An introduction to Ethiopia

Capital: Addis Ababa

Bordering nations: Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti and Somaliland

Language: Amharic

Currency: Birr (U.S. $1 = Birr 8.8)

84 percent of people liver in rural Ethiopia

There are 83 different languages and 200 dialects spoken

63 percent of the country is Christian

34 percent is Muslim

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee

Ethiopia is twice the size of Texas

Ethiopia is mentioned or referred to as Kush about 40 times in the Bible.

So why are we drawn to serve Ethiopia?

Only 38.5 percent of Ethiopians are literate

Only 52 percent of children attend primary school, and 12 percent attend secondary school

It is one of the top five poorest countries on Earth

As AIDS takes its toll, the average life expectancy is 49 years

One in 10 children die before their first birthday

One in six children die before their fifth birthday

44 percent of the population is younger than 15 years old

60 percent of children in Ethiopia have experienced stunted growth due to malnutrition

1.5 million people are infected with AIDS

There are about 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia

Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any other African country

Ethiopia's doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000

Four out of five people in Ethiopia live on less than $2 a day

42 percent of Ethiopians have access to safe, clean drinking water

Only 11 percent of the population has access to proper sanitation facilities