Housing poverty in Ethiopia

A lack of homes, toilets and too many slums
  • 77,295 people served in FY18 77,295 people served in FY18
  • 10 volunteers hosted in FY18 10 volunteers hosted in FY18
  • Projects: construction, renovation, WaSH, slum rehabilitation Projects: construction, renovation, WaSH, slum rehabilitation

We have been fighting housing poverty in Ethiopia since 1993. We have helped over 16,000 families by building safe, decent homes

We run a diverse, innovative programme, tailored to meet the local housing need - from slum upgrades to improved water and sanitation facilities.

Lack of houses...

The vast majority of Ethiopians live in poorly built, dilapidated and cramped houses which lack even the basic facilities, such as toilets.

  • Only 30% of the current housing stock in country is in a fair condition, with the remaining 70% in need of total replacement.
  • Access to safe drinking water is 49% countrywide
  • Only 20.7% of the population has access to adequate sanitation (UNICEF, 2011).

... and unsafe homes

In the capital Addis Ababa, houses in slum areas are old and dilapidated and too narrow to accommodate families, where the health and dignity is compromised.

Most families who live in dilapidated homes in slum areas share toilets that are also in very poor condition. 24% of the households do not have any form of toilet facility and 63% use shared pit latrines. 25% of the solid waste generated from the city is left unattended. Poor families do not have toilets at all or use bad toilets that are nearly abandoned.

Read more about housing poverty in Ethiopia

How we alleviate poverty in Ethiopia

Our work focuses on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions, urban slum upgrading, assisting vulnerable groups with house construction and renovation and…

Our work focuses on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions, urban slum upgrading, assisting vulnerable groups with house construction and renovation and tenure security, and on researching and defining possibilities of working in partnership to achieve sectoral and societal impact.

We promote and engage volunteers to advance its work by establishing long-term and project-based partnership with our volunteer sending programmes.

Housing solutions we provide to tackle poverty in Ethiopia:

  • Water and Sanitation;
  • Renovations of dilapidated homes, walkways and ditches;
  • Solid waste management in slum areas;
  • Vulnerable groups housing/new construction and renovation
volunteers building affordable housing ethiopia

Key facts & figures

  • Capital: Addis Ababa
  • Population: 99.4 million
  • Urbanisation: 19.5% live in cities
  • Life expectancy: 61.5 years
  • Unemployment rate: 17.5%
  • Population living below poverty line 39%

Slum upgrading

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The costs of renovating slums are often greater than similar new houses built on an open sub-urban land. Our programme serves vulnerable families living in dilapidated houses in slum areas which are fully renovated to make them habitable and decent.

The houses are often torn down and rebuilt. The program also includes construction of healthy floors, walkways, ditches and solid waste management in slum areas.

Clean water & sanitation

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This program involves construction of toilets and water supply systems for low-income families. These services are provided to families who live in urban slum areas with extremely poor sanitation and limited water supply. The project provides communal stand water and toilets.

The supply of water to families also includes construction of large water service systems such as spring development, construction of service reservoirs, pumping systems and installation of main water lines for wider area coverage. Hygiene training is also provided for families and communities.

Supporting vulnerable groups

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We help families in break the cycle of poverty in Ethiopia by constructing decent and affordable homes through the "Vulnerable Groups Housing Program". The maximum monthly household income of the target beneficiaries is $50 or less.

Vulnerable Group Housing is a housing program where extremely needy and vulnerable families with complex poverty, health and disability problems become homeowners with none or limited contributions in building the houses. The disabilities can be physical, mental or visual.

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