In 2 weeks time, world leaders will gather in New York to discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals that were set up in 2000, with a proposed end date of 2015. There is still lots to be done, and certainly some goals are being met more successfully than others. Some critics would say that the MDGs are flawed and not serving their purpose, but at least they have ensured that world poverty has stayed high on the political agenda at top level.
Some areas of success include over 2.1 billion gaining access to improved water supplies, the number of children accessing education falling from 102 million to 57 million, and universal access to HIV treatment becoming almost 100% (Christian Aid).
And according to new UN statistics, Ethiopia has more than halved the child mortality rate from 200 deaths per 1000 births, to 68 deaths to 100 births. For a country that was once synonymous with images of drought and famine, and children dying in their parents arms, this is great news and really encouraging to read.
CRED has two partners in Ethiopia - Women At Risk works with prostitute women and their children, providing packages of care, education and training to help them get off the streets and start new lives earning money from gainful employment. AHISDO is a community-based programme that runs a number of projects for community members of all ages, from child-care to after-school clubs to elderly day-care to feeding programmes, all in one of the poorest and most deprived parts of Addis Ababa. Inspirational work, all of it!
The work that both our partners do is truly helping to improve the lives of some of the poorest and most marginalised in the city, and as a result they are playing their part in helping to achieve some of the MDG's in Ethiopia. Yes, Ethiopia still has its problems, and yes there are still many living in poverty, as I have indicated in previous blogs, but what a privilege it is to be involved in such life-saving, life-trasnforming work as is done by WAR and AHISDO, and all our other partners around the world.
Some areas of success include over 2.1 billion gaining access to improved water supplies, the number of children accessing education falling from 102 million to 57 million, and universal access to HIV treatment becoming almost 100% (Christian Aid).
And according to new UN statistics, Ethiopia has more than halved the child mortality rate from 200 deaths per 1000 births, to 68 deaths to 100 births. For a country that was once synonymous with images of drought and famine, and children dying in their parents arms, this is great news and really encouraging to read.
CRED has two partners in Ethiopia - Women At Risk works with prostitute women and their children, providing packages of care, education and training to help them get off the streets and start new lives earning money from gainful employment. AHISDO is a community-based programme that runs a number of projects for community members of all ages, from child-care to after-school clubs to elderly day-care to feeding programmes, all in one of the poorest and most deprived parts of Addis Ababa. Inspirational work, all of it!
The work that both our partners do is truly helping to improve the lives of some of the poorest and most marginalised in the city, and as a result they are playing their part in helping to achieve some of the MDG's in Ethiopia. Yes, Ethiopia still has its problems, and yes there are still many living in poverty, as I have indicated in previous blogs, but what a privilege it is to be involved in such life-saving, life-trasnforming work as is done by WAR and AHISDO, and all our other partners around the world.
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