Overview
The Population Council’s involvement in Ethiopia began in 1993 with the introduction of Norplant® contraceptive implants into the national family planning program. Subsequently, Ethiopia's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Youth and Sport requested that the Council help the government develop and implement projects to improve family planning and reproductive health and to support the most vulnerable adolescent girls. The steady growth of activities eventually increased the need for an in-country presence, and in 2007 the Council opened an office in Addis Ababa.
Program focus
The Council’s focus in Ethiopia has been evidence-based innovation and testing of programs to support the most vulnerable adolescents in urban and rural areas. The Council conducted a study in Addis Ababa and rural Amhara Region to broaden knowledge about Ethiopian adolescents, describe their diversity, and examine the extent to which programs for youth were reaching them. Research and programs to improve the situation of adolescents, especially girls, have emerged as a central goal of the Council’s work. The Council has become a main provider of technical assistance to the government for programs addressing the needs of vulnerable, marginalized groups including married adolescents, adolescents living in urban slums, child domestic workers, and those most vulnerable to HIV infection. In addition, the Council works closely with faith-based institutions, including the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, to strengthen the capacity of religious institutions to pass health and development messages to rural populations.
During the next five years, Council staff will carry out work related to HIV and AIDS; poverty, gender, and youth; and reproductive health and will scale up successful programs and strengthen local capacity to monitor and sustain them. The Council also will continue to develop programs for the most vulnerable populations based on evidence, including programs for men and boys in marginalized areas, and it will focus additional attention on very young domestic workers and the disabled.
Highlights of past and present work
- Generated data on young people that have been instrumental in reorienting the National Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy, including an expanded national policy to meet the needs of the most vulnerable young people, married adolescents, and those aged 10–14.
- Provided technical assistance to Berhane Hewan (“Bright Future”), the evaluation of which demonstrated delayed marriage and increased school attendance among participants in a rural area where child marriage is common.
- Scaled up and documented a program for poor urban girls in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, whose members are primarily destitute domestic workers and rural–urban migrants. The program was highlighted by USAID-PEPFAR as a “best practice” in PEPFAR-funded programs addressing gender issues
- Completed a youth and gender survey of nearly 20,000 respondents, including adolescents aged 12–24 and women aged 25–49, that served as a baseline for UNFPA’s 6th Country Program.
- Facilitated the introduction of new contraceptive technologies into the national family planning program.
- Organized national workshops and disseminated Council-sponsored research and programs, including "Gender Dimensions of HIV and Adolescent Programming" (April 2007), "Social Dimensions of Vulnerability in Urban and Rural Ethiopia" (October 2008), and "Empowering Rural Girls in Ethiopia" (October 2009). Also presented at HIV Implementers/PEPFAR conferences in Kigali (2007), Kampala (2008), and Windhoek (2009), and at numerous national and international conferences.
Projects
Addressing the Balance of Burden in AIDS (ABBA) (more)
The Population Council is working within the ABBA Research Programme Consortium on an intervention targeting adolescents in secondary schools in peri-urban communities in the Durban metro area of South Africa.
(6/2006 - ongoing)
HIV care, support, and treatment; Vulnerable populations
Biruh Tesfa: Safe Spaces for Out-of-school Girls in Urban Slum Areas of Ethiopia (more)
Biruh Tesfa seeks to protect the rights of vulnerable urban girls by reducing their social isolation and providing them with health information, including HIV prevention, and services to address sexual exploitation and abuse.
(1/2007 - ongoing)
Financial literacy/livelihoods; Sexuality education; Social isolation/support
ECafrique (more)
The African Forum on Emergency Contraception, or ECafrique, is a bilingual, international network of health care and business professionals that seeks to increase the availability of high-quality emergency contraception (EC) services in Africa.
(1/2002 - ongoing)
Access to contraceptive methods
HIV Prevention for Vulnerable Adolescent Girls (more)
A project in Ethiopia is designed to delay sexual initiation by promoting social change, delayed marriage, and increased awareness of the risks of HIV transmission and negative health outcomes for married adolescent girls.
(9/2006 - ongoing)
Behavior change; Child marriage; Sexuality education; Youth/transitions to adulthood
Targeted HIV Prevention Program: Condom Promotion for Most-at-Risk Populations (more)
The Council is part of a partnership working to develop a new brand of condom to be marketed in urban areas for populations most at risk of HIV infection, including commercial sex workers, truck drivers, members of the armed forces, and migrant workers.
(3/2008 - 2/2012)
Condoms (male and female); HIV prevention
Preventive Care Package for People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) (more)
The Council is part of a partnership that is developing a new home-based care package for PLWHA in Ethiopia.
(5/2008 - 4/2011)
People living with HIV
Developmental Bible: Integrating HIV and Other RH Information in the Teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (more)
The Council is working with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to create a user-friendly booklet that incorporates development messages into the daily teachings of the church.
(5/2008 - 4/2010)
Integrating health services; Sexuality education
Ethiopia "Brain Trust": Building Best Practices for Rural Girls’ Programming (more)
The Council has assembled a team of the most energetic, committed practitioners of programming for rural girls in Ethiopia—a girls' programming "Brain Trust."
(10/2007 - 9/2010)
Child marriage; Schooling
Demographic Data for Development (more)
The Demographic Data for Development project conducted case studies in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, and Uganda to examine accessibility, use, and demand for demographic data.
(8/2008 - 11/2009)
Population policy and demographic analysis
Africa Regional Sexual and Gender-based Violence Network (more)
The Population Council is providing technical assistance to a PEPFAR initiative to strengthen the delivery of comprehensive services, including postexposure prophylaxis, to victims of sexual violence.
(8/2006 - 12/2008)
Integrating health services; Sexual and gender-based violence
Berhane Hewan: Supporting Married and Unmarried Girls in Rural Ethiopia (more)
Berhane Hewan ( “Light for Eve” in Amharic) is designed to assist unmarried girls by imparting the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to avoid child marriage.
(12/2004 - 6/2008)
Child marriage
Improving Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention Among Married Adolescents in Amhara, Ethiopia (more)
Council research addressed the particular vulnerabilities of married adolescent girls, taking into account cultural contexts.
(9/2006 - 3/2008)
Behavior change; Child marriage; HIV prevention; Sexuality education; Social isolation/support
Leave No Women Behind: A Program to Support Adolescent Girls and Women in Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia (more)
In Ethiopia, Council researchers have designed a project that empowers adolescent girls and women by addressing their education, reproductive health, and livelihood needs.
(1/2006 - 12/2008)
Financial literacy/livelihoods; Schooling; Sexuality education; Social isolation/support
Resources
Developmental Bible: Integrating HIV and other reproductive health information with the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox ChurchProgram Brief
Publication date: 2010
Addis Birhan ('New Light'): Fostering husbands' involvement and support in Amhara Region, Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Alemayehu,Awraris
program brief
Publication date: 2009
Adolescent girls in urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability and opportunity (PDF)
Ferede,Abebaw; Erulkar,Annabel S.
Publication date: 2009
Case study of an asset-building program for adolescent girls: Biruh Tesfa ('Bright Future')-A program to support migrant girls in urban slum areas of Ethiopia (PDF)
presentation at "Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls Project: Institutional Strengthening Workshop," Monrovia, Liberia, 13-15 July
Bruce,Judith
Publication date: 2009
Demographic data for development in sub-Saharan Africa (PDF)
Baldwin,Wendy; Diers,Judith A.
Poverty, Gender, and Youth Working Paper (no. 13)
Publication date: 2009
Demographic Data for Development: Ethiopia (PDF)
Mekonnen,Yared; Baldwin,Wendy; Engebretsen,Sarah
final report
Publication date: 2009
Directory of programs for rural girls in Ethiopia (PDF)
Kifle,Elshaday; Yilma,Mekuria; Parker,Emil
Publication date: 2009
Evaluation of Berhane Hewan: A program to delay child marriage in rural Ethiopia (abstract) (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Muthengi,Eunice
International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 35(1): 6-14
Publication date: 2009
Mainstreaming emergency contraception in Ethiopia's public sector
Keesbury,Jill; Aytenfisu,Hailegiorgis; Bradford,Spike
Ethiopian Journal of Public Health
Publication date: 2009
Marriage and sexual experience of adolescent girls and women in West Gojam Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Amdemikael,Helen; Conille,Garry
Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health 3(3): 27-33
Publication date: 2009
Program shown to significantly delay child marriage (PDF)
Population Briefs 15(1)
Publication date: 2009
Reviewing maternal mortality in rural Ethiopia: Using the verbal autopsy approach
Warren,Charlotte; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab
Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health 3(3): 4-14
Publication date: 2009
Social exclusion and early or unwanted sexual initiation among poor urban females in Ethiopia (abstract)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Ferede,Abebaw
International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 35(4): 186-193
Publication date: 2009
The adolescent experience in-depth: Using data to identify and reach the most vulnerable young people--Ethiopia 2005 (PDF) (HTML)
Publication date: 2009
"Population Council in Ethiopia," fact sheet (PDF)
Publication date: 2008
Biruh Tesfa: Creating a 'Bright Future' for migrant girls in urban areas of Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Tegegne,Mesfin
Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief (no. 21)
Publication date: 2008
Evaluation of Berhane Hewan: A pilot program to promote education and delay marriage in rural Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Muthengi,Eunice
Publication date: 2008
Kenya and Ethiopia: Community and religious leaders are effective advocates for HIV testing for young couples (PDF)
FRONTIERS OR Summary (no. 80)
Publication date: 2008
Lost girls: The child brides of Afghanistan, Nepal and Ethiopia
Bruce,Judith; Cohen,David Elliott
from What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time
Publication date: 2008
Casamento infantil no contexto da epidemia do VIH [Child marriage in the context of the HIV epidemic] (PDF)
Bruce,Judith
Promover transições para a idade adulta saudáveis, seguras e produtivas Sumário (N 11)
Publication date: 2007
Dimensions of girls' vulnerability in rural and urban Ethiopia (PDF)
presentation at the meeting "Gender Dimensions of HIV and Adolescent Programming in Ethiopia," Addis Ababa, 11 April
Erulkar,Annabel S.
Publication date: 2007
From research to action: Programming principles to reach the most out-of-reach (PDF)
presentation at the meeting "Gender Dimensions of HIV and Adolescent Programming in Ethiopia," Addis Ababa, 11 April
Tegegne,Mesfin
Publication date: 2007
Invisible and vulnerable: Adolescent domestic workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (abstract)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab
Vulnerable Child and Youth Studies 2(3): 246-256
Publication date: 2007
Leave no woman behind, Ethiopia: Baseline report (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Amdemikael,Helen; Conille,Garry
Publication date: 2007
Mainstreaming emergency contraception in Ethiopia's public sector: Final project report (PDF)
Keesbury,Jill; Aytenfisu,Hailegiorgis; Bradford,Spike
Publication date: 2007
Reaching disadvantaged rural girls, creating social support, and discouraging child marriage in Amhara, Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab
Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief (no. 20)
Publication date: 2007
Reaching vulnerable youth in Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab
Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief (no. 6)
Publication date: 2007
Survey of unsafe abortion in selected health facilities in Ethiopia (abstract)
Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Hiwot,Yirgu G.; Fantahun,Misganaw
Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health 1(1): 28-43
Publication date: 2007
The health extension program: A flagship for bringing health services to the doors of communities (abstract)
Mekbib,Tekle-Ab
Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health 1(1): 75-85
Publication date: 2007
Berhane Hewan ('light for Eve'): A program to support married and unmarried adolescent girls in rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia (PDF)
program brief
Publication date: 2006
Biruh Tesfa ('bright future'): A program for poor, urban girls at risk of exploitation and abuse in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PDF)
program brief
Publication date: 2006
Differential use of adolescent reproductive health programs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (abstract)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Simie,Negussie; Gulema,Tsehai
Journal of Adolescent Health 38(3): 253-260
Publication date: 2006
Leave no woman behind, Amhara region: Baseline report
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Conille,Garry; Amdemikael,Helen
UNFPA/Population Council report, March
Publication date: 2006
Migration and vulnerability among adolescents in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (abstract)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Simie,Negussie; Gulema,Tsehai
Journal of Youth Studies 9(3): 361-374
Publication date: 2006
At the intersection of health, social well-being and human rights: CARE's experiences working with communities toward abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC) (PDF)
Rajadurai,Henrietta; Igras,Susan
CARE report
Publication date: 2005
Child marriage briefing: Ethiopia (PDF)
Child Marriage Briefings
Publication date: 2005
Marriage in transition: Evidence on age, education, and assets from six developing countries
Quisumbing,Agnes R.; Hallman,Kelly; Lloyd,Cynthia B.; Behrman,Jere R.; Stromquist,Nelly P.; Cohen,Barney
from The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries: Selected Studies, pp. 200-269
Publication date: 2005
Who are the targets of youth programs: Results of a capacity building exercise in Ethiopia (abstract)
Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Erulkar,Annabel S.; Belete,Fekerte
Ethiopian Journal of Health Development 19(1): 60-62
Publication date: 2005
Adolescent life in low income and slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Simie,Negussie; Gulema,Tsehai
Publication date: 2004
Testing the effectiveness of integrating community-based approaches for encouraging abandonment of female genital cutting into CARE's reproductive health programs in Ethiopia and Kenya (PDF)
Chege,Jane; Askew,Ian; Igras,Susan; Mutesh,Jacinta K.
FRONTIERS Final Report
Publication date: 2004
The experience of adolescence in rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia (PDF)
Erulkar,Annabel S.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Simie,Negussie; Gulema,Tsehai
Publication date: 2004
Marriage in transition: Evidence on age, education, and assets from six developing countries (PDF)
Quisumbing,Agnes R.; Hallman,Kelly
Policy Research Division Working Paper (no. 183)
Publication date: 2003
Marriage in transition: Evidence on age, education, and assets from six developing countries [Arabic] (PDF)
Quisumbing,Agnes R.; Hallman,Kelly
Policy Research Division Working Paper (no. 183)
Publication date: 2003
Selected DHS data on 10-14-year-olds: Ethiopia (PDF)
annex to "Facts about adolescents from the Demographic and Health Survey: Statistical tables for program planning"
Publication date: 2003
Expanding contraceptive choice in Ethiopia (HTML)
Skibiak,John P.; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Getahun,Haileyesus
Sexual Health Exchange 2: 4-5
Publication date: 2002
Facts about adolescents from the Demographic and Health Survey--Statistical tables for program planning: Ethiopia 2000 (PDF)
Publication date: 2002
An evaluation of Norplant insertion and removal services in Ethiopia
Skibiak,John P.; Miller,Suellen; Belay,Tesfanesh; Mekbib,Tekle-Ab; Peterson,Herbert
Publication date: 2001
Ecological degradation, rural poverty, and migration in Ethiopia: A contextual analysis (PDF)
Ezra,Markos
Policy Research Division Working Paper (no. 149)
Publication date: 2001
Household vulnerability to food crisis and mortality in the drought-prone areas of northern Ethiopia (abstract)
Ezra,Markos; Kiros,Gebre-Egziabher
Journal of Biosocial Science 32(3): 395-409
Publication date: 2000
Leaving-home of young adults under conditions of ecological stress in the drought prone communities of northern Ethiopia
Ezra,Markos
Genus 56(3-4): 121-144
Publication date: 2000
El cuidado infantil: Respuestas a las necesidades de madres que trabajan y sus hijos [Child care: Meeting the needs of working mothers and their children]
Arnold,Caroline; Mejia,Jorge; Haregot,Aster; Leonard,Ann; Landers,Cassie
SEEDS (no. 13)
Publication date: 1992
Child care: Meeting the needs of working mothers and their children (PDF)
Arnold,Caroline; Mejia,Jorge; Haregot,Aster; Leonard,Ann; Landers,Cassie
SEEDS (no. 13)
Publication date: 1991
Ethiopia Fast Facts
| Population (millions) | 82.8 |
|---|---|
| Total fertility rate | 5.3 |
| Infant deaths per 1,000 live births | 77 |
| Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births | 720 |
| Girls aged 20-24 married by age 18 (%) | 49 |
| HIV/AIDS prevalence (%) | 2.1 |
| Living below US $2 per day (%) | 78 |
What's New
- Council staff in Ethiopia presented results of research at a meeting, "Marginalization and the adolescent experience in poor urban areas of Ethiopia," in Addis Ababa on 9 March 2010. (PDF)
- The Interagency Gender Working Group has published a new synthesis of evidence of the effect of equitable gender initiatives on reproductive health outcomes. All three of the Population Council’s research programs are featured in this volume entitled Gender Perspectives Improve Reproductive Health Outcomes: New Evidence. "We are proud of the Council's contribution to this and other evidence bases linked to improved reproductive health results," says John Townsend, director of the Council's Reproductive Health program. (offsite link)
- Biruh Tesfa ("Bright Future") provides safe spaces for out-of-schools in urban slum areas in Ethiopia. Learn more about it by watching a video on our multimedia page. (more)
- The current issue of Momentum highlights Council initiatives in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, where we are reaching marginalized girls with programs for education and economic and social growth. (PDF)
- Biruh Tesfa ("Bright Future") is the subject of a recent story on The Huffington Post. (offsite link) (more)
Get Involved
- Make a contribution to the Population Council
- Sign up to receive e-mail announcements
- Send an e-card.
Connect
