Because of you…
There is a beacon of God’s light to guide young people into a successful and godly adult life through training on lifeskills, evangelism and prayer tools. The ministry is currently focused on a ministry centre in the capital city but activities are extended to some other cities as well.
Prayer Needs
- Growth in the spiritual lives of the board, staff and volunteers.
- Provision of resources to build, maintain, and run the youth centre.
- Genuine revival to come to Ethiopia.
- Expansion of youth programs, clubs, and Bible studies in various churches and community groups.
About Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Introduction
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Geography
Location
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic Coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E
Area
Total Area: 1,104,300 sq km Rank: 27
Land Area: 1 million sq km
Water Area: 104,300 sq km
Comparison: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land Boundaries: 5,328 km
Bordering Countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Climate
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevations
Lowest Point: Danakil Depression -125 m
Highest Point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
Natural Resources
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land Use
Arable land: 10.01%
Permanent Crops: 0.65%
Other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 2,900 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 110 cu km (1987)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)
Environment
Natural Hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environmental Issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography Notes
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
People
Population: 85,237,338 Rank: 14
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 19,596,784/female 19,688,887)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 21,376,495/female 22,304,812)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 975,923/female 1,294,437) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 16.5 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 3.208% (2010 est.) Rank: 8
Birth Rate: 43.66 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 7
Death Rate: 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 40
Net Migration Rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population Rank: 84
Note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2010 est.)
Urbanization
Urban Population: 17% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 80.8 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 18
Life Expectancy at Birth: 55.41 years Rank: 195
Fertility Rate: 6.07 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 9
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 2.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 31
People living with HIV/AIDS: 980,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 12
HIV/AIDS Deaths: 67,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 11
Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: malaria
Respiratory Disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal Contact Diseases: rabies
Water Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis (2009)
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Ethiopian(s)
Adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic Groups: Oromo 34.5%, Amara 26.9%, Somalie 6.2%, Tigraway 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Guragie 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Affar 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, other 11.3% (2007 Census)
Religion: Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.7% (2007 Census)
Languages: Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 42.7% Male: 50.3% Female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 8 years Male: 8 years Female: 7 years (2007)
Education expenditures: 6% of GDP (2006) Rank: 41
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Conventional Short Form: Ethiopia
Local Long Form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
Local Short Form: Ityop'iya
Formerly: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
Abbreviation: FDRE
Government Type: federal republic
Capital: Addis Ababa Geographic Coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
Administrative divisions
9 ethnically based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first centuries B.C.)
National holiday: National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution: ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
Legal system: based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)
Head of Government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
Elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
Election Results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%
Legislative Branch
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 23 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
Election Results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 499, SPDP 24, BGPDP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, HNL 1, FORUM 1, APDO 1, independent 1
Judicial branch
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Mohammed Kedir]; Arena Tigray; Argoba People's Democratic Organization or (APDO); Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Party or (BGPDP) [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP; Ethiopian Federal Democatic Forum or (FORUM), a UDJ-led 8-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF; Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or (GPUDM) [Umod UBONG]; Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Harari National League or (HNL) [Murad Abdulhadi]; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Oromo People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali Democratic Alliance Forces (SODAF); Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; Unity for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Birtukan MEDEKSA, currently imprisoned]
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Flag Description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia
Note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996
Economy
Economy Overview: Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for about 45% of GDP, and 85% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF forgave Ethiopia's debt. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Although GDP growth has since rebounded, soaring commodity prices in 2007 and 2008 and the global economic downturn led to balance of payments pressures, partially alleviated by recent emergency funding from the IMF.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $77.47 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 79
GDP - real growth rate: 8.7% (2009 est.) Rank: 5
GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2009 est.) Rank: 216
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 43.5% Industry: 13.4% Services: 43.1% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 37.9 million (2007) Rank: 16
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 85% Industry: 5% Services: 10% (2009 est.)
Unemployment Rate: NA
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons - refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)
International Displaced Persons: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)
