Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia's population has squeezed past the 91-million mark, an astounding figure consid-
ering the population was just 15 million in 1935. Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing
populations in the world. This population explosion is arguably the biggest problem facing
Ethiopia today. In 2012 its population growth rate was estimated at a worryingly high
2.9%; which, if growth rates continue at around that level, will leave Ethiopia bursting at
the seams with almost 120 million people in 2025. However, AIDS, which affects 2.1% of
the population, will inevitably slow future growth.
ETHIOPIA'S STREET KIDS
Throughout Ethiopia there are a range of charities working to help the country's many street children. In many
cases working with these charities involves a considerable commitment of time as well as having a certain skill to
offer. In these cases it's usually easiest for a short-term visitor to just donate money to their chosen charity after
they've returned home.
A more hands-on approach is the distribution of meal tickets. Some local centres sell booklets of meal tickets that
are then distributed to needy children. Each day hundreds of children redeem the tickets for a meal at the centre.
Addis Ababa-based Hope Enterprises (
0111-560345; Churchill Ave;
8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Sat)
sells booklets of eight meal tickets (Birr8).
In Gonder, local NGO Yenege Tesfa ( www.yenegetesfa.org ) runs an orphanage and provides educational and
medical programs. Tourists are encouraged to visit some of its project sites. It sells 'bread coupons' that children
can exchange for a loaf of bread. A booklet of 10 tickets is Birr20.
Although 84 languages and 200 dialects are spoken in Ethiopia, the population can be
broken down into eight broad groups, which are detailed in the following pages. For in-
formation about the Lower Omo Valley's unique peoples, Click here , and for more on the
peoples of the western lowlands, Click here .
The Oromo
Although traditionally most of the Oromo were nomadic pastoralists, it was the skilled
Oromo warrior horsemen who put fear into Ethiopians when they migrated north from
present-day Kenya in the mid-16th century. It was the Oromo who inspired Harar's leaders
to build a wall around the city and even led Ethiopian emperors to (briefly and much to the
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