Ethiopia

Save the Children in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has experienced prolonged insufficient rain and its effects over the years. While El Niño is driving insufficient rain in the north of the country, in contrast, flooding seems to have become an annual occurrence in the east and south. The latter has led to both loss of livestock and livelihoods, not to mention related disease outbreaks. Overall, such contexts are aggravating Ethiopia's multiple humanitarian challenges.

The situation for children in Ethiopia

Save the Children Ethiopia Country Office prioritizes building better livelihoods and ensuring that children are protected at all times, and particularly in challenging situations.

In 2022, the Country Office launched its Category 1(CAT 1) humanitarian response plan to address three urgent emergencies. Accordingly, the Country Office provides vital assistance for people in need, focusing on ensuring protection, food security, sustainable livelihoods, and access to health, water and sanitation services. Under this multifaceted support, some 5.1 million people, of whom 2.9 million were children, received assistance in 2024 alone.

More needs to and can be done, together.

A camel herder leads camels carrying digital tablets and solar powered chargers to help children read in remote areas of the Somali region, Ethiopia

A digital camel library has been launched in the Somali Region across three pilot districts with partner Library for All in Australia, reaching over 3500 children and bringing them the joy of reading Somali folk stories. This digital library is also extending its reach to more children in remote villages, providing supplementary reading materials that enhance their reading skills. The books are no longer made of paper, which used to pose a challenge for pastoralist children. Previously, their herds—mostly goats—would often consume the paper books. Now, these challenges are mitigated, as the Somali folk stories are loaded onto digital tablet computers which children can access when the library visits their village at least once a week. These photos show the progress of Save the Children’s Camel Library project in Ethiopia. In 2020 the camel library came to children’s communities to help them keep reading and learning at home during Covid-19 school closures. Seifu Assegid/ Save the Children

2024 Reach

5.1M

Direct People Reached

2.9M

Direct Children Reached

3.8M

People Reached through Humanitarian Interventions

2.1M

Children Reached through Humanitarian Interventions

News & Stories

29 Jan 2025

Ethiopia , Nigeria

Innovations breaking barriers to children’s immunisation in Nigeria and Ethiopia win major funding from Save the Children

The Save the Children Immunisation Accelerator, backed by GSK, has selected two standout projects to improve child vaccination rates in Nigeria and Ethiopia, where millions of children remain unvaccinated.

Both projects were chosen from 120 submissions and will receive $100,000 in support. These innovations aim to transform immunization outcomes and are part of a broader mission to ensure no child suffers from preventable diseases.

New tools measure babies’ feet to identify home births needing care in Ethiopia

Developed by Save the Children and Hawassa University College of Medicine & Health Sciences (HUCMHS), the easy-to-use screening tools are colour-coded and include a laminated card and a plastic tool with a 90-degree “heel holder” to guide where to place a baby’s heel for the measurement.

Ethiopia: More than 1,320 children remain at risk following week of deadly landslides

Hundreds of children living in the remote Gofa zone of Southern Ethiopia remain at risk of death and injury from rain-induced disasters