Press Release

Project to help vulnerable children in Ethiopia receives OFID support

42/2006 May 11, 2006, Vienna, Austria
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The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved a grant of US$50,000 in support of a project of the Social Welfare Development Association (SWDA), a non-profit NGO based in Ethiopia. The scheme aims at providing some 1,160 vulnerable children with the social services needed to help them integrate into the community and become self-sufficient.

Increasing poverty levels in Ethiopia have also lead to the rise in the number of street children, particularly in the capital Addis Ababa. SWDA’s mission is to identify socio-economic problems in marginalized communities and provide the necessary support, in a sustainable manner, to help ease the situation.

The present initiative will be carried out in Yeka and Kirkos, two suburbs outside of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Activities will include promoting primary school enrolment; disseminating educational materials and holding health education classes in topics such as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, first aid, hygiene and family planning. Vocational skills training for youth between the ages of 15-18 years is also envisaged. SWDA will also offer counseling services and non-formal skills training in the areas of farming and horticulture.