Ethiopia
Background
Ethiopia is a country of 1,104,300 square kilometers with 112 million inhabitants. 24 % of the population live below the poverty threshold, despite several years of steady economic growth. 7.2 % of children under the age of 5 are suffering from malnutrition. The gross domestic product per capita is 855 US$.
The country in the Horn of Africa is seriously affected by climate change. 80% of the inhabitants rely on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. Farmers and pasoralists are increasingly affected by droughts, crop losses and food insecurity.
Our projects predominantly take place in the Somali Region. Here, extreme weather patterns contribute to rangeland degradation. Healthy rangelands, however, are crucial during the dry season. In addition, migration of nomads from neighboring regions leads to an increasing population pressure and the deterioration of living conditions.
Under these difficult circumstances, a lack of proper veterinarian care can rapidly lead to the spread of livestock diseases, which have direct consequences on the pastoralists who are dependent on healthy animals.
The activity of VSF-Suisse in Ethiopia consists, among other things, in providing livestock to the populations in need and strengthening animal healthcare, but also in securing the livelihoods of the most vulnerable people in order to enhance their capacities of resilience.
Key activities
- Establishing “One Health Units” for the delivery of integrated animal, human, and environmental health services
- Saving lives and livelihoods during drought through unconditional cash transfers, livestock feed distribution, and livestock vaccination & treatment campaigns
- Piloting innovative approaches to sustainably enhance livestock productivity such as silvopasture, hydroponic fodder production, and silage making
- Strengthening female-led milk producer cooperatives to increase incomes of refugee and host communities
Ethiopia
Present since: 2010
Number of current projects: 16
Number of staff: 86
Offices: Country Office in Addis Abeba + 6 Field Offices
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, supports programmes in this country.
News
Community-based One Health Insurance: Building resilient health systems in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities
In response to severe healthcare challenges in Ethiopia's Moyale woreda of the Somali Regional State, a Community Based One Health Insurance scheme was launched in January last year. This initiative has since improved access to both human and veterinary healthcare...
Livestock vaccination campaign strengthens animal health in Adadle Woreda
A team assembled from the Animal Health department of the Adadle Woreda Pastoralist Development Office of Somali region of Ethiopia, consisting of 14 animal health experts and 10 Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), participated in a vaccination campaign funded by...
Meet Roman Yilma from Ethiopia
Hello Roman! Can you tell us about your background? My name is Roman Yilma, and I was born in Oromia Region in Ethiopia, one of the most rural areas of the country. I completed my elementary and high school education in Addis Ababa, the capital city. Later, I pursued...