Recent UNICEF statistics report that over four million of Ethiopia’s children are orphaned due to poverty and illness. Nearly 40 percent of the general population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day. Only 42 percent have access to improved drinking water and only 11 percent have access to improved sanitation facilities. Without proper drinking water and sanitation, the spread of disease and illness is nearly impossible to control. Malaria, typhoid, parasites, pneumonia, and malnutrition are just some of the many prevalent health risks and causes of premature death in the country. With nearly nonexistent access to healthcare, almost 12 percent of children will die before their fifth birthday and one in every 14 women will die during childbirth.
