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A Healthy Start in Life
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are decisive. To enjoy a healthy physical and mental development, every child needs to receive sufficient nutrients from the beginning of pregnancy to the second year of life.
In many regions in Ethiopia, however, nutritious food is in short supply. Ninety-seven percent of children under two suffer from both inadequate quantities of food and an insufficiently nutritious diet. Because their mothers are malnourished, these children are born in a weakened state with little chance of catching up. As a result, nearly half of all children under five are physically underdeveloped for their age.
The climate crisis is increasingly causing the nutrition situation to deteriorate, with valuable harvests being destroyed by long droughts on the one hand and flooding on the other. The climate crisis is becoming a hunger crisis—including for Alemie’s young family.
At the time, I did not yet know how important my diet during pregnancy would be for my daughter’s future. I was also unable to give her enough nutritious food during the first years of her life.
Alemie was able to significantly improve her life and that of her family. Her son Dereje now has the chance to enjoy a healthy childhood and good development from the very start.
At the time, I did not yet know how important my diet during pregnancy would be for my daughter’s future. I was also unable to give her enough nutritious food during the first years of her life.
Alemie was able to significantly improve her life and that of her family. Her son Dereje now has the chance to enjoy a healthy childhood and good development from the very start.
The needs of the communities and families are as diverse as the challenges they face. We work with the people in our project area in the Amhara region to develop individual aid packages that meet the needs the families face in their lives.
Protein plays a key role in a balanced diet. One way we meet this need is by offering mothers training in keeping poultry as well as young hens to start them off. The eggs are eaten and serve as a source of protein.
Washera sheep are well suited to regional conditions. We support sheep herders in raising these special animals, whose milk also contributes to a healthy diet.
Some of the seedlings produced through the project are used to create shade in community pastures, giving the animals a place to graze without the sun beating down on them.
We support families in efficiently working their gardens and fields by providing them with drought-resistant seeds and seedlings for cabbages, chard, carrots, or robust fruit trees. Through the harvest, the families acquire desperately needed nutrients that help them prevent malnutrition and underdevelopment in their children.
The seedlings are produced by young people as part of the project, enabling them to earn extra money to support themselves.
Water is life! It is not only drinking water for the families but also crucial for their vegetables and livestock. Shallow wells make it easier for people to access safe water, which ultimately improves hygiene.
We build and repair agricultural irrigation systems so that the fields can reliably get enough water. Whereas the farmers generally had one harvest per year without irrigation systems, good irrigation can let them bring in a second harvest or even a third one.
In small group meetings, we talk about the importance of a balanced diet with pregnant women and nursing mothers. Together, we cook nutritious dishes using locally sourced produce, frequently grown by the participants themselves. The women can then make these dishes at home for their families.
The group meetings also address important matters of hygiene and how to use and treat the water from the rivers. We train actively involved mothers as health consultants so that they can share their knowledge with other families.
When vegetable or livestock farming produces more food than needed, the surplus is sold at the markets. This enables the families to earn additional income.
We work with the families to organise in savings groups and manage reserves together. Inflow and outflow are recorded in a family bank book, and larger investments can be funded by applying for credit from the group, for example allowing houses or solar arrays to be built.
With your help, we were able to achieve a lot in 2022.
Welthungerhilfe stands for transparency and quality, verified information, and the cost-effective and goal-oriented use of donations. For this reason, the German Central Institute for Social Questions (DZI) has awarded us its donation seal. We put your donation to work with precision and responsibility. If we receive more donations than needed for a specific project, the surplus is directed towards other Welthungerhilfe projects that require funding.
A life without hunger is a human right. Nevertheless, millions of people throughout the world are forced to go hungry. Together with our supporters, our goal is to achieve #ZeroHunger by 2030, as conceptualised by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Welthungerhilfe’s work is based on the principle of “help for self-help”. Our aid projects aim to enable people to provide for themselves sustainably and in the long term, with the ultimate goal of making our own activities superfluous. With the support of our donors, we work throughout the world to assist entire communities in building up their infrastructure, advancing their development, and creating a fair foundation for all people in a given region.
Yes! Amounts of up to EUR 300 are recognised by the German tax authority without a donation receipt and are tax deductible. An account statement is accepted as proof.
For donations over EUR 300, the German tax authority requires an annual donation receipt, which we automatically issue at the beginning of the following year. In the event that you need a donation receipt earlier, please let us know.
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We are as transparent as possible in using the donations we receive so that you can follow the path your donation takes. For more information, see What happens with your donation? and read our guidelines on transparency & quality, as well as our annual donation report.
Conflicts are always likely to interfere with our work. This sometimes means that activities have to be temporarily suspended or even discontinued so as not to put people in danger. However, our fundamental mandate is to help people in need. And we will continue to do so in Ethiopia, security situation permitting.
Welthungerhilfe works in many crisis regions. This means that we always have to carefully assess the security situation everywhere and make sure that neither our staff nor our partner organizations and, above all, the people we work for are at risk. So wherever we work, including in Ethiopia, we assess the security situation closely.
When you donate via this page, you support our work with a so-called "free donation". In this way, you allow funds to be used where it is most urgent. This avoids situations where only a certain country or a certain project is supported, which may have already received sufficient funding. You can read more about donations and transparency here: What happens with your donation?
If a donation has been made specifically for a country, project or emergency situation, then that donation will be used accordingly. If project work has to be put on hold due to conflict or high risk potential, donations are held until activities can continue.
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Welthungerhilfe has been holding the DZI seal of approval for donations since 1992. The seal certifies that Welthungerhilfe is handling the funds entrusted to it efficiently and responsibly.
