Nutrition and health in Ethiopia

We stand with girls to ensure every child grows up healthy, nourished, and safe no matter where they live or what crisis they face.

Across Ethiopia, conflict, displacement, drought and limited access to healthcare continue to rob girls and their families of the essentials they need to survive. In communities where clinics are far away, food supplies are shrinking, and clean water is scarce, girls face the greatest risks. Malnutrition rises, preventable diseases spread, and families struggle to access even the most basic support.

But girls aren’t giving up and neither are we.

Why this work matters now

Children across Ethiopia, especially girls, are facing some of the toughest health and nutrition challenges in years. Families in conflict‑affected regions, displaced communities, and drought‑stricken areas often go without enough food, clean water, or medical care. These gaps put infants, young children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women at extreme risk.

When a girl is hungry, sick, or unable to access healthcare, her entire future is threatened. That’s why our work has never been more urgent.

Our approach: saving lives today, building strength for tomorrow

We support every part of a child’s health journey from pregnancy and birth through childhood and beyond.

We deliver both emergency support and long‑term solutions to strengthen community health and nutrition systems, especially in places where services have collapsed due to crisis.

We work in refugee camps, host communities, and areas affected by conflict and climate shocks to make sure children receive the care they deserve.

This work ensures girls in Ethiopia are not defined by hunger, crisis, or distance but by strength, survival, and the chance to lead their own futures.

Care that reaches girls wherever they are. We bring health and nutrition services closer to communities, including remote and crisis-affected areas through mobile teams and local health services. This means girls and mothers can get care even in the hardest-to-reach places.
Support from pregnancy through childhood and adolescence. We help mothers stay healthy during pregnancy and ensure babies and young children get the nutrition they need to grow, learn and thrive.
Working with communities to change what holds girls back. We work with families, community groups and local leaders to challenge harmful norms and support girls’ health, nutrition and well-being.
Stronger local health systems that last. We train health workers, support health facilities and improve supplies so that care continues long after emergencies end.
Joining up services around girls’ real lives. Health and nutrition are linked to clean water, safety, income and education. We connect these so girls get the full support they need, not fragmented services.

Reaching the hardest‑to‑reach communities

In remote areas where clinics are too far or unsafe to reach, our mobile health and nutrition teams bring care directly to families. These teams of trained health workers provide:

Antenatal and postnatal care
Safe delivery support
Vaccination services
Nutrition screening and treatment for malnutrition
Supplements such as iron, folic acid, and vitamins
Family planning services
HIV counselling and testing
Treatment for childhood illnesses like pneumonia and diarrhoea.

By prioritising mothers, newborns, and young children, we help families stay healthy even during emergencies.

Responding to drought: preventing malnutrition and protecting lives

Drought continues to devastate many parts of Ethiopia, pushing families into hunger and weakening children’s immune systems. Our emergency nutrition response focuses on:

Children under 5
Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Caregivers facing extreme food insecurity.

We provide emergency nutrition services, micronutrient supplements, deworming, and therapeutic feeding. We also train local health workers so communities remain resilient long after the crisis ends.

Responding to conflict: restoring health services

In conflict‑affected regions, health facilities are often destroyed or abandoned. We help communities rebuild by:

Supporting damaged health centres
Training new and existing health workers
Deploying mobile teams to restore access to care
Providing mental health and psychosocial support
Delivering hygiene promotion and disease prevention education
Offering youth‑friendly health information on HIV, menstruation, and sexual health.

In places where conflict has torn families apart, restoring healthcare helps them heal today and rebuild for tomorrow.

What makes our work different

Girls at the centre. We focus on girls and young women, not just as recipients of support, but as leaders who shape solutions and drive change in their communities.
From emergency to long-term change. We respond quickly in crises, while also building systems that continue to support communities in the future.
Reaching those others can’t. We consistently reach girls and families in remote, conflict-affected and displaced communities where access to services is limited.
One connected approach. We don’t treat health, nutrition, safety and livelihoods separately. We bring them together to address the real challenges girls face every day.
Locally led and rooted in communities. We work closely with local partners, government and communities, building trust, strengthening local systems and supporting solutions that last.
Turning evidence into action. We use what we learn from communities to influence policies and improve services at national level.

What this looks like in real life

Reaching those who need it most. Thousands of children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women received life-saving health and nutrition support.
Finding and treating malnutrition early. Tens of thousands of children and mothers were screened, helping detect malnutrition early and provide treatment before it becomes life-threatening.
Care that saves lives every day. Thousands of children received treatment for illness, and hundreds of safe births were supported by trained health workers.
Support closer to home. Mobile health teams and community services brought care to remote and crisis-affected areas, ensuring continuity even during emergencies.
Stronger health systems. Hundreds of health workers were trained, and health facilities were equipped and improved, helping communities access better care long-term.
Supporting families beyond healthcare. Families received cash and food support to meet immediate needs, helping them stay healthy and recover during crises.
Helping children grow and thrive. Children received essential vitamins and treatment to support their growth, health and development.