Ethiopia is about five times larger than the UK and has a population of 117 million people. It is a mostly agricultural country and more than 80 per cent of people there live in rural areas.
In the last two decades, the standard of living has risen and infant, child and maternal mortality have fallen sharply. But one in three people live on less than US$1.90 per day and the country is ranked 173 out of 189 countries on the UN Human Development Index.
In 2021, there were 2,589 new cases of leprosy diagnosed in Ethiopia. 288 of these new cases were children.
There are 0.1 doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia, compared to 2.8 per 1,000 in the UK.
Our work in Ethiopia includes healthcare, improving people’s lives and advocacy.
Healthcare
Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa. The majority of the population relies on subsistence farming and has poor access to safe water, housing, sanitation, food and health services. Most medical centres are basic and staff are poorly trained and over-stretched.
We work with The Leprosy Mission Ethiopia, the Ministry of Health, and local disabled-people’s organisations (DPOs) and leprosy-affected people’s organisations (LPOs) to improve healthcare. Staff are trained in leprosy, disease control and disability prevention. People affected by leprosy and their communities are trained to recognise the signs of leprosy, complete their treatment plans, look after their wounds and support each other in their journey to cure.
Improving people’s lives
We work with The Leprosy Mission Ethiopia to help people affected by leprosy and their families find sustainable livelihoods. This includes vocational training in sewing, carpentry, animal husbandry and small business training. We also support community and women’s savings groups which help people affected by leprosy to work together to meet their needs.
Advocacy
Working with local organisations, we address the challenges, exclusion and stigma that people affected by leprosy and people with disabilities face in rural Ethiopian communities. In partnership with a wide network of local groups, people are given human rights and disability rights education, and are supported to access benefits and entitlements.
