Ethiopia

Ethiopia has one of the richest histories of any country or culture on earth. Its archaeological remains show a continuous record of complex settlements for nearly 3,000 years. It also has the second largest population in Africa, of approximately 126.5 million people.

Sadly, much of the population currently face serious injustices, like persistent droughts, floods, locust infestations or deadly conflict.

These crises have set back several decades of strong development progress as Ethiopians have sought to establish a stable political system and thriving economy after years of civil war.

The recent conflict in Tigray between regional and federal government forces, which broke out in November 2020 and ended in 2022, displaced over 2 million people.

Approximately 15 million people currently rely on food aid.

A better world needs all of us. That’s why CAFOD has been working in Ethiopia for nearly 40 years. We’ve been providing both long-term support to farming families as well as emergency assistance when needed, including food, shelter and financial support.

Our impact in 2024

In 2024 we reached 120,653 people in Ethiopia. 
We helped 1,692 people learn new small-scale business skills to help them access markets and increase their incomes. 
2,833 people accessed gender-based violence support services, including mental health support, healthcare and legal aid. 
In four crisis-affected regions, 116,128 people, including 58,029 women, received lifesaving humanitarian assistance through emergency cash and essential WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services.

Why CAFOD works in Ethiopia

Food insecurity remains a concern in Ethiopia. Many Ethiopians rely on farming and cattle herding to feed their families and make a living, but the changing climate means increased droughts, irregular rains and poor-quality soil. Crops and livestock are suffering. The traditional way of way of life is under threat: many families simply don’t have enough food to eat.

In the north of the country, in addition to natural disasters, conflict has left many families homeless. Your sisters and brothers need food and shelter to survive.

Through the local Church, your donations mean we can get emergency shelter, food and cash to families facing crisis. We’re also working longer term with farmers and their communities to survive droughts, and to rebuild and adapt to new weather patterns caused by the climate crisis.

How we’re responding

Together, we can build a better world. Donations from you can directly respond to the injustices faced by communities in Ethiopia. With your support, teams of local experts can work through our trusted Church network to deliver vital aid.

Working alongside local partners, the Ethiopian Catholic Church and our sister agencies (SCIAF and Trócaire), we focus our work on livelihood support and food security, gender equality and gender-based violence, and disaster risk reduction.

Current projects

We’re making sure that families have access to nutritious food and steady work all year round. In 2024, 1,692 people took part in various livelihood training sessions that enhanced small-scale business skills, supporting them to access markets and resulting in increased incomes. We also increased the capacity of local resource management committees to improve resilience against climate-related hazards.

We’re strengthening the roles and voices of women and girls in communities and providing protection to women and girls affected by sexual and gender-based violence (GBV): 2,833 people accessed protection services like mental health and psychosocial support, GBV case management, and referrals to social services such as healthcare and legal aid. Vulnerable and marginalised women were supported in forming self-help groups. These groups are improving numeracy, literacy and leadership skills.

We’re helping communities to prepare for and cope with disasters, minimising the risk to lives and livelihoods. In four crisis-affected regions, 116,128 people - including 58,029 women - received lifesaving humanitarian assistance through cash support and essential WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services.