Posts Tagged ‘ Ethiopia ’

An Investment in Girls is an Investment for All

Jul 10th, 2016 | By
Jamila Zeyne, who is 20 years old, and who has been married since she was 13, poses for a photograph in her house as  part of a UNICEF photo project to show Girls Empowerment in Mareko, Ethiopia Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. The project aims to document the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Ethiopian girls in different parts of the country. Jamila says: "“I got married because my father forced me to. I was given two options, either to get married or to be sent to the Arab countries to work. I am not happy because I wanted to study. If the government introduces night school in our area I will go back to learn. Early marriage is bad because when we get pregnant and want to deliver, it is very difficult for our bodies. We are too young managing a home is not easy".

By Suzanne York. July 11th is officially recognized as World Population Day, a day meant to raise awareness on the impacts of population growth on people and the environment. This year’s theme for World Population Day is “investing in teenage girls.” In much of the world today their needs are shunted to the back burner
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Approach to Family Planning: A Tale of Two Countries

Jan 14th, 2015 | By
[photo credit: www.huffingtonpost.com]

By Suzanne York. What is the role of government when it comes to having babies?  Should the goal be to empower women or promote economic growth? The government of Ethiopia announced earlier this week that it will try to lower its total fertility rate to 2.6 by the year 2020 from the current rate of
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Turning Up the Heat on Family Planning

Nov 29th, 2013 | By
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The third annual International Conference on Family Planning ended in mid-November with a focus on successful initiatives and with momentum to enact voluntary family planning services and education for people around the world. The breadth and depth of work undertaken by professionals and activists is exciting.   From addressing maternal mortality to
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Water, Women, and Youth in the Land of the Pharaohs

Jun 20th, 2013 | By
[photo credit: unmultimedia.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org With all the media focus on the NSA spying scandal, you might have missed the news that Egypt and Ethiopia – the second and third most populous countries in Africa, respectively – are coming into a war of words over a proposed dam on the Nile.  Though tensions have eased somewhat,
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False Bananas: The Potential for Food Security in Ethiopia

May 17th, 2013 | By
Ethiopia's false banana tree

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As climate change becomes more of a basic fact of life for many people around the world, one way to adapt is to tap into traditional and ancestral knowledge and practices, especially as it pertains to agriculture.  In Ethiopia, one crop with potential is the false banana. Officially called enset, this
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From Rural to Urban in 60 Seconds or Less?

Apr 22nd, 2013 | By
Ethiopia's kids - the main reason to invest in a healthy environment

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As we celebrate Earth Day this year, it is a good time to think about how we can improve not just the environment but also peoples’ lives.  In the face of globalization and the push for endless economic growth, our societies need to determine the best way to grow and where and when it’s needed.
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Ethiopian Park is ‘Awash’ in Pollution and Population Pressures

Apr 8th, 2013 | By
Baboons

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Ethiopia is the cradle of humankind.  It is also home to an array of animal species.  Yet both people and nature are under threat, mainly due to environmental degradation, poaching, and human population growth. Today there are close to 90 million people in Ethiopia (it is the 2nd most populous nation
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Overcoming Poverty by Addressing Environmental Challenges

Apr 2nd, 2013 | By
HDR2013_Cover

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Last month, as a conference was taking place in Ethiopia on the potential of PHE projects (population-health-environment) to empower communities, the United Nations released its 2013 Human Development Report.  This analysis assesses the status of health, education, and wealth in developing countries. While the report, titled The Rise of the South:
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Empowering Communities in Ethiopia

Mar 22nd, 2013 | By
Ethiopian women at one of the GPSDO village sites.

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There is nothing like going out into the field and seeing first-hand what is happening on the ground to validate your work and experience.  That’s when you learn how projects, ideas and initiatives can really work (or in some cases, not work). Here in Ethiopia, after the recent conference of the
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Shining a Light on Protecting People and the Planet

Mar 20th, 2013 | By
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org If you are concerned at all about world population growth, human rights (and especially women’s rights), and protecting the environment, then you should know about how PHE (Population, Health and Environment) programs can effectively address these issues. PHE projects are relatively new in the development sector, but this holistic approach recognizes
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