Driving through the idyllic green expanses of eastern Ethiopia with the rainy season just beginning you could be fooled into thinking this was a land without problems. Plan’s projects here however are some of the most recent we have encountered and some of the most urgently needed. Their work in Ethiopia started in 1999 and in Jimma in only 2007, intervention in this area has focused on providing basic infrastructure as the foundations for wider development.
Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that has never been governed by foreign powers however the internal politics have not necessarily benefited the majority of the population. An autocratic monarchy until 1974 and a brutal military dictatorship until 1991 has meant that although 80% of the country are farmers, the rights of remote rural people have not rated very high on anyone’s political agenda. Although the country has faced many struggles modern Ethiopia has retained a unique culture, a great sense of national unity and has in place a developed level of higher education (although this has not yet reached the masses).
The government however still lacks the resources to make up for the neglect and oppression of previous regimes. This is where Plan have been able to step in, working closely with the government (as government policy requires) to help secure basic needs. Where there is a lack of resources Plan provides the necessary quality infrastructure which they then hand back to the government. We visited a number of different communities where this infrastructure is changing people’s lives.
The first project we visited dealt with meeting the most basic human need; access to safe water. Four years ago Plan installed a water tower in this community providing a constant supply of clean running water to homes as well as twenty public water points. This one tower meets the needs of 5,000 people including those who come from surrounding villages. Supply to the mains is managed by the community members themselves and the maintenance is now the responsibility of the government. This however remains very minimal and none has been necessary yet as plastic pipes mean no rust or contamination and a back up generator means the tank is always full even when there are power shortages.
A health clinic built by Plan provides a vital service to five communities. It gives immediate medical access to 29,800 people who previously had to travel to the regional capital when they needed medical care. With only one ambulance serving eight communities, life often hung in the balance. The new clinic replaced a very minimal health post which only offered immunisations.
Now comprehensive medical services are available close by which cover everything from vaccinations, to minor surgery, to child birth. Treating up to 40 patients per day this is a much needed facility. The government now pay for staff and supplies however with only three nurses that serve as doctors and much needed building expansions in progress there is still some way to go before the needs of the area are truly met.
Even so Plan’s facilitation of the building which the government could not afford has set in motion great improvements for the health of the local population. By initiating educational classes on a variety of topics, such as nutrition, HIV and AIDS, mother mortality, malaria and sanitation Plan are also focusing on prevention and tackling the social causes of illness. When talking to a patient it was clear that the communities here are delighted they have a new and drastically improved local service; health is a priority for everyone.
We visited two schools with Plan Ethiopia, a primary and a joint primary and secondary. Plan initiated the building of these schools to provide education in remote areas. They provided this infrastructure to make schooling more accessible and of a better quality. With new facilities in place the government are left to appoint teachers and pay their salaries. The buildings Plan have constructed allow for improved teaching and learning. The new buildings are made of cement, with fresh white walls, wide airy windows and high ceilings. The old structures are made of mud and wood, with little air or light. They need mud plastering every year and this responsibility falls on the children and teachers. Unsurprisingly everyone prefers the new classrooms!
Although from the outside the traditional buildings have aesthetic appeal when we went inside it was immediately obvious they were not conducive to learning. When there are 60-80 children in each class with the sole resource being a blackboard it is easy to see why even a basic new spacious and bright classroom will dramatically improve results. Currently more males than females go on to secondary school however Plan and the government both have social goals to improve girls attendance and ensure their rights to education.
Another aim is to get more children into school in general. Children in Ethiopia often play a fundamental role in family economics, with many working everyday to help the family survive. In rural areas where people are dependent on the products of farming the continuous hard work that this entails can take president over education. Addressing educational needs is key to improving the children’s futures and therefore their communities.
Outside of school we saw how Plan have worked with the government sector for youth and sport to build a youth centre. The hub of this facility is the café which is run and managed by 12 young people from the local community, they plan to use profits for the training and facilitation of sports. The space also contains a computer room, library, community meeting space as well as a place to provide HIV/AIDS counselling, a problem which is prevalent in the area. The youth centre allows young people to gain new skills for their futures and provides a place to bring the community together.
Another way Plan engage with young people is by training community volunteers who aid sponsorship communications and help Plan understand the needs of the community. In a country where youth unemployment is extremely high this gives young people opportunities they would otherwise not have. It also ensures that the communities themselves have a hand in the work that Plan are facilitating and this guarantees that this work is sustainable.
We also visited two new veterinary clinics. As agriculture is central to many peoples lives here, Plan’s introduction of these local clinics has greatly improved the health of their animals. Each new clinic serves four to five villages. Plan provided buildings and equipment allowing the remote communities, where most households have livestock, services that are integral to their livelihoods. The vet not only treats sick animals but also provides vaccinations to prevent or control outbreaks of disease including those which are a risk to humans such as anthrax. Plan have again handed this much needed infrastructure over to the government who supply these facilities with staff and medicine. Where livestock represents income people happily pay a small sum for the treatment their animals need. Thanks to Plan these services are now highly accessible both in the clinics and through outreach schemes.
Although much of the work Plan does here involves building basic infrastructure in some areas they are also starting to introduce VSLA (Village Savings and Loans Associations). These micro finance projects are similar to the ones we visited with Plan Benin and Plan Ghana. Rather than attending a VSLA meeting in Ethiopia we saw a project supported by the scheme. Here beehives were introduced to create additional income and long term benefits for farmers and their families. Plan have worked alongside a local NGO, Hope For Children, to facilitate this project.
By working closely with local NGO’s they are able to provide much needed financial support (we were told that local NGO’s are unable to fund-raise abroad) it also helps ensure their activities are sustainable, widespread and in-line with local need. Plan not only provided modern hives that help increase productivity but also the training that surrounds successful bee keeping and the production of quality honey and in the future wax for soap and candles.
The benefits of micro-finance will help to maintain the hives and pay for expensive honey extractors at harvest time. Honey is a valuable and much desired commodity and the farmers have chosen to reinvest the income it generates. This initiative has increased the profits and also the social benefits of six different communities. Micro-finance supported projects encourage economic security which means families can afford to send their children to school and plan for the future.
In this visit we saw Plan’s work at its very basic beginnings, these projects were an example of how individual sponsorship not only provides a better future for one child but also affects the fate of entire communities. In remote rural areas facilities that provide basic needs are lacking and the government struggles to put in place much needed infrastructure. Plan’s input however is having a vast impact on the lives of many, their local popularity is exemplified by their community meetings which are more widely attended than the local government ones.
Plan’s commitment to social aims and the increasing facilitation of micro-finance means they are working towards long term goals as well as tackling immediate needs, not only ensuring a brighter future but also a better tomorrow. The work Plan are doing in Ethiopia is a testament to their importance in a world were many people’s basic needs are still not met. Find out more about Plan International UK on their website.
