Young Lives Preliminary Country Report: Ethiopia

This paper describes childhood poverty in Ethiopia and reviews the policies expected to have an impact on childhood poverty. It identifies key stakeholders for the Young Lives study, describes the methods used during the first round of Young Lives research in Ethiopia, and presents preliminary results. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 168 out of 173 countries according to UNDP’s 2002 Human Development Index. About 44 per cent of Ethiopia’s population were living in absolute poverty in 1999/2000. Eighty nine per cent of children under five and 88 per cent of all children under fourteen lived under precarious conditions with limited or no access to basic services. Furthermore, with over 85 per cent of the population living in rural areas, the issue of rural poverty is of urgent importance. Food security is a key concern for rural households, and the majority of households in rural areas are not able to produce food to last throughout the year. Furthermore, 83 per cent of the rural population has no access to safe drinking water, compared to eight per cent of the urban population. The Ethiopian government has expanded its health-care services in the last five years. Although there have been improvements in access to maternal and child health-care, many children are still not receiving the vaccinations they require. Education has also seen improvements and overall net primary school enrolment has increased substantially. 66 per cent of children from the ages of seven to twelve remain out of school, however, and further improvements need to be made. Ethiopian policymakers stress the importance of economic development and argue that growth will reduce poverty and achieve economic stability. Policies relating to health and education have emphasised improved services and increased access and use. Decentralisation and good governance are also key aspects of government policy, and have been central in government measures aimed at restructuring Ethiopian political and economic systems and institutions since 1991. Based on Young Lives research in Ethiopia, the authors here present preliminary findings focusing mainly on urban and rural differences, and on differences based on the socio-economic status of the household. Provisional conclusions and implications for policy are drawn from the study related to questions of education, health, nutrition, access to services, household diversification, economic shocks, psychosocial well-being, and child labour.