Kawo Koysha

The Kawo Koysha district is located 375 kilometres south of Addis Ababa in the Walayta-Sodo zone in the regional state of South Ethiopia. The 352 km² area lies at an average altitude of 2,450 metres. The main town of Kawo Koysha is Lasho Town. In the two rainy seasons – the larger from June to mid-October, the smaller from mid-March to the end of April – between 1,000 and 1,400 mm of rain falls per year. The approximately 73,130 inhabitants, 58 per cent women and 42 per cent men, live mainly from agriculture and livestock farming. The yields are insufficient to feed the families. Starting in 2023, Menschen für Menschen has launched an integrated rural development project in Kawo Koysha with the aim of improving the living conditions of the population.

Project start: 2023
Area: 352 km²
Population: approx. 73,130
Location: 375 km south of Addis Ababa

The vast majority of the population of Kawo Koysha practises mixed farming, arable farming and livestock farming. However, the soil is eroded, the fertile soil is washed away during the rainy season, the farmers use outdated seeds and outdated cultivation technologies. The cattle graze on open areas and hardly produce any meat. The yield from agricultural activities is therefore low. Due to population growth, the amount of cultivated land available to each farmer is constantly decreasing. The average area that a farmer uses for cultivation is a quarter of a hectare. The Foundation’s aim in this area is to distribute higher-yielding seeds, introduce vegetable and fruit cultivation and provide training in improved techniques. The natural vegetation in Kawo Koysha is very depleted as wood is used for cooking and as a building material.

The lack of drinking water is one of the biggest challenges in the daily lives of the people in Kawo Koysha. Just 21% of people can drink hygienically safe water. The rest have to fetch water from unprotected places, rivers or pools, with consequences for their health. Diarrhea and other diseases transmitted by contaminated water are the second most common risks among the population. Health facilities and schools also lack water.

The majority of the 22 schools in Kawo Koysha are traditionally built from wood and clay and are therefore quickly falling into disrepair. The rooms are dusty and dark and there is a lack of furniture. Water often seeps in when it rains.

The 15 existing health facilities are also made of traditional building materials. There are too few facilities, which means that pregnant women with labour complications often die on the way to medical care. The equipment is inadequate, for example there is a lack of solar refrigerators to maintain the cold chain for vaccines.

Women traditionally have many tasks. In addition to caring for the children and the household, they are responsible for fetching water and firewood and have to help with field work. They hardly have any income of their own.