Much of our time will be in the Abaya Area Development Program (ADP). This is the geographical region which World Vision services. The ADP is near the city of Hawassa.
—Quick Facts—
- Population: 106,874
- Average family size: six people
- Nearest city: Dila, pop. 61,114 (2005), 4 miles away
- Religious affiliation: 80% Protestant, 10% Orthodox Christian, 9% indigenous religion, 1 percent Muslim
- Main ethnic group: Gujii Oromo (97%)
Developing the Abaya Community
Meeting Needs and Providing Hope in Ethiopia
Physical and social needs in the Abaya community development area, located 220 miles south of Addis Ababa, are pervasive. World Vision’s assessment of the needs in the key sectors of daily life is outlined
below. Plans to respond to these needs in 2009 through 2013—with interventions made possible in part by your support—are listed as well. World Vision is grateful for the difference you are making in the Abaya community!
Food
Most members of the Abaya community are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods. Reliance on traditional cultivation systems, combined with diseases and pests aff ecting farm animals and crops, results in poor production of food items needed for good health and child development.
Plans:
- Develop small scale irrigation in Dibicha and Guangua
- Construct veterinary posts in Lado and Bunata
- Build a cattle trough and cattle crush—a stock for restraining farm animals—in the kebele (villages or neighborhoods) of Wodaya Ture
- Community training on crop and livestock production and management
Water
Only 28.5 percent of people in the Abaya community have reasonable access to clean and safe water. As a result, waterborne diseases, resulting in sickness, blindness, parasites, infections, and death are common.
Plans:
- Develop four springs (one per year) in the kebeles of Biyo, Kejima, Samaro, and Dibicha
- Construct 10 springs in the kebele of Klaltu
- Construct a safe and sanitary toilet facility in Guangua
- Construct two communal waste disposal pits in the districts of Guangua and Dibicha
Health
The Abaya community has a high incidence of HIV, AID, and other communicable diseases, but a low awareness of health prevention and a shortage of health facilities, personnel, equipment, and medicines.
Plans:
- Build an office and staff residence in GuanguaBuild a health post in the kebele of Dibicha, and another (in 2013) in the kebele of Kosoricha
- Build an HIV and AIDS counseling and testing center in Guangua
Schools
Just half the children eligible by age for grades 1 through 4, and only a third of those eligible for grades 5 through 8, are enrolled in school. The reasons include poor educational facilities, a chronic shortage of equipment and materials, and long distances to schools.
Plans:
- Build six schools in the kebeles of Biyo, Kejima, Hafura Waro, Guangua, and Kalaltu
- Build a library in the kebele of Guangua
Work
Issues hindering economic development include a limited knowledge of modern technology, a small range of income-generating activities (brewing, handicrafts, manual labor, and the sale of fi rewood, sand, or gravel), and non-access to credit and banking services.
Plans:
- Offer vocational training in woodworking, pottery, masonry, mud technology, and silk worm production
- Help develop nurseries, agro-forestry projects, beekeeping, and suitable income-generating activities
- Facilitate savings and micro-credit opportunities
- Increase economic opportunities for women through vocational training programs and microfi nance activities
Faith
Currently, churches in the area are not fully participating in the development process within the Abaya community, mostly for lack of leadership. Our staff will help train Christian leaders for holistic
development, so they can enable members of local churches to care for the marginalized, disadvantaged, voiceless, and vulnerable members of their community as an expression of God’s love.
