60 million girls in the Oromia region of Ethiopia

Our Challenge has brought us to the district of Wuchale in the Oromia region of Ethiopia where we supported a project with Right To Play (RTP) in 2013. In this rural area, girls’ education faces some serious challenges: poverty, a lack of facilities, the distance to schools and negative perceptions about the importance of education. In fact, only 1 in 5 girls who start primary school will complete it as planned.

With our support, RTP was able to engage 2,500 children (1,500 girls) in regular, structured play-based experiential learning activities focused on positive behaviours. In addition, the project provided funding to train teachers to use these techniques in their classrooms, and raised awareness about the importance of girls’ education.

Welcome to Ethiopia!

Let’s chat over coffee….

• Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee. The original coffee plant, the coffea arabica, was discovered there in the 9^th century.
• Today, Ethiopia is the world’s seventh largest producer of coffee.
• Coffee plays a key role in Ethiopian culture and appears in many expressions dealing with life, food and interpersonal relationships. For instance, “Buna dabo naw” translates to “Coffee is our bread“. It demonstrates the central role that coffee plays in terms of diet.
• Coffee ceremonies in Ethiopia represent friendship and hospitality.

Girls’ education in Ethiopia

• Over the last two decades, the Ethiopian government has expanded its education system and made important gains for girls at the primary and secondary levels. The net enrolment rate in elementary school increased from 29% in 1989 to 86% in 2017.
• However, harmful traditional practices, social norms and poverty continue to prevent girls from completing their education, resulting in high dropout rates at the secondary level.
• COVID-19 is creating a girls’ education crisis in Ethiopia, threatening to reverse the country’s recent progress towards gender equality in education.
• Pandemic-related school closures are forcing girls — particularly in regional states — into child marriage and causing increased rates of gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices. Limited access to distance learning initiatives is stopping girls from continuing their studies at home. In addition, fears of COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the pandemic make returning to school uncertain for some girls.

Feel like hiking? Volcano or waterfalls? The choice is yours!

Photo: Tom Pfeiffer

• The Erta Ale Volcano is one of Ethiopia’s most stunning and recognizable landmarks, situated in the Afar region in the north-eastern part of the country. Active since it was first discovered in the 1960s, it is famed for its persistent lava lake.
• A single-day excursion to the Blue Nile River culminates in the breathtaking Blue Nile Waterfall (locally know as Tis Abay which means “great smoke”) in northern Ethiopia. It’s a two-hour hike to the base of the falls and it includes walking over a modern suspension bridge along with a Portuguese-built stone arch bridge, completed in 1626.
• However, before you going hiking in Ethiopia, you will need to check on the political situation as it can be a risky venture.