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The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation

Community-driven, Sustainable Development to End Extreme Poverty

Extreme Poverty

Understanding & Responding to Extreme Poverty

To understand Ethiopia's situation, we need to understand extreme poverty. While there are many ways to understand extreme poverty, we can think of as a point along a continuum. On one end, we have "inconveniently poor," and at the other end, we have "life-threatening poverty."

Inconvenienced by desires

Some people think they are poor because they are 'not rich'--they do not have everything they want. This can be a state of mind of people who live in developed countries who watch television and see things they want, but cannot afford.

Inconvenienced by choices

Some people think they are poor because toward the end of the month, they do not have enough money to buy everything they would like to buy.

Dependent on others

Some people think they are poor because they are dependent on others for a place to live or food. Usually, this is the case in wealthy countries, where governments have the resources to help people who cannot work due to illness, aging, or lack of qualifications or opportunities.

Life threatening poverty

People living in extreme poverty are 'dangerously poor,' their lives are threatened by starvation and disease and their government does not have the resources to help them.

The Price of Extreme Poverty

• On our planet, more than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day
• Each year, six million malnourished children die before their 5th birthday
• Every thirty seconds an African child dies from malaria
• The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth: North America, 1 in 3,700 pregnancies; sub-Sahara Africa, 1 in 16 pregnancies

In extremely poor countries, poverty is not an inconvenience, it is a death sentence!

Ethiopia is Extremely Poor

• Ethiopia is the most populous, poorest country in the world
• Average income is US $103 per year
• Life expectancy is 41 years
• 80% of the people suffer from debilitating diseases
• Ethiopia is extremely poor due to very extreme circumstances

Extreme Poverty is Extreme Loss

 Loss of Natural Capital

• On planet Earth, we have water, soil/minerals, air, plants, and animals. We may think of these elements as "Natural Capital." They are the raw materials that are essential to human survival or useful to humans in earning an income.
• In Ethiopia, the natural capital has declined for decades:
  • Safe drinking water is scarce
  • Droughts and erosion have destroyed land that produces food
  • There are fewer trees and crops
  • Many of the animals are sick and either cannot help work the land or they are not safe to eat

Loss of Social Capital

• The people living in every country have languages, memories, knowledge, wisdom, know-how, and problem-solving skills. We may think of people and all that they know and do, as "Social Capital."
• In Ethiopia, the social capital has declined for decades:

  • Many people are ill and cannot work productively

  • Few people complete their education and therefore do not acquire the skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic

  • Many, many children die before they grow to adulthood

Helping Extremely Poor People

• When droughts, famines, and floods happen, we must use relief approaches to minimize loss of life; however, we must keep in mind that relief approaches focus on the lack of natural capital (i.e., food, shelter, and medicine)
• To help people overcome extreme poverty, we must use development approaches to strengthen the community's social capital. People must learn how to cope with their situations, plan new approaches to changes in their environments, and the plans must be practical and sustainable

The Big Question

• One question arises over and over when any organization tries to reduce poverty: Will the improvements last?
• The answer is YES, but only if we use community-driven development approaches. When we listen to the people in need, they define their most pressing problems, and together we design programs and techniques that will work, that will last, and can be maintained, then the changes become permanent.

A New Approach

• We started Praxis Ethiopia to serve as a model for ending poverty in Ethiopia and sub-Sahara Africa
  • The model grew out of our experiences with the Ethio-Forum 2002
  • We developed the approach under the guidance of H.E. Dr. Aseffa Abreha and in close consultation with leading experts in both private sector (NGO) and senior governmental ministers
  • We finalized our vision in close cooperation with H.E. Prime Minister Meles
• The Foundation raises funds to promote, support, and celebrate community-driven poverty reduction that uses science-based sustainable development approaches

The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation

• Builds upon the excellent work of the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund (a highly successful, community-driven model funded by the World Bank and led by His Excellency Dr. Aseffa Abreha [His Excellency serves as the Foundation's Chairperson])
• Follows the guidance of the World Bank for designing and implementing sustainable poverty-reduction interventions

Support at the Highest Levels

Ethiopia's Prime Minister supports the Foundation

On 25 January 2002, His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi graciously accepted our invitation to serve as the Patron of Praxis Ethiopia and His Excellency serves as the Honorary Chairperson of the Foundation's Board of Directors

Ethiopia's President supports the Foundation

In September 2005, His Excellency Ato Girma Wolde Giorgis made the opening address at Praxis Ethiopia's inaugural event at the Sheraton Addis, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In his address, the President referred to Praxis Ethiopia as the "World Bank of Ideas and Innovations."

You Can Help Praxis Ethiopia to Help Ethiopia

• The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation is a publicly-supported charity based in the United States.
• Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductable to the extent allowed under the laws of your country
• You may donate to the Foundation through Google Checkout, or make an honorarium or memorial donation
• Service clubs and places of worship may also help the Foundation through special support programs

One from All

The Foundation's "One from All, All for One" Program helps service clubs contribute to community-driven poverty reduction. If your service club would like to support the work of The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation and would like to contribute one dollar per member per month to this cause, please click here to learn more.

Change for Change

The Foundation's "Change for Change" Program helps places of worship contribute to community-driven poverty reduction. To participate in the program, your Place of Worship would designate one service (or more) each month during which people could give their spare change to support the Foundation's work. Then every few months, your place of worship would send a check to the Foundation for the amount of money collected. If your place of worship would like to participate in the Change for Change Program, please click here to learn more.

Summary

• Extreme conditions create extreme poverty
• Extreme poverty kills people
• Relief efforts save lives, development services help people to recover their lives and re-build their communities
• People born into extreme poverty need to know how to survive and thrive
• You can help to end extreme poverty

The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation is an independent, US-based, 501(c)(3) publicly-supported charity created to help end extreme poverty in Ethiopia and sub-Sahara Africa