Ethiopia

VSO has been working in Ethiopia since 1996, and it is currently one of the largest country programmes with over 100 volunteers working in the areas of education and health.

Education

The majority of volunteers in Ethiopia are working in the area of education. The number of students in primary schools increased from 13 million in 2005/06 to 14 million in 2006/07. Gross primary enrolment rate for girls increased from 83.9 per cent in 2005/06 to 85 per cent in 2006/07. There remains much room for improvement in the quality of the teaching–learning process, but students are highly motivated and parents place a high value to education.

VSO volunteers are working at a number of different levels in Ethiopia to support improvements in education management and teacher training, which will ultimately have an impact on the quality and relevance of education children receive. Senior teachers and education managers are working at national government institutions supporting the development and implementation of national policies, such as improved teacher training programmes and monitoring and evaluation systems. Meanwhile, experienced teachers are working within regional education bureaus and teacher education institutions to help deliver training programmes and develop the skills of their local colleagues.

Health

Our health programme will help implement the national Health Sector Development Plan (HSDP). The plan aims to improve the population’s health through quality preventive, basic curative and rehabilitative health services. Although potential health service coverage has reached 64 per cent in 2004, the uptake rate still remains low at 0.36 outpatient visits per capita.

A shortage and high turnover of health workers in Ethiopia, and a shortage of essential drugs and supplies have contributed to one of the world’s highest maternal and child mortality rates. Every year, about 25,000 mothers die and 400,000 more suffer long-term disabilities due to complications during pregnancy, delivery or postpartum period. One of the major problems is lack of skilled birth attendants with about 85 per cent of pregnant women delivering at home.

VSO is committed to supporting the efforts to improve child and maternal health by implementing health management information systems and integrating family planning, reproductive health and HIV and AIDS services. Our strategic partners include the Federal Ministry of Health, teaching hospitals and civil society organisations.

Ethiopia Education Health

Population:: 88 million
Capital city:: Addis Ababa
GDP per capita:: US$991
HDI ranking:: 157 out of 169
Life expectancy:: 56 years

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Ethiopia – Education (50KB)

Stories

Five minutes with...Isabel Hodger, teacher trainer, Ethiopia

Ethiopia Education

Head teacher Isabel Hodger had 36 years’ experience in education and just three years until retirement when she decided to volunteer with VSO. She’s sharing her expertise in Ethiopia, where classrooms are bursting with children due to free education, but teachers are poorly trained. Here Isabel describes how her work with teacher trainers from all corners of the country will ultimately benefit millions of school children.

Five minutes with... Dhamayanthi Sangarabalan, teacher trainer and a special needs education adviser, Ethiopia

Ethiopia Education

Education is seen as way out of poverty in Ethiopia, and even though it is free, the system needs a lot of work. Classrooms are overcrowded and many turn to the profession with little training, so there’s a great need to improve teaching standards. VSO volunteer Dhamayanthi Sangarabalan spent two years training teachers in the town of Abi Adi and amidst her day-to-day work; found herself inspiring hundreds of teachers in a country where there are so few.