Economic Hardships Jeopardize well-being of Ethiopian Orphans

Economic Hardships Jeopardize Well-being of
Ethiopian Orphans

18 June, 2011 | (SOS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New funding from the United States will help hundreds of
thousands of Ethiopian orphans affected by AIDS and
economic underdevelopment.

There are millions of

Ethiopians caring for the

country’s orphaned

children. Many of these

households have

experienced financial

vulnerabilities from

macroeconomic trends that

have trickled down to the micro-level. Inflation in Ethiopia was just
above 34 per cent in May, causing some poor households to give
up their property, move to the streets of urban centres and require
their children to beg.

Last year, a study of 334 households caring for orphaned children
found that 22% of orphans have been involved in child labour and
many have been forced to sell land or other assets to meet their
families’ basic needs.

Households have also suffered from food insecurity – a global
problem since 2008, when the prices of commodities and staple
grains skyrocketed. Ethiopian food prices also grew 41 per cent this
year.

In addition, as in many poverty-stricken regions across Africa,
climate conditions have caused and are projected to continue
causing declines in agricultural yields until 2050. Earlier this week,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that eight
million people living in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia were
in need of food assistance. Three million of the needy live in Ethiopia
alone. The main culprit behind food shortages in the Horn of Africa
region is drought, caused by below average rainfall.

There are an estimated 5.5 million orphans in Ethiopia. They
account for roughly 15 per cent of the country’s children.
Approximately 800,000 (14.5 per cent) of the orphan population
have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS-related illnesses.

To help, a new project worth $100 million will help these
households care for orphans. Through the provision of social safety
nets, the project will benefit 500,000 AIDS-affected children in
Ethiopia over the next five years.

The project was launched last month and is to be funded by the US
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The US
Agency for International Development (USAID), the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and 50 non-governmental
organizations will implement the project.

“This programme is expected to provide several service areas:
nutrition, health, education, psychological support, legal support,
shelter and so on,” said Walelign Mehretu. Mr. Mehrety is
USAID’s advisor for orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia
orphans.

Like poverty, gender, the environment and AIDS, the well-being of
children is a cross-cutting issue. Comprehensive and holistic
programming is needed. The realization of children’s rights is
connected to family cohesion, economic development, access to
health care and schools, and many other factors. The reverse is also
true: the well-being of children can contribute to the future
development of poor countries.

As former UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, has said,
“in serving the best interests of children, we serve the best interests
of all humanity.”

Courtesy