Welcome to the Ethiopia Kids Room! Life in Ethiopia may be very different from yours, but we all have hopes and dreams! We want to share about games we play, food we eat, typical struggles and what our daily life looks like. Thank you for joining us as we become better friends and learn more about each other! Come and learn more about life in Ethiopia! We want to share about our beautiful country, take you to an Ethiopian village, share our struggles and praise God for our hope of a better future!
Ethiopia: A Land of Diverse Cultures
Ethiopia is a diverse mix of cultures that have co-existed for hundreds of years inside the country's border. The population is largely divided along ethno-linguistic lines, with more than 80 different ethnic groups resided within her borders, and close to 80 different dialects spoken as well. Those with an Afro-Asiatic descent speak Oromiffa (the Oromo people) and Somali which includes the Amhara people with the Amharic language and the Tigrinya, which is spoken by the Tigray-Tigrinya people. Altogether these account for 75% of the population. These largely following customs and traditions more closely associated with external nations who have influenced them throughout history, such as NE Africa, the Arabian peninsula, India, and Italy. The Nilotic ethnic groups account for about 2% of the population and tend to be more closely tied to South Sudan and the Africa Great Lakes regions in terms of traditions and customs.
While various reports differ, it is estimated that at least 77 different languages are spoken inside Ethiopia's borders. The most commonly spoken language is Amharic, which is the official 'working' language of the federal government and was at one time the chosen language for primary and secondary schools. After the fall of the Derg regime in 1991, the new constitution has allowed ethnic groups the right to develop their languages and establish mother tongues at the primary school level, leaving Amharic to continue to be the medium of instruction in secondary school.
Religion and Social Structure
In general the country ascribes to Christianity. The country is proud of its heritage and that it embraced Christianity in the 4th century, long before most of Europe. While the majority ascribe to Christianity (50% to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and 10% Protestant), 32% ascribe to Islam, and about 5% to other traditional religions. Muslims exist largely peaceably alongside Christians. Religion is a generally accepted everyday part of life here, and while it does infiltrate so many aspects of life, it is not imposed and Harar, a largely Muslim city, is also the fourth Most Holy City according to Islam.
Family is the focal point of the Ethiopian social system. Relatives on both sides of the family and close friends are held close. Parents often live with their children when advanced in their years and they can no longer care for themselves.
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Food and Culture
Ethiopians rely on a staple food grown in their highlands called teff. A large pancake like cake is made with the teff flour, called injera, that typically is placed directly on the table and accompanies every meal. Other dishes are then placed on the injera and it is rolled up to eat. Thick stews, called wats, are oftentimes hot and spicy and accompany the meal and are made from chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables, lentils, and split peas.
Music and dance play a great role in Ethiopian life and festivals. Instruments used most often are the following: kebaro drums, single-stringed masenko (fiddle-like), washint (flute-like), the krar (lyre-like), begenna (harp-like). Ethiopian people love to sing, and they don't hold back. Ethiopians have a long history of religious painting and this intricate work can be seen in almost every church in the country.
Challenges Faced by Children
There are many hardships faced by children in Ethiopia. Often, children live in severe poverty and are malnourished. Ethiopian parents often put their children to work for a variety of purposes. Boys are sent into the fields, while girls sell items in the market or work as domestic servants. Each year many Ethiopian children are forced into domestic service or into forced labor in the fields, mines or fabric factories. As a result, many children do not attend school and feel hopelessness for their future.
More than 600,000 children are living on the streets in Ethiopia, many of whom have been traumatically separated from family not because of neglect or abuse but because of poverty, systemic barriers, trafficking, and exploitation. Through the guise of promises for a better education or a work opportunity to provide for their family, these children were lied to and tricked into leaving their loving families only to face abuse and instability once sucked into the horrors of trafficking. Faced with a choice no child should have to make-these children as young as five or six years old have to decide between continual mistreatment or the unknown terrors of living on the streets. In most cases, the abuse is so bad, they eventually run away and are forced to live on the streets.
As they navigate the life-threatening realities of homelessness-starvation, exploitation, and continued abuse-their childhood trauma remains untreated and continues to grow with each passing day. And the worst part is, the vast majority of these children have loving family. They just have no way to find or return to that loving family.
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Ethiopia's Street Children - www.Houseless.org
An estimated 150,000 children live on the streets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Daily life for these vulnerable children is often dangerous as they try to survive. They are often victims and harassed. Many times, parents leave children alone while they try to find work. Once they are five or six years old, young children have the job of caring for their baby brothers or sisters. It is normal to see a six-year-old carrying a baby while doing other chores.
Education and Literacy
Only 25% of all children regularly attend school. The typical school year is from September to June. School is free in our country, but it is very difficult to afford school books, supplies and uniforms. Only 13% of children who do well in elementary, will even enroll in secondary school. If we attend secondary school, classes switch from Amharic (our national language) to English. This is very difficult! Unfortunately, the literacy rate for people above the age of 15 is only 57%.
What Children Do For Fun
Gebeta, a game of strategy, has been popular for hundreds of years in our country. It is played using seeds or pebbles and a board with rows of cups. We also enjoy playing senyo masenyo, which is similar to hopscotch and tata which is similar to jacks. Many kids learn the eskista dance, which is performed almost entirely with the shoulders. Running and soccer are the most popular sports in our country.
Animals in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is very mountainous, and several types of animals are found in the mountains, such as baboon, ibex, and the Ethiopian Wolf. There are many types of monkeys, birds, hippos, hyenas and ostriches. In the countryside, you see many farm animals. You don’t see nearly as many animals in the city though, donkeys are used for transportation and stray dogs roam the streets.
Addis Ababa: The Capital City
Our capital, Addis Ababa, is home to many museums, the National Palace (home to the president), numerous cathedrals and churches, and university. The “Mercato”, the largest open air market in Africa is also located here. It is several miles wide, and sells food, spices, coffee and fabric. Among the beauty and opportunity, there are many children living on the streets trying to find food to eat. Children are often sick and not able to see a doctor. Many children cannot afford to attend school.
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Kid’s Food: Injera and Kinche
Injera, similar to pancakes, is the common food in Ethiopia. Another breakfast staple for many kids is kinche, or what many call “Ethiopian oatmeal”.
Kinche: Ethiopian Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cracked wheat (bulgar)
- 4-5 cups of water
Instructions:
- Put the cracked wheat in a saucepan full of water.
- Boil until tender.
Family Quality of Life (FQOL) and Support
Family quality of life (FQOL) is an important outcome for families of children with disabilities globally and provision of support is associated with enhanced FQOL. Building on a previous study exploring Ethiopian families’ perspectives on FQOL, the authors used an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach to interview various support providers. Interviews were conducted virtually (because of the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic) in English or with interpreting assistance.
Support providers affirmed what families had described as important for FQOL - spirituality, relationships, self-sufficiency - and recognised their enormous support needs. They described various ways to support families - emotionally, physically, materially and informationally. Ethiopian families of children with disabilities need holistic support that incorporates spirituality, the whole family’s needs and disability awareness-raising. This study contributes to global understandings of FQOL and describes practical approaches to support families of children with disabilities in an African context.
Family quality of life (FQOL) as a construct of interest with regard to disability has developed in recognition of the effect of disability on the collective family unit (Brown, Kyrkou & Samuel 2016; Samuel et al. 2012). Zuna et al. (2010) defined FQOL as ‘a dynamic sense of well-being of the family, collectively and subjectively defined and informed by its members, in which individual and family-level needs interact’ (p. 262). Building on the theory and framework of Zuna and colleagues, Chiu et al. (2013) updated the FQOL framework to emphasise family strengths as well as needs.
Research on FQOL has primarily occurred in high-income contexts, even though globally, 80% of children with disabilities live in low-income contexts (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund [UNICEF] 2020). Contextual values, norms and environments play a critical role in FQOL; therefore, understanding FQOL from specific cultures and contexts is crucial to developing a global understanding of FQOL and providing appropriate support. In addition, FQOL research originated with a focus on families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) (Brown et al. 2016), and this continues to comprise the majority of FQOL literature.
Despite variable definitions of support in research literature, this study refers to support broadly as strategies and resources provided to families of children with disabilities to contribute to meeting their needs (Aldersey 2012; Chiu et al. 2013; Kyzar et al. 2012). Global research evidence highlights the positive association between FQOL and support (Boehm & Carter 2019; Kyzar et al. 2012; Mora, Ibáñez & Balcells-Balcells 2020; Zuna, Brown & Brown 2014); however, researchers and practitioners need to better understand how the type and extent of support provision contributes to FQOL.
Support from formal service providers that is strengths-based and family-centred with positive, respectful and trusting partnerships between families and professionals is crucial for promoting FQOL (Balcells-Balcells et al. 2019; Summers et al. 2007; Vanderkerken et al. 2019). Furthermore, informal support from family, friends and community is significant for enhancing FQOL, and can be even more crucial for families in low-income contexts with limited professional providers (Nuri, Batorowicz & Aldersey 2019). A recent scoping review on factors contributing to FQOL in African contexts highlighted financial support, respite, transport and educational support for children with disabilities as well as employment support for parents as important for enhancing FQOL (Jansen-van Vuuren et al. 2022). Informational support around prognosis and care for their children, provision of rehabilitation and medical services, as well as emotional support from family and friends or professional counselling were also found to contribute to better FQOL.
However, FQOL studies in African contexts confirm the overall inadequacy of both formal and informal support for families of children with disabilities (Ajuwon & Brown 2012; Aldersey et al. 2017; Jansen-van Vuuren et al. 2021). Whilst international FQOL literature is growing, research remains primarily focused on conceptualisation and measurement; implementation of research findings, particularly around how to practically support families, is necessary (Edwards et al. 2018; Zuna et al. 2014). This is especially true in low-income countries where families often face overwhelming challenges with few social safety nets; they urgently need culturally relevant and accessible support.
Therefore, a study aimed to explore how local disability support providers can practically contribute to meeting the needs of families of children with disabilities (hereafter referred to as ‘families’) in Ethiopia, thus enhancing FQOL. Prioritising Ethiopian families’ conceptualisation of FQOL rather than using FQOL frameworks from vastly different contexts (i.e. high-income countries), this study builds on a previous study from families’ perspectives, described in more detail in an earlier publication. (Jansen-van Vuuren et al. 2021).
To ground their studies in an African context and to inform their interview guides, the researchers first conducted a scoping review to identify factors contributing to FQOL in African contexts (Jansen-van Vuuren et al. 2022). Subsequently, the authors explored the perspectives of Ethiopian families to understand how they conceptualise FQOL and their support needs (Jansen-van Vuuren et al. 2021). Both studies highlighted spirituality as foundational to FQOL. This is perhaps unsurprising with regard to Ethiopia specifically as it is a deeply religious country with most of the population identifying as orthodox Christian, followed by Muslim, then protestant Christian (CIA 2022). The families also described both loving and supportive relationships as well as stigma and exclusion; stigma was another prominent finding in the scoping review.
Many families valued self-sufficiency (primarily through education and employment) as important for FQOL, as well as having enough to help others. Amidst their parenting responsibilities, poverty was a major challenge, and although families acknowledged the counteracting benefits of support, their overwhelming need for more support was undeniable.
The Role of Spirituality and Community
Most participants affirmed what families in our previous study had described as important aspects of FQOL - spirituality, relationships (within the family and community), self-sufficiency - as well as the need for support to counter the many responsibilities and challenges that families face. All but one participant affirmed the centrality and significance of spiritual beliefs in Ethiopian families’ lives. Providers recognised the importance of respecting and building on spiritual beliefs and values to work with families and provide holistic support. One rehabilitation professional described how he counsels and encourages families by sharing how others cope through their spiritual beliefs.
Many participants believed that spirituality - specifically religious teaching - promotes inclusion, equality and value of children with disabilities, and should be encouraged. All participants acknowledged the negative effect of stigma and discrimination on FQOL, often because of beliefs about spiritual causation of disability (e.g. God’s curse or punishment). To counter these stigmatising attitudes, participants identified education and awareness-raising as one of their primary roles in supporting families: ‘… [we] give awareness to the parents about the cause of disability and it is not a spiritual problem’ (003, female, rehabilitation professional). Religious institutions were sometimes a platform for such awareness-raising, for example, CBR workers taught about disability during church programmes.
Community relationships were another key component of FQOL for Ethiopian families, and all participants confirmed this significance. ‘Most of the societies we work with are cooperative, they even help us in identifying these children with disabilities. In some cases, community members seemed to have good awareness about disability (better than some disability workers). However, stigma and negative attitudes still exist and are being addressed through education and awareness programs.
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