Eine Frau klärt Schülerinnen über schädliche Traditionen auf

How we help girls and women

No development without equality

In Ethiopia, women suffer from harmful traditions. Many girls are forced into early marriages. This is one of the reasons for the high maternal mortality rate: the bodies of 15-year-olds are often not yet ready for pregnancy. The government has banned marriages under the age of 18 and improved maternity care. But many women still die in childbirth.

Overall, self-determination for girls and women is improving. While in the mid-1990s only three percent of Ethiopian women practiced family planning, today around 40 percent use contraceptives. During the same period, the number of children per woman fell from seven to four. In the past, parents sent their sons to school and their daughters stayed at home. But now this difference has leveled out: around eight out of ten young people between 15 and 24 can read and write - both boys and girls.

Menschen für Menschen is continuing to push this trend towards greater equality. We improve the position of women with self-help groups and microcredits. We initiate “Girls Clubs” in schools that combat discrimination. We train volunteers to educate people about equality in the villages.

In Girls Clubs setzen sich Mädchen für Gleichberechtigung ein

Our successes last year

Education

Icon: Frau spricht in ein Megaphon
22,000 women and men took part in information events on family planning

Microcredit

Icon: Geldscheine in der Hand
979 women received their first microcredit to start a small business

Training

Icon: Hauswirtschaftskurs (Frau mit Kochhut)
273 women completed our vocational training to become housekeepers

Sanitary pads

Icon: Nothilfe-Paket
5,755 girls received sanitary napkins so that they could attend school during their periods

Cooking stoves

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800 women now cook over low-smoke cement stoves instead of open fires

Self-help groups

Icon Geschäftsgründung
545 women organized themselves into 30 self-help groups, where they received courses and microcredits

Project reports on women's issues