Location Profile

Addis Ababa

With an estimated population of over 2.7 million, Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. The city is located at the geographic center of the nation in the mountainous Shawa Province. It is situated at an elevation of about 8000 feet above sea level on a plateau that is crossed by numerous streams and surrounded by hills. Its high elevation gives the city a mild, pleasant climate.

Though cars, trucks and motorbikes clog the narrow streets, most residents do not own their own automobiles. The fastest and easiest transportation around town is in mini-vans called "Wee Eeuts", which drive through the city or its outskirts on specific routes. Transport in these vehicles is an adventure in itself. The drivers usually go very fast and there is always room for a few more customers!

Addis Ababa is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa due to thousands of rural immigrants seeking relief from war, poverty and famine. It has long been plagued by massive unemployment, with the current rate standing at 42%. The fragile urban economy provides many with only the barest subsistence. Women headed households, which make up one third of the total, are the most vulnerable. It is women and children who most suffer the consequences of poverty. Some are able to make a living selling firewood, dried peppers or lentils; the most unfortunate have few options other than begging and prostitution. Thousands of children live on the streets and many more have no access to education.

Addis Ababa is no paradise for most of its residents and workers. The city is sharply divided by class and ethnicity, with informal settlements concentrated near the center and wealthier districts to the southeast and southwest. Many citizens lack running water or electricity, and only a tiny fraction, just 3%, have flushing toilets linked to the sewer system. Cesspools and septic tanks are common in affluent neighborhoods, but those living in slums lack access to a latrine, and sewage flows uncovered through the narrow streets and alleys. Unfortunately, the majority of the population lives in slums or informal settlements enduring appalling living conditions. The absence of sanitation in the city leads to the spread of illness and disease through contaminated drinking water.

Malnutrition, disease (especially air and waterborne diseases), drug abuse, poor sanitation, poor garbage disposal, and above all, hopelessness are epidemic here. Operation Harvest is working hand and hand with the church to bring hope to the hopeless. This field worker will assist the local churches in Addis Ababa as they equip their lay people to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only hope a lost and dying world can depend upon.

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