Country Facts:
- Capital city – Addis Ababa
- Population – 123.3 million
- Life expectancy – 65 years
- Unemployment rate – 4%
- Below poverty line – 27%
* International poverty line of US$2.15 (World Bank)
Find more country facts on: CIA The World Factbook – Ethiopia
Habitat Facts
- Habitat started in Ethiopia in 1993.
- Individuals served in FY2022 – 97,425
- Through new construction – 65
- Through incremental construction– 96,990
- Through civil society facilitation – 370
The housing need in Ethiopia
About 70% of housing units in Ethiopia require total replacement. Most homes are made of wood and mud and have cracked walls, leaking roofs and dirt floors. Only one-quarter of houses have two or more rooms.
At the national level, only 28% of households have access to adequate sanitation facilities. More than 43% use open pits or pit latrines without slabs, and 38% have no toilet facilities at all. Only 57% of the country’s population have access to safe drinking water, and this figure is significantly higher in rural areas.
Four-fifths of the capital city of Addis Ababa are considered as a
slum area, characterized by widespread sanitation challenges.
In these urban neighborhoods, families live in crowded rooms and are exposed to health and safety risks.
How Habitat addresses the need
Urban slum upgrading main project
Habitat Ethiopia aims to assist vulnerable families living in poverty to move to new homes with access to improved sanitation and safe water facilities. The multi-year project involves renovating houses and constructing communal toilets and water points, walkways and ditches.
Urban slum upgrading ensures the sustainable use of facilities and creates a healthy living environment through hygiene and sanitation training and promoting the practice of saving money. Habitat Ethiopia works with municipalities and other organizations to pool resources for
a greater impact. This will be done on a long-term basis with new projects replacing existing ones that phase out in a year.
Regional water, sanitation and hygiene project
We plan to continue supporting more households who face a water shortage in the rift valley and other rural areas in Oromia and Amhara regional states through water, sanitation and hygiene, or WASH, infrastructure. These households include those living in Negele Arsi district in Oromia and Shewarobit area in Amhara that have not been served through construction of reservoirs, water pipelines, and water points. In addition, community members and water committees will be trained in hygienic practices and water management to ensure sustainability.
Resilience building in disaster affected communities (RBDC) project
The Urban Resilience Building Assistance Network, or URBAN, project aims to construct 2,155 meter drainage ditches and mitigate flooding risks for 365 households, or over 1,000 individuals, living in slums in the capital city of Addis Ababa. We also upgrade grey water disposal systems.
In addition, we improve sanitary practices and personal hygiene through awareness raising training for about 4,000 households, or 20,000 individuals. A key feature of the project is the development of a multidimensional participatory hotspot map. This further enhances community resilience against flooding and the related risk of waterborne communicable diseases. The project creates green spaces with plants that promote a clean-living environment.
What you can do
DONATE
Please visit habitat.org/donate and select “Designate your donation” to Habitat Ethiopia.
TITHE
Habitat affiliates in the U.S. support the international work through an annual tithe. For additional information, email [email protected] or contact your local Habitat organization.
VOLUNTEER
The Global Village program is resuming region by region until a safe and quality experience can be provided at scale worldwide. Please visit habit.org/gv for more information and updates.
Contact
Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia, P.O.BOX: 8953, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Phone: (+251) 116 600 195 Email: [email protected], Website: habitatethiopia.org
