Our Stories

Dasash Guade was born prematurely at 32 weeks in Durbete hospital in Amhara region, after her mother, Alemayehu, was admitted to the hospital suffering from antepartum hemorrhage—a major cause of death among women and newborns in Ethiopia. Born at just 2 pounds -- or 0.9 kilograms -- Dasash’s young life was in imminent danger. Her organs were not fully developed and she could not breathe without assistance. 

Misra Mohamed and Hassam Ahmed have been married for four years and have been blessed with two children--Hakima, their four-year-old daughter, and baby boy Zakir, who is just six months old. Like every mother, Misra wants nothing more in life than to help her children grow up to be strong and healthy so they are able to fulfill their dreams; and like every mother, she receives a lot of information on how to raise healthy children, whether it is neighborly advice from other mothers in the community, or from family members.

Access to accurate information is critical in curbing misinformation about COVID-19, helping people understand their individual rights and liberties, and ultimately helping Ethiopians keep themselves safe and prevent the spread of the virus. “The ignorance we have seen on coronavirus worries us,” say Ermias and Getu who live in the city of Dire Dawa.

On May 14, 2020, Ethiopian coffee producer Nigussie Gemeda Mude was announced as the winner of the inaugural Cup of Excellence Ethiopia coffee competition with his Sidama sun-dried natural coffee, which scored 91.04 out of 100 possible points in the nationwide competition and beat out more than 1,400 entries from across the country.

In Ethiopia, the 2015-2016 El Niño-induced drought and consecutive poor rainy seasons triggered the worst water shortage the highlands had seen in more than 50 years.

“As the fish cannot live without water, so can’t the Majang community without the forest.” This is a traditional saying of the Majang people of Ethiopia. Despite the intrinsic connection between the Godere forest and the people’s survival, their forest has been shrinking over the last several years.

Ethiopia is facing a significant humanitarian crisis, largely resulting from insufficient rainfall exacerbated by El Niño climatic conditions. One way the U.S. Government supports a robust response to the crisis is through the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program.

Ethiopia is facing a significant humanitarian crisis, largely resulting from insufficient rainfall exacerbated by El Niño climatic conditions. One way the U.S. Government supports a robust response to the crisis is through the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program.