FROM THE DESK EMILY DULIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OPEN LETTER TO FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

ETHIOPIA  

As throughout the rest of Africa, COVID-19 threatens to disproportionately hit Ethiopia, not only as a health crisis in the short-term but also as a devastating economic crisis over the months to follow. Certainly, the pandemic will impact education, human rights, politics, personal safety, and even access to food and water. And, as we all know, when people hurt so do their working equines. These animals will suffer due to lack of care, including abandonment, no shelter, hunger, and thirst.  

On May 10, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute announced the presence of 239 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The first case was confirmed on March 13. On April 10, the Ethiopian government approved a five-month state of emergency to help stop the virus from spreading while limiting economic harm to the most vulnerable populations who rely on daily wages from informal service economies.  

Due to the state of emergency, Ethiopia has closed land borders and schools, freed thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding, sprayed main streets in the capital with disinfectant, and discouraged large gatherings. The government has so far refrained from imposing a lockdown like those in effect elsewhere Africa, and is committed to avoiding closures in Addis Ababa, the capital which boasts an estimated seven million inhabitants and an unemployment rate of about 20 percent. If those living and working in the capital lose their jobs or their work hours are reduced, the impact will be felt in poor communities all over the country. Yet, continued economic activity could lead to millions of people getting infected overwhelming a health care system with few ventilators and limited intensive care units.  

The prime minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed stated, “we can’t impose a lockdown like more developed nations, as there are many citizens who don’t have homes. Even those who have homes must make ends meet daily” (Managing the Politics of Ethiopia’s COVID-19 Crisis, International Crisis Network, April 15, 2020). To note, Ethiopia is ranked as the 10th poorest country on earth which explains the challenges faced by the Ethiopian people due to COVID-19.  

Urban dwellers are confined to living in small spaces while they work to send money home to impoverished agricultural communities. For rural populations throughout Ethiopia, estimated at around 110 million people, conditions are highly conducive for transmission, as people live in crowded inter-generational households that often lack running water.  

Brooke Ethiopia has supported communications and information outreach activities to encourage handwashing and sanitation through the dissemination of hygiene educational materials and hand sanitizers. By helping people, Brooke Ethiopia is helping working equines; the relationship between human and animal is intertwined and certainly fragile right now.  

The effects of the pandemic are also felt in other areas. All passengers arriving in Ethiopia through Bole International Airport are subjected to a COVID-19 screening, including questions about recent travel, temperature taking and a 14-day quarantine period at a local hotel. The country’s upcoming elections have been postponed indefinitely. Moreover, with inflation at more than 20 per cent, the food supply could be at risk, and vital imports such as fuel and medicine could become scarce.  

To conclude, the challenge is that the Ethiopian government must find the middle ground between the health of their citizens and the national economy. In reality, the potential economic consequences could more harmful than the virus itself.