Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: October 21 (EI) – Almost 9 out of every 10 children in Ethiopia experience multiple deprivations in dimensions such as health, nutrition, education, protection, housing, water and sanitation, according to a new report published on Monday.
The National Situation Analysis of Children and Women in Ethiopia 219 report, which was jointly published by the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance on Monday, mainly emphasized that the fact that almost 9 out of every 10 children in Ethiopia experience multiple deprivations serve as a call for coordinated multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder solutions.
“Estimates of pervasive multi-dimensional child poverty, with almost 9 out of every 10 children experiencing multiple deprivations (in dimensions such as health, nutrition, education, protection, housing, water and sanitation) serve as a call for coordinated multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder solutions,” the report read.
“For children, access to basic services such as education, health, nutrition, protection, housing, water and sanitation remains limited for most families and it leaves an estimated 36 million of the country’s 43 million children with insufficient access to basic social services,” the newly published report revealed.
Noting Ethiopia’s ambition to reach middle-income status by 2025 and achieve the SDGs by 2030, the study also called for investments in high impact actions in areas where the burden is high, mainly reducing neonatal mortality, scaling up safe drinking water, ending open defecation, increasing birth registration, expanding social protection and improving access to quality education, including for pre-primary.
According to the joint report, Ethiopia has made “notable strides in overall child survival,” with a reduction in the under-five mortality rate, from 123 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 55 per 1,000 live births in 2019.
“Similar declines have occurred in the infant mortality rate, from 77 per 1,000 in 2005 to 43 per 1,000 in 2019,” the report disclosed, adding that both infant and under-five mortality have declined since 2016.
It, however, indicated that “there has been no improvement in neonatal survival in recent years.”
Recalling Ethiopia’s rank of 173rd out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index, the report also indicated that “while the country is on the path, it has a way to go to reach its destination in terms of inclusive, sustainable development for all.”
