Country report of Ethiopia on the situation of children in residential care

Country report of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ethiopia) on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003. There are approximately 150,000 street children in Ethiopian urban areas, of whom 40,000 reside in Addis Ababa. These children are mainly engaged in begging or working in the informal sector to earn their livelihood. Reports show that 70% of these children live in destitute families in slum areas. To alleviate the problem the government, in co-operation with UNICEF and NGOs, has introduced rehabilitation and prevention programmes in the major towns of the country. The programme package includes education, health, saving and credit, skills training and shelter services.