DIRE DAWA 2020 EN

PROJECTS

PROJECTS

DILLA

 ETHIOPIA, 2017

PROJECT
SOS Children’s villages: family support program

The school project for 800 children set up in 2018 and which will be completed in 2020 in the Dire Dawa district, in the eastern part of the country.

REASONS TO TAKE ACTION

58% of parents in Dire Dawa do not send their children to school. The usual reason is they cannot afford to buy items for schooling and that they need to work in order to survive. This project guarantees vulnerable children and their families receive all-round attention. Children who do not attend school are taken care of and their parents are made aware of the importance of school education. The poorer children receive school items and those who already work receive a bursary for a limited period. Children who need help with learning attend extra tuition and those with the best grades receive prizes.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES

400 families and 800 children in the neighborhoods of Kebele and Area 05 in Dire Dawa benefit directly. Every family in these neighborhoods benefit indirectly.

COUNTRY

In 2010 Dire Dawa had roughly 330, 000 inhabitants making it the second-largest city in Ethiopia. In the East on the banks of the river Dechatu, at the feet of the Ahmar mountains and the Harare valley, it is principally inhabited by people of Somalian origin. Development boomed in the 20th Century following the construction of the Addis Abeba-Gibuti railway line and is a vital industrial and commercial center.
The average monthly income is  9.30 CHF: making it the lowest pro capita income in all of Ethiopia, meaning that almost half the population (41%) lives below the poverty line spending 70% of their income on food so when prices increase many people cannot afford basic groceries as a result of which  31% of children suffer from malnourishment. They also lack care and drinking water live in filthy and unhealthy dwellings. In addition to which 50 % of children work to contribute towards the family’s income.