Projects Abroad in Ethiopia

  Ethiopia

• Other Cities in Ethiopia: 
Addis Ababa

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: Year Round / Rolling Starts

Description: Ethiopia, in Eastern Africa, is a fascinating place to volunteer abroad and a destination where our volunteers can make a huge difference. Our volunteer projects in Ethiopia are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world, including those on a gap year, career break or volunteer vacation.

It is impossible to think of Ethiopia and not recall the haunting images of famine from the 1980s and 2000s. With the unpredictable rains, a lack of food in the dry northern areas of the country will undoubtedly occur again. However, with an increased international presence and early warning indicators in place, famine on the scale of previous disasters should become an increasingly distant memory. This region of Africa still needs much support and it is a great location for anyone wishing to help by doing some international volunteer work.

Ethiopia is the size of France and Spain combined, so most first time visitors are amazed by the variety of lush landscapes and spectacular scenery the country offers. From the fertile countryside and multicolored lakes of the Rift Valley to the rocky backdrop of the world renowned Lalibela churches or the dramatic snowcapped peaks of the rugged Simien Mountains, most of Ethiopia is nothing like the parched and barren land that comes to mind from news reports

Projects Abroad Ethiopia is based in the capital city, Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa is a rapidly growing city that combines elements of old and new Ethiopia. Located in the center of the country at an altitude of 2400m, Addis is the third highest capital city in the world and has a pleasant, temperate climate with warm days and cool nights.

Volunteer Opportunities in Ethiopia

Care - Care volunteers in Ethiopia work in orphanages, day care centers, kindergartens and care homes in and around the capital. The homes provide full-time care for orphaned or abandoned children and are places where children are given friendship and support while they wait to be adopted. The children who have made it to these homes and centers crave the love and affection that volunteers have the time and energy to give. This is where your help is most needed. Volunteers also organize occasional trips out from the orphanage and sometimes assist with fundraising events. We also work with a local organization that arranges activities like games and sports for street children. These extra activities usually run a couple of times during the week and on Saturdays and all our volunteers in Ethiopia have the opportunity to be involved.

Teaching - Projects Abroad places volunteers in schools to assist local teachers and to give the children exposure to English spoken by a native speaker. Often the teachers will have limited English themselves and you will be popular if you spend some time helping them as well. On top of this, you are likely to find yourself giving further informal English lessons to the members of your host family, who will be eager for you to learn a little of their own language in return, which is a fantastic way for you to get to know each other!

Journalsim - Our Journalism project in Ethiopia offers volunteers the chance to work on a variety of English Language publications. You could find yourself writing for the Addis Fortune, an independent business weekly that was set up in 2000, and now has a weekly circulation of 7000 editions, or you may be working for My Fashion magazine, a unique lifestyle magazine in Ethiopia, which exploded onto the scene with a circulation of 5,000 issues in June 2006. Depending on your background and interests, you could also find yourself working for a finance weekly, designing layouts, or even getting involved with the sales and marketing teams. All journalism volunteers in Ethiopia taking part in one of our overseas voluntary work placements must have good computer skills, a strong interest in Journalism and Media and be willing to work hard, but no formal qualifications are required to join this project. Volunteers with an interest in business would find one of our placements especially interesting as a chance to view, at first hand, the business climate in East Africa while gaining general media experience overseas.

Medicine - Medical interns in Ethiopia will have the opportunity to work in a variety of medical institutions around Addis Ababa. Your role will be to shadow the doctor who has been assigned your supervisor. By observing the doctors and nurses you will learn about different conditions, treatments and can discuss cases to enhance your medical knowledge. Your exact role within the hospital or clinic will be determined by your level of medical experience and the enthusiasm you show the local staff. You will have the opportunity to intern in a variety of departments such as cardiology, neurology, psychiatry and physical therapy. In addition to this, you can participate in community work if youre interested. Facilities within the hospitals and clinics are basic and treatments are sometimes not of the same standard expected at home. You should be prepared to see some shocking cases and learn about conditions that are rare in North America. All medical interns in Ethiopia must have completed at least one year of related studies or training.

Physical Therapy - As a Physical Therapy intern you'll work alongside a catholic charity based in Addis Ababa that provides advice, healthcare and education to families living with HIV. The scheme is a highly progressive project that aims to increase people's knowledge and understanding of the disease, and provide practical physical care to terminally ill children and adults. During the mornings you'll usually travel around Addis carrying out home-based care alongside a small team of local staff. You'll visit families in their homes, treating common illnesses faced by patients such as TB or unexplained paralysis. You'll help to carry out and explain simple exercises to family members to enable them to keep them up until your next visit. Afternoons will frequently be spent working alongside the local physical therapy staff, passing on your skills and knowledge.

Sports - By taking part in our School Sports and Track & Field project, volunteers will not only be involved in learning new skills and improving their own fitness, but can also pass on their own sports knowledge to local children. Volunteers joining the sports project in Ethiopia can choose to either combine track & field and school sports or just focus on the school sports element of the project. Volunteers have the opportunity to train with local Ethiopians at a track & field club several mornings a week then teach a variety of sports to children at a secondary school in the afternoons. By taking part on this project volunteers gain a large amount of valuable coaching experience working alongside some extremely skilled staff and athletes.

To learn more about our various projects in Ethiopia, see the individual pages of the projects that interest you.

Highlights: During the weekends, you can take time off from your volunteer work to explore the attractions of Addis Ababa. It's fascinating to see the mud huts basking in the shadows of lavish high-rise hotels. Priests in traditional dress hurry along the streets alongside suited businessmen chatting on cell phones, avoiding the passing donkeys and speeding Land Rovers.

The choice of entertainment is equally varied with plenty of activities to choose from. You can spend hours exploring the Merkato, one of the largest markets in Africa, visit a tej beat - a traditional local pub - or catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster at a movie theater. Addis Ababa is also home to some of the best museums in Africa as well as great restaurants, serving some of the most highly seasoned food anywhere on the African continent. Popular traditional Ethiopian specialties include the stew-like wat and the staple bread, injera.

At the end of your international volunteer experience, you can take the opportunity to travel to Lalibela, a place of pilgrimage with churches hewn straight out of the bedrock, located 2630m above sea level. Although Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's main visitor attractions, it still remains very isolated and you'll feel like you've traveled back many centuries.

Independent travel in Ethiopia is hugely rewarding, even though the infrastructure of the country is fairly basic. You'll get used to the curiosity that you attract as a Westerner and you'll make many warm and genuine friends here.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: none

Cost in US$: From USD 2,345 up

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 16 and up

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ethiopia Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 2-5

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992