- Abebe
Selam! My name is Abebe and I live in Ethiopia. With 70 million people, we are the second largest country in Africa. Unfortunately, we are also one of the least developed nations in the world. Over the past few decades, my country has been consistently plagued by drought, famine, civil conflict, and war. Most people in my country live in rural areas and earn their living as subsistence farmers.
- Ethiopia Map (Source: UNICEF)
Capital City: Addis Ababa
Language(s): Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (taught in schools)
Religion(s): Muslim (45%-50%), Ethiopian Orthodox (35%-40%), animist (12%), other (3%-8%)
Communicating With Your Sponsored Orphan (Amharic):
Selam (Hello)
Ciao (Bye/So Long)
Ameseginalehu (Thank you)
Did You Know?
- Nearly 5 million people in Ethiopia get malaria each year. It is the primary cause of sickness and death in the country.
- Safe water is in short supply in Ethiopia: only about 25% of households have access to clean water and only 6% have access to adequate sanitation facilities.
- Ethiopia has one of the world's highest populations with the HIV virus. Close to 1 million children in the country have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
- Unlike in most African countries, school in Ethiopia is free. However, less than half of children attend, due to the need for them to work to help support the family. Those who do go to school must often walk several miles each way just to get there.
