Ethiopia
In ETHIOPIA Batonga is:granting scholarships: 12 girls who are AIDS orphans are receiving support and scholarships for higher education. They are among more than 600 children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS and who are receiving community-based care and support through an Ethiopian NGO called Hope for Children. This NGO works in both Addis Ababa and Babile. The 12 girls receiving Batonga scholarships for post-secondary school education are receiving support for tuition, school supplies and mentoring. In-country NGO partner: Hope for Children
BackgroundEthiopia, with a population of almost 75 million, is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, but it is also one of the world’s poorest. At US $130, Ethiopia’s per capita GDP is only about a fifth of the Sub-Saharan average according to the World Bank. Ethiopia is unique among African countries. Known today as the birthplace of humanity with the discovery of a 4 million year-old hominid skull, it has had an unbroken monarchial line going back 5000 years (with a brief break during WWII) that lasted until the last King was executed in 1982. While there were occasional upheavals throughout its long history, it is the political instability of more recent times that was the direct cause of the current poor infrastructure and educational attainment levels. Ethiopia consists of 11 regions, and the central government has encouraged regional and local authorities to take on a greater role in the education system. Ethiopia’s efforts to increase school enrollment and reach the UN’s Millennium Development Goals have produced mixed results. The country’s poor learning environment is reflected in student-teacher ratios exceeding 100 to 1 and single classes with as many as 200 children jammed together on a dirt floor. This situation has worsened since compulsory school fees were dropped and enrollments increased, because the supply of new trained teachers and newly built classrooms has not kept pace with the increased number of students. Other factors contributing to teacher shortages and school access include HIV/AIDS, which has struck down many teachers and parents and required some AIDS orphans to drop out of school. Rates in some regions are thought to be as high as 20 percent of the population living with HIV/AIDS. Batonga’s efforts in Ethiopia will focus on both school construction as well as scholarships for girls, and will include AIDS orphans. |
Country Profile Country StatisticsPopulation: 85.2 million Average income: US$220 HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 4.4% Female adult literacy rate: 22.8% Children in primary school: girls 28% | boys 33% Children in secondary school: girls 10% | boys 13% Education expenditure: 6% of GDP Orphans: 4.8 million UN Human Development Index: 170 out of 177 Population: 85.2 million source: CIA World Factbook date of data: estimate for July 2009 definition: 85,237,338 estimate Average income: US$220 source: World Bank date of data: 2007 definition: Gross national income (GNI) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad. GNI per capita is gross national income divided by mid-year population. GNI per capita in US dollars is converted using the World Bank Atlas method. HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 4.4% source: World Health Organization World Health Organization date of data: 2006 definition: Percentage of adults (15-49 years) living with HIV/AIDS as of end 2006 Female adult literacy rate: 22.8% source: UNESCO date of data: 2007 definition: Percentage of women over 15 years old that can read and write. Children in primary school: girls 28% | boys 33% source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). date of data: 2005 definition: Net Primary School Attendance – percentage of children in the age group that officially corresponds to primary schooling who attend primary school. These data come from national household surveys. Children in secondary school: girls 10% | boys 13% source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) date of data: 2005 definition: Percentage of children in the age group that officially corresponds to secondary schooling who attend secondary school. These data come from national household surveys. Education expenditure: 6% of GDP source: CIA World Factbook date of data: 2006 definition: Public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP. Orphans: 4.8 million source: UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID, Children on the Brink 2002 date of data: estimate 2005 definition: Children up to 17 years of age orphaned due to all causes. UN Human Development Index: 170 out of 177 source: Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme date of data: 2004 data, used for report issued 2006 definition: The Human Development Index (HDI), published as part of the annual Human Development Report by UNDP, is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing, or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. 177 countries were ranked, with 1 being the best and 177 being the worst. |
