Dubai Cares wraps up Ethiopian drive

Dubai - Home Grown School Feeding programme has led to increase in enrollment schools and reduced dropout rate

Home Grown School Feeding programme implemented in Ethiopia has met the targets and proven to be successful, according to Dubai Cares.
The philanthropic organisation wrapped up its programme which covered 10 districts of the country on a positive note.
Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, said: "Our visit to Ethiopia, and in particular the Wonte Boditi School, has allowed us to clearly see the success of our partners' efforts. As the programme comes to a close, we can take many important lessons away from our activities, which will help us improve future Home Grown School Feeding programs.
"It's also pleasing to see that such an important part of our enhanced school health intervention pilot is meeting the targets we have set. There is much more to be done to support children in the region, but we know now that our plan is working."
A delegation of Dubai Cares led by Al Gurg has visited Ethiopia during the closure of its HGSF programme, which was launched in September 2015.
Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has funded a three-year programme with the objective of improving the education, health, and nutrition of school-aged children across the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR).
According to Dubai Cares, the HGSF programme in Ethiopia has led to a six per cent increase in annual enrollment across the target schools, an improved attendance rate of 96.4 per cent, and a reduced dropout rate of 16 per cent.
The UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ghazi Abdullah Salem Al Mahri, said: "We appreciate the charitable and humanitarian efforts made by Dubai Cares, one of the leading organisations in this field. We thank Dubai Cares for this important and successful programme, which was implemented to meet the health and nutritional needs of children in 80 schools in Ethiopia."
Although Ethiopia has a rapidly growing economy, it remains one of Africa's poorest countries with a GDP per capita of $550.
Education has remained an important part of Ethiopia's development strategy during recent years, with access to quality primary education improving significantly.
Mada AlSuwaidi, Senior Country Programme Officer, Dubai Cares said: "The success of the Dubai Cares programme can be attributed to its sound design, commitment of international partners, and commitment of regional governments to scale-up the initiative and expand the programme's scope."
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