Ethiopia – From Crisis to Self-Reliance

Ethiopians contend with one of the highest poverty rates in all of Africa. In this historically and culturally rich nation, less than 45 per cent of adults are literate, 57 per cent of the population are chronically malnourished, and 76 per cent do not have access to clean water.

Here, HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions. Concentrated primarily in urban areas like the capital, Addis Ababa, this disease has created nearly half a million orphans. Recent estimates show that AIDS is responsible for 30 per cent of all adult deaths in Ethiopia. Currently, 1.5 million are HIV-positive.

Despite modest economic growth over the past few decades, the vast majority of Ethiopia's 70 million people live in extreme poverty.  Nearly 85 per cent of the population live in the countryside and are completely dependent on what they can grow on their small land-holdings. In the rural south, families often cannot produce enough food from their crops to feed their families throughout the year. Then, if the rains are too light or do not come at all, the spectre of famine rises once again, devastating the population.

It could be argued that Ethiopia is currently best known as a site of starvation and death - and this grim reputation underscores the depth of need for strategies to cope with crisis, and more beyond it.

HOPE is bringing hope with substance to families in the rural south, and children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Addis Ababa - ways to move forward with health, security, and resilience in the face of challenges.

Learn more about supporting an HIV/AIDS orphan. 
Learn more about supporting a farming family.

For further information please contact Leanne VanderKwaak by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone at 604-525-5481 (or Toll-Free at 1 866 525 4673) at extension 14.