In addition to our partnership with the International Fund for Africa, there are several reasons why we have such a large presence in Ethiopia.
Why Ethiopia
As with many low-income countries:
- The suffering is immense – both people and animals need immediate help.
- Our dollar is relatively powerful – our contributions go farther and help more.
- Habits and institutions are less entrenched – our efforts make a bigger impact.
In Ethiopia, in particular:
- Ethiopia is Africa’s largest producer and exporter of livestock.
- Ethiopia is the world’s 10th largest producer of livestock.
- Ethiopia seeks to increase their export of meat products to 4x the 2007 levels.
Vegan Food Partners Conference
The Vegan Food Partners one-day conference exceeded our expectations with 100 attendees as well as TV coverage and video of the entire program. In preparation for the conference, we found more than two dozen local people to directly participate (including a doctor, wellness professionals, community leaders, and a hotel owner who donated the entire conference space).
The conference served three main purposes:
EVA Weekly Food Share
The most immediate impact of the conference was strengthening the Ethiopian Vegan Association and the Food Sharing Program.
The conference pulled together a new, highly dedicated and energized EVA leadership. We partnered with Food Not Bombs and invited their founder Keith McHenry to join us. He worked with EVA on how to best collect, prepare, and distribute food.
The program now feeds more than 100 people each Saturday… for only $60!
Part of the reason for the personal visit and re-training was that the monthly Food Sharing Program was beginning to falter. Not only saving the program, but expanding it to once a week is a huge accomplishment.
School Feeding Program
We visited a school that feeds more than 3,000 children. More than 40% of people in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, are Orthodox Christians that have extensive “fasting” periods. Food is still allowed but not meat, dairy or eggs. For simplicity, some institutions (like the school and HOPE) serve vegan food year-round.
HOPE Feeding Program
Our last visit to vegan feeding programs brought us to HOPE. In addition to a wide variety of family care, vocation programs, and food security projects for farmers, HOPE feeds breakfast to 800 “street” children and has lunch feeding centers that serve 1,000. As building blocks toward independent living, their Ladder of HOPE is comprised of basic care, education, competence, self-sufficiency, and value maturity.
United Nations Meeting
Our last stop was to Ethiopia’s United Nations branch offices. Mia MacDonald of Brighter Green organized a private meeting for us with staff from:
- UNEP – Environmental Programme
- UNDP – Development Programme
- FAO – Food and Agricultural Organization
- UNESCO – Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
I briefly explained AWFW’s position on the need to reduce global meat consumption and how Ethiopia would benefit by not expanding their production. I also provided them with Brighter Green’s research papers. Unfortunately, these particular representatives hold the same position as the Ethiopian government.
Even though most of Ethiopia’s production is for export, they assert that expanding their livestock sector will reduce hunger and increase food security. While I wish I had better news to report, these meetings are important so we understand the reasoning behind their actions and how to better address the issues.