Our work in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia is one of Africa’s largest countries, with a population of about 80 million. The country has approx. 80 ethnic groups and around 80 languages. Islam, the Ethiopian-Orthodox Church and Protestantism are the principal religions. Ethiopia is the only African country never to be colonized, but it has a complex history: Three radical regime changes over the past 40 years, civil war, famine and wars with several neighbouring countries.
Today, Ethiopia is at a crossroads. It is experiencing strong economic growth, but poverty, ethnic conflicts, environmental threats, suppression of women and a twisted road toward democracy are some of the challenges the country faces.
Norwegian People’s Aid has supported partner organizations in Ethiopia since 1984, first through emergency assistance and the development of a microlending programme. In December 2001, Norwegian People’s Aid conducted a study of the spread of landmines in Ethiopia. It showed that the regions Tigray, Afar and Somali had the densest concentration of landmines in Ethiopia. In 2005 Norwegian People’s Aid supported “The Ethiopian Mine Action Office” (EMAO) with mine-sniffing dogs and equipment. Norwegian People’s Aid has had offices in Addis Ababa since 2006, with programmes focusing both on landmines and a new development programme.
