Ethiopia

The nation with the highest incidence of blindness in the world, Ethiopia has enlisted the help of The Carter Center to preserve the sight of millions of Ethiopians.

As Africa's oldest independent nation, Ethiopia has had a wide variety of governing institutions, from monarchy to military occupation to Marxist state and, finally, a capitalist democracy. The Carter Center's relationship with Ethiopia has been equally diverse, having assisted the nation with disease eradication and control programs, increasing food production, conflict mediation, and the promotion of human rights. Working together, a brighter future for the Ethiopian people is on the horizon.

Waging Peace

The Center's Democracy Program has supported the efforts of civic leaders in Addis Ababa to convene discussions about the most pressing and contentious political and social issues facing the country.  The group set an ambitious agenda of modeling constructive dialogue on issues such as media policy, ethnicity, and the future of the country's economic development.

Read full text on the Carter Center's peace work in Ethiopia >

Fighting Disease

Preventing many African nations from realizing their full potential, disease is a formidable and often deadly adversary. Because most African countries have little funds to devote to national health care, the majority of villages and towns are without adequate medical services. However, in Ethiopia, a partnership among The Carter Center, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and seven universities and colleges helped change a desperate situation into a legacy of hope. The goal of the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative was to contribute to improving the health of Ethiopians by enhancing the quality of training and education that health workers receive. The Carter Center remains deeply involved in building health and hope in Ethiopia through work against Guinea worm disease, river blindness, trachoma, and malaria, which cause tremendous suffering in the nation.

Read full text on the Carter Center's health work in Ethiopia >