Donkey and Cart Project: The Fuga Community in Southern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is a home for many minority groups, consisting of hunters and craft workers, including among others; the Wayto among the Amhara, the Waata among the Oromo, the Manjo among the Kafa and the Fuga in Kembata and Wolayita Zones. The drastic changes in the country in the twentieth century have altered the ways in which minority groups, including hunters and craft workers, earn their livelihood. Although the gap between the standards of living of minorities and majority groups have not been that much spectacularly visible, minorities are still excluded from the mainstream of social life, and are discriminated against by the majority groups. Notwithstanding the fact that the Constitution grants rights to ethnic groups, these minorities have not been recognised as who they are, and have become even more marginalized and deprived of access to the available economic and political resources. Read more

Construction Rocks and Stones Production Project: Lalibela – Ethiopia

Background:
Being the second most populous nation in Africa, with a high potential and actual labour force, Unemployment is one of the most serious problems in Ethiopia. The country is among the leading States with the highest percentage of unemployment rate in the world with a devastating percentage of 17.5% – as unveiled by the National Statistics Agency in the year 2014.  As it can be evidenced from the various reports of the World Bank, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and other stakeholders, the country’s unemployment statistics is more characterised by a higher number of youth unemployment, urban unemployment, and women unemployment, taking the Lion’s share of the overall jobless population in the country.
The usually invoked arguments as to  the waning economic policy of the nation, the ruling party’s affiliated job opportunities, the Party and government monopoly of the economy and related racial and linguistic discriminatory-based arrangements for job and business entrepreneurship  facilities – both in government and private sector, may have been contributing for such obnoxious rate of unemployment. However,   a stereotypically and sarcastically constructed negative perception against some jobs or businesses as dismal or ineptitude has also left many young people jobless. This mentality of overlooking some jobs under the guise of abstractive pride or honour has led many people to remain as job seekers while they were supposed to be job creators. Read more

Ethiopia / Lalibela: Residential Housing for the poor Residents of Lalibela

Following the devastating famine in Ethiopia in 1985, the Government of Ethiopia, a host of Non Government Organization and the citizens embarked on rebuilding the country and her population
Peter Bachmann Foundation, PBF, later joined hands with the efforts to help citizens recover not just in the areas of food, health education and shelter but also with but also their self-worth; PBF sponsored children education needs support to health centers and support for small businesses, Agriculture in this effort with wonderful results. PBF helped build Peter Village in Lalibela which was highly appreciated.
Although Ethiopia has continued to register great double-digit DGP growth in the past 20 years or so, this growth actually has widened the gap between the rich and the poor more so in the countryside and the small cities.
The Housing Project is to provide shelter to the poorest of the poor mostly very elderly widows living in the slums of the great and Historical city of Lalibela.
These are people evicted from a slum village that live in ‘World Vision’ village; this village is formerly site for World Vision camp during the work and food distribution during the famine of 1985.
These poor people occupied the sheds and warehouses and for the past 30 years, paid some little fees to the Government. They suffer during rains and respiratory sicknesses as the sheds are made of iron sheets both walls and roofing and are very cols during the rainy seasons and very hot in the sunny days.
The Government is evicting them to give way for a road construction without compensation but has allocated them plots of land of 120 square meters and no money or construction.
PBF responded to this need and lead by team leader, Mesay Mekuanent, 29 families being the poorest of the poor were selected as beneficiary. Read more

February 2016: Ethiopia / Lalibela: Toilet Construction

Background
Sanitation, hygiene and toilet facilities are the common, but the most forgotten problems in Ethiopia. Let alone in rural areas, where such kind of facilities are usually considered as luxuries, even the capital Addis Ababa, only with 63 public toilets for more than 4 million population of its inhabitants, could not provide the minimum conveniences.
If one looks the situation in the country side, including in those Read more

Background:
Injera as a Brand Food for Ethiopians:
Enjera is a matchless, inimitable, and very popular food having a kind of spongy, sour and flatbread type. For Ethiopians and also Eritreans, it is a kind of meal that gives immeasurable satisfaction not only to the hungered body but also to their inner contentment. It is made with a locally harvested grain called Teff, a tiny and round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. Teff is a very nutritious crop containing calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium and other contents. Read more

Financial Support

The Foundation provides financial support for the purpose of starts of help for self-help projects. Read more

Medical Care

Helping the invalid, when the government itself is paralysed. In Sri Lanka the costs for health are not completely covered by the government. The economic consequences which arise from this situation are also very difficult for the government to solve. It is here that the foundation tries to help. Education and medical development are important aspects of the Foundation’s work. If disease can be recognised earlier it is easier to treat. Read more