Ethiopia: Portraits and success stories

With a population of 82 million and a human development index (HDI) among the lowest in the World, Ethiopia is one of the most fascinating countries, with a vast and rich ancient culture. The ancient Abyssinia is a country of contrasts where poverty and famine combine with a growth rate that is almost 10%. It is thought that 80% of Ethiopians depend on agricultural activity and 18% of its population cannot satisfy their basic nutritional needs. However, in Ethiopia there is hope, they are willing to fight and above all show an admirable capacity of self-sacrifice and resilience.

Tigray is one of the Northern regions of Ethiopia, which has suffered the most from the curse of poverty, exacerbated by the war with Eritrea, and famines that have occurred cyclically since the 70s. The population suffers from water scarcity, desertification, limited access to land for cultivation, lack of access to innovation and technologies, limited access to credit and low yields. Fortunately, during the last five years nature has been slightly forgiving with this region, which made it possible for the village of Tigray to begin recovering, thanks in part to international cooperation programs aimed at sustainable human development.

    

This is the case of Sport’s Network’s project in the districts of Mesanu, Mehebereweini and Agulae, which belong to the border region of Tigray, where it intends to improve food security for the population, in particular the farmers. The project includes several activities, such as the construction of an irrigation channel, the training of farmers, distribution of improved seeds to increase yields and the establishment of a corporative of women farmers. All of these programs are supported by the community. The community takes part in every phase of the project and has participated more proactively than we could ever expect.

During our work in the field, we have witnessed the incredible drive, enthusiasm and appropriation that farmers from the region have for their development project. Sport Network’s project, which is being implemented in Ethiopia, will directly benefit 105 families with an average of 6 members per family. For the design of the project, one of the main agreements was that the community would actively contribute its labour in the implementation of the project. Currently, we have several members of each family, who far exceed their commitment: collecting, carving and carrying stones and sand, as well as contributing to the construction of the irrigation ditch.

In the name of Sport Network, we would like to thank and highlight the talent and good work of the beneficiaries of our projects, which have made the implementation a pleasant journey. A journey that has faced challenges, but at the same time, it has been extremely satisfying. And behind the numbers and statistics there are real lives, persons with their own history of experiences about self-sacrifice and triumph.

During the coming months we would like to pay tribute to our beneficiaries, by sharing a series of stories that reflect the spectrum of profiles participating in our project. 

The first in the series of stories will be shared next month!