OLPC Ethiopia/Background

Background summaries: Afghanistan, Nepal, Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia

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OLPC's Work in Ethiopia

detailed article:OLPC Ethiopia

Deployments: Between September and December of 2007, GTZ and Eduvision carried out a deployment to test their software's sustainability. Findings showed that the software prompted a change in learning learning styles. Since then, over 5,900 laptops have been deployed in Ethiopia, including 5,000 through the Give One, Get One initiative. Four of the schools where laptops were deployed included Addis Ababa's Atse Naod (800 XOs for grades 2-8) and Menelik II (2400 XOs for grades 2-8). Laptops were also deployed to two rural schools, including Rema in the Amhara district (500 XOs, laptops supplied with personal solar panels) and Mullo Sayyo in the Oromiya district (675 XOs for grades 2 through 7).

The Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP), German Technical Assistance (GTZ), and EduVision/BlankPage are coordinating their efforts in Ethiopia in order to improve the usage of the XO in the classroom.

Five Principles: The Ethiopian Government has formulated five principles for One Laptop Per Child concept in Ethiopia:

• eBooks
• eLibrary
• Direct Broadcast
• Interactive Learning
• Innovative Learning

Development Initiatives in Ethiopia

Summary of Educational Development Initiatives in Ethiopia

Name of Organization	Investment in Country	People/Major Projects
UNICEF		UNICEF Ethiopia's goal is to support the national and regional efforts towards the realization of the rights of the child to survival, development, protection and participation with the following priority areas: Girls education Integrated policies for early childhood development Immunization and supplementation HIV/AIDS prevention among children
WFP	In 2009, WFP assisted almost ten million people in Ethiopia	WFP's programs include providing emergency food assistance to 6.2 million people, reaching 7.5 million rural dwellers in the Productive Safety Net Programme, providing food assistance to vulnerable populations, and meals for school children.
WHO		WHO gives technical support to the Government of Ethiopia within the following priority areas: blood safety, communicable disease prevention, control and eradication, emergency and humanitarian action, essential drugs and medicines policy, expanded program on immunization, health and environment, HIV/AIDS, integrated disease surveillance and response, integrated management of childhood illnesses, making pregnancy safer, mental health and substance abuse, violence and injury prevention, women's health.
UNESCO		UNESCO Ethiopia's main focuses lie in education and culture. Ethiopia participates in the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) and the Teacher Training Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA). Three UNESCO Chairs are established at the University of Addis Ababa. UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa (IICBA), focused on quality education, is based in Addis Ababa. UNESCO Community Multimedia Centres (CMCs) in Ethiopia offer ICT and ICT-based training to support social development.
UNDP		UNDP Ethiopia is working to achieve the Millennium Declaration principles and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), primarily to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; promote gender equality and empowerment of women; and to ensure environmental sustainability (Human Development Reports poverty indicators). UNDP's assistance is provided in support of the Plan for Accelerated Sustained Development to Eradicate Poverty (PASDEP) and in coordination with other development agencies.
IFRC		It is the Ethiopian Red Cross's mission "to prevent and alleviate human suffering and to contribute to the well being of mankind and prevalence of peace in conformity with the Geneva Convention and the fundamental principles of the movement." The Ethiopian Red Cross Society is focused on four main priority areas: food security/disaster preparedness and response; health programs and initiatives; HIV/AIDS; and humanitarian values.
World Vision Africa		In Ethiopia, World Vision is working in a variety of different areas: Development Programmes: Have created long-term development programmes in 65 communities in addition to short-term projects Food Security: World Vision is working to increase food security, irrigation systems, and creating networking opportunities among farmers. Healthcare: building health centers and strengthening health services; improving health and sanitation by constructing drinking water systems, drilling boreholes and wells, and providing clean drinking water Education: enrolling children in schools, building classrooms, providing school materials, helping with school feeds (Difficult to find information from the main World Vision website about activities.}
Save the Children		Save the Children is focused on a number of priority areas, including education, health, food security, HIV/AIDS, and saving newborns' lives. The organization's education goals have concentrated on ensuring the basic education of those who are not normally in school, including girls in pastoral communities. Save the Children uses its own inexpensive school model with flexible schedules, relevant curricula, and active community participation to educate these children. They also strengthen the role of PTAs and girls advocacy clubs.
USAID	USAID requested $583.519 million for Ethiopia for the Fiscal Year 2011	USAID has six programmatic areas in Ethiopia: peace and security, governing justly and democratically, health, education, economic growth, and humanitarian assistance. In education, USAID is working with the Ministry of Education in a variety of areas. They are helping improve teacher skills, provide textbooks, and strengthen school-community operations. In 2009, USAID helped enroll 1.6 million children and trained 8,500 primary school principals and community education board members. They also focus on increasing access for girls and improving schools in Muslim areas.
SOS Children's Villages	In total, SOS Children's Villages is supporting over 64,000 Ethiopians through its Villages, schools, training centers, and social programmes.	SOS Children's Villages currently looks after over 800 children throughout its six Children's Villages, in addition to 583 teens at its five Youth Homes. The organization also runs schools, medical centers, vocational training centers, adn social centers in Ethiopia. They also have a Family Strengthening Programme that aims to prevent child abandonment by providing child care, counseling, vocational training and medical support.
World Bank	As of September 2009, there were 33 active projects with a net commitment value of over US$ 3.6 billion.	The World Bank has provided lending for over 130 projects in Ethiopia that have focused among other things on Infrastructure, Protection of Basic Services, Food Security, Education.

Other Resources

Ethiopia Education Resources:

• Information about Ethiopia's Ministry of Education
• Education in Ethiopia Wikipedia page
• Background on Education in Ethiopia

OLPC in Ethiopia:

• OLPC wiki page about Ethiopia
• OLPC News articles about Ethiopia (not associated with OLPC)
• OLPC Ethiopia Cultural Content

Education Initiatives in Ethiopia:

Notes

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