy a special feast of traditional foods, such as doro wat (a spiced chicken dish), and coffee.
On New Year’s Eve, Ethiopians light wooden torches to symbolize the new season of sunshine. Many families also attend a church service, offering prayers to usher in the coming year.
Enkutatash, meaning “gift of jewels,” celebrates the Ethiopian New Year, the feast of St. John the Baptist and the end of the long, rainy season. Enkutatash festivities typically last a week and revolve around family gatherings. The main day is September 11.
On New Year’s Eve, Ethiopians light wooden torches (known as chibo) to symbolize the new season of sunshine. Many families also attend a church service, offering prayers to usher in the coming year. On New Year’s Day, families gather together to enjoy a traditional meal of injera (flatbread) and wat (stew) and to wish one another Melkam Addis Amet, or Happy New Year in Amharic.
Ethiopian Food & Drink
Ethiopia has a distinctive cuisine that relies heavily on spices and stews. Its most typical dishes are wats and alechas — stews that contain beef, goat, lamb, chicken, fish or vegetables. Berbere, a spice mix containing dried, hot chili peppers, is often used to flavor stews; and niter kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter, is used to season sautéed foods. Ethiopians may eat ayib, a fresh soft cheese, to temper the heat of spicy dishes. They will also eat injera, a flatbread made of teff flour, as a staple at almost every meal.
Many Ethiopian Orthodox Christians do not consume meat or animal products on Wednesdays and Fridays, as they are days of fasting.
Common dishes include shiro be kibbe, a legume stew with seasoned butter; tibs, meat chunks sauteed in oil, onions, garlic, rosemary and hot pepper; and doro wat, a chicken stew usually served on holidays and special occasions.
Coffee (keffa) is the national drink and may be consumed up to three times a day, often prepared in a ritualized ceremony. During the coffee ceremony, families, friends and neighbors gather together and talk about what’s going on in their lives. Most importantly, the ceremony creates an opportunity for children to listen to stories from their parents and elders.
Mealtime Customs
- Before meals, Ethiopians wash their hands using water poured from a pitcher into a basin. A prayer or grace is said before eating.
- Injera is layered on a round woven basket, and stews such as key wat (spicy beef stew) or alecha (vegetable stew) are arranged on top.
- Ethiopian food does not generally require utensils. The right hand (or a piece of injera) is used to scoop food from a shared platter.
- It is a sign of respect when one finds the best piece of food on the table and puts it into their guest’s mouth.
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Social Concerns
Poverty
Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. But in the rural southern region where sponsors and donors support families, 40 percent of the population lives in poverty and 29 percent lives in extreme poverty — earning less than one dollar per day.
Most Ethiopians live and work in rural communities and have limited opportunities to pursue goals beyond meeting their family’s basic needs. In the 1980s and 90s, the HIV epidemic caused hundreds of thousands of children to lose their parents. In more recent years, the effects of recurrent drought, ongoing social and political unrest and the worst locust invasion in decades have threatened the stability of families — putting children at greater risk of separating from their parents.
Today, more than 4.5 million Ethiopian children are orphaned or separated from their families, and Ethiopia continues to face challenges in maternal mortality, nutrition and gender equality.
Learn how Holt sponsors and donors help strengthen families living in poverty.
Ethiopia’s Drought & Food Insecurity
Ethiopia is in the midst of one its worst droughts in decades. In the past few years, water wells have dried up, hundreds of thousands of livestock have died and crops across Ethiopia’s lowlands have been destroyed. Millions of families have lost their livelihoods. According to the World Food Program, more than 10 million people are now facing hunger and malnutrition across Ethiopia. These include 3 million people forced from their homes due to conflict and extreme weather. Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high, with 4.4 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in need of treatment. In parts of the Somali and Oromia regions — where most Holt-sponsored children and families live — child wasting (meaning a child is too thin for their height) has surpassed the 15 percent emergency threshold.
In addition, millions of children living in the lowlands have dropped out of school, according to UNICEF. Instead of attending classes, they help fetch water or look after younger children, while their caregivers search for water for their families and cattle. The drought is putting a larger burden on women as well — particularly elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women — who must walk even longer distances to find firewood, water and food for their families and livestock.
Learn how Holt sponsors and donors help meet the nutritional needs of families in Ethiopia.
Maternal Health
In 2015, Holt donors joined local leaders and community members to build a full-service, maternal-child hospital in Shinshicho, an impoverished rural region in southern Ethiopia. At the time, only 3 percent of births among women living in rural Ethiopia were attended by a health professional, and 25,000 women in Ethiopia died annually from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In many cases, these women could not get to a hospital in time. When Holt committed to funding most of the construction costs for the Shinshicho Mother and Child Hospital, the local community responded with an outpouring of donations — often a precious few dollars from individuals whose income was just one or two dollars a day. With backing from the government, and significant involvement from the community — both in funding and labor — the health center first opened its doors to patients in 2015.
Today, the hospital has grown both in size and in the level of services it provides. It is now known as the Shinshicho Primary Hospital, and it serves more than 250,000 patients each year with emergency, surgical and outpatient services for children and adults. Although the mother-child hospital is run by the local government, Holt continues to fund much of the staffing, equipment and materials needed to operate the maternal and child health departments, which provide labor and delivery, family planning, ob-gyn and neonatal intensive care services. Holt also supports a child stabilization center for severely malnourished children.
Learn more about how the Holt-funded Mother and Child Hospital is providing care for women and babies.
Gender Inequality
In Ethiopia, 59.2 percent of the male population over age 15 is literate, meaning they can both read and write. (Literacy is typically measured by the ability to comprehend a short, simple statement on everyday life.) By contrast, the same can be said for only 44.4 percent of Ethiopian girls older than 15. What’s more, twice as many girls as boys are out of school. In rural communities, girls are typically kept home to help with house and farm work — and about 40 percent are married by the time they’re 18.
In some instances, girls drop out of school because they must share bathrooms with boys and even male teachers. These bathrooms rarely have locks or even doors. Without safe facilities, school can be a dangerous place for young girls. Schools may also lack resources for menstrual hygiene, so teenage girls beginning puberty might stay home altogether to avoid embarrassment and harassment from others.
Learn how Holt sponsors and donors help girls in Ethiopia receive an education.
Holt Donors Help Build a School in Ethiopia
In 2010, Holt partnered with a local church in the rural, southern region of Wallana to build a three-room stone schoolhouse. With support from donors, Holt hired local teachers and social workers, and equipped the school with desks, chairs and chalkboards while sponsors provided uniforms, books and supplies for the children. Today, on a large compound surrounded on every side by family farms and traditional mud huts, more than 1,000 children receive an education that many of their older siblings never received.
Most of the families in Wallana live in extreme poverty — earning less than one dollar a day — and when the school first opened, some parents hesitated to send their children, especially their daughters, whom they relied on to help with house and farm work. To encourage parents to educate both their sons and their daughters, Holt relied on local social workers and teachers — all of whom come from Wallana and are respected within the community. In the years since it opened, Holt donors have helped to expand Wallana to serve kids through grade eight. So many children are enrolled at the school that they attend in two shifts so as not to overflow the classrooms.
Learn more about Wallana Kindergarten and Holt Ethiopia’s rapidly growing childhood education program, which strives to give greater access to a high-quality early education for children living in impoverished communities.
Read more stories about how sponsors and donors help children thrive in Ethiopia.
Learn more about Holt’s work in Ethiopia!
See how sponsors and donors create a brighter, more hopeful future for children and families in Ethiopia!
