Due to poor infrastructure and the difficult geography of the country, rural parts of Ethiopia are isolated from many services such as health and education or opportunities in business and trade. Moreover, agricultural profits are often below subsistence levels, thus contributing to further poverty. Rural households also often suffer from a high burden of disease due to poor access to clean water and sanitation systems and high rates of malnutrition. They also do not have adequate access to education, either because quality of schooling is poor or because the opportunity cost of attendance is too high. Compounding all this, Ethiopia is a country that experiences recurring droughts and natural disasters. The historical trends have shown that Ethiopia has gone from experiencing one drought every decade to one drought every 2-3 years. In addition, the spring and summer rains have declined by 15-20% since the mid-1970s. Observed substantial warming across the entire country and decline of rainfall adversely affecting crop yields and pasture conditions suggest that the number of at-risk people in Ethiopia will increase during the next 20 years.

Expected Results

ER 1.1: Improved access to and sustainable management of sanitation and water resources for domestic consumption and productive use.

ER 1.2: Improved protection of the environment and response to environmental shocks.

ER 2.1: Increased capacity of marginalized groups to engage in income-generating activities.

ER 2.2: Enhanced ability of power holders and marginalized groups to challenge existing discriminatory social norms and expand the role of women and girls.

ER 3.1: Increased engagement of local government with community to address needs.

ER 3.2: Increased involvement of the private sector in water, sanitation and the environment sector together with increased engagement of local government and communities with the private sector.

Main Activities

• In areas of the previous SWEEP project, support to increase capacity of community and government to continue to manage and operate water resource systems (domestic and irrigation).
• In new areas, support provided to government and community to increase domestic water and sanitation supply and ensure they are fully functional and accessible to the community.
• In new areas, government and community supported to increase their environmental resilience.
• In areas of the previous SWEEP project, support to increase capacity of government and marginalised groups to continue to engage in income-generating activities.
• In new areas, support government to facilitate marginalized groups’ engagement in income-generating activities.
• In areas of the previous SWEEP project, support government to work with communities to continue challenging existing discriminatory social norms and expand the role of women and girls.
• In new areas, support government to work with communities to challenge existing discriminatory social norms and expand the role of women and girls.
• In areas of the previous SWEEP project, support to increase capacity of local government to engage with community to address needs.
• In SWEEP and new areas, support to increase capacity for joint learning.
• In areas of the previous SWEEP project, strengthen private sector actors, with businesses in the water, sanitation and environmental sector in particular.