GLOBAL INEQUALITIES

1. EthiopiaThe Federal Democratic republic of Ethiopia, commonly referred to as simply Ethiopia, is located in Eastern Africa (co-ordinates 8 00 N, 38 00 E), closely bordered by the countries Djibouti, Eritrea and Kenya. Ethiopia has a population of 84,734,262 people as of 2011. Ethiopia occupies 1, 104, 300 square kilometres of land. According to the CIA World Fact book, Ethiopia is currently the 18th poorest country ( GDP). This has probably been a result of Ethiopia experiencing one of the worst droughts ever recorded. It is estimated that around 70 percent of Ethiopias population live in severe poverty, many surviving on less than a dollar a day. Ethiopia suffers from many environmental issues, such as deforestation, overgrazing and water shortages; caused by water intensive farming and poor management.

2. Differences between Ethiopia and developed countries Everyday life in Ethiopia is incredibly different when compared to that of most developed nations. Ethiopia has many great problems, including: human rights, shelter, water and health.

Although Ethiopia had laws in place preventing child labour, they were not enforced effectively, and child labour still remains a major problem. According to a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs survey 40 percent of children start work before the age of 6. In most developed countries, this isnt even a problem because children do not have to worry about money.

Domestic violence is a problem in Ethiopia, it was found that 69 percent of the countries marriages were of abducted women. According to a survey, more than 74 percent of women between ages 15 and 49, had been subjected to genital mutilation. It is estimated that there are more than 1000 rapes a year in Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia). While women can go

to court and have access to the police officers, the more than likely wont, because it has been deemed a common occurrence in Ethiopia. On the other hand, and female subjected to such abuse in any developed country, wouldnt hesitate to notify a police officer, and the perpetrator would be punished for his crimes.

In Ethiopia, homelessness is a huge problem in Ethiopia. Currently, Ethiopias population growth rate is within the top ten in the world. This is a major cause of concern, due to the face that it is unlikely that these new children will receive adequate housing. When compared to a developed country, Ethiopias housing is dramatically different. Most homeless people in developed countries have access to shelters, which provide a roof over their heads, warmth and food.

Ethiopia has very depleted water resources, with only 42 percent of the Ethiopian population having access to improved water supply. In rural parts of Ethiopia, collecting water resources take a lot of effort. Women and children walk up to six hours to collect water supply, while the majority of the population collect water from unprotected ponds. Both of these sources are subject to contamination. However, access to clean water in Australia is not a problem. Australia has three times more drinking water availability compared to Ethiopia. Australians use around 385 litres of water per person; while on average households in Ethiopia collect only 11 litres of water per person each day.

UNICEF
UNICEF is a major organisation providing children in developing countries with the essential aspects of life including: food, water, shelter and education. In recent months, UNICEF has vaccinated over 1.2 million children against the measles and has provided 2.2 million people with access to clean water. UNICEF has prevented malnutrition in Ethiopia and supplied fresh water to many people during the great drought.

Save the Children UK

Save the Children UK employs 5, 430 staff from more than 40 different countries. Save the Children UK strives to provide developing countries in Africa and Asia with a better education, access healthcare and food. Save the Children UK are giving more and more people in Ethiopia having access to the treatment needed to cure diseases such as: malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia. 125, 000 people have benefited from this.

World Vision
World Vision is a global organisation that provides short term and long term assistance. In Ethiopia, World Vision has sponsor children where funds are provided to their families and communities in order to meet their basic needs in areas such as education, clean water and healthcare. They also distribute food aid to drought-affected families. There are many things that YOU can do as a global citizen to help reduce the inequalities in Ethiopia. Little things, such as spreading awareness can help. The more people who know

about these problems, the more likely people are to step in and actually something. As well as this, you can donate money to charities. Even small amounts can make a difference; every little thing can help reduce these global inequalities.

Bibliography
U.S. Department Of State. April 2, 2012. Background Note: Ethiopia http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2859.htm (Accessed 23 August 2012) Infoplease. 2008. Ethiopia: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/ Holidays/ Cities. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107505.html?pageno=1 (Accessed 23 August 2012) UNICEF. 2012. About Us http://www.unicef.org.au/About-Us.aspx (Accessed 25 August 2012) Central Intelligence Agency. Africa: Ethiopia https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/et.html (Accessed 23 August 2012) BBC News. 2012. Ethiopia Profile http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13349398 (Accessed
23 August 2012)

U.S. Department Of State. 2005. Ethiopia http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41603.htm (Accessed 25 August) Water.Org, 2012. Ethiopia http://water.org/country/ethiopia/ (Accessed 24 August 2012) Save The Children. 2012. About Us http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us (Accessed 25 August 2012) World Vision Australia. 2012. About Us http://www.worldvision.com.au/Home.aspx (Accessed 25 August 2012)