is an ancient civilisation, rich with culture and tradition. However, since the 1980's, has been synonymous with famine and hardship. Few could forget the harrowing images and news headlines broadcast on televisions around the world at that time. Many did what they could to help, with events such as Band Aid and Live Aid helping to bring 's plight to the world's attention.

Since then, has been in and out of the public eye but the problems have not gone away. today remains one of the poorest countries on earth and it's people continue to endure terrible suffering. Ethiopiaid aims to create lasting and positive change in by tackling the problems of poverty, ill health and poor education.

In November 2010 I will be travelling to the Ethiopian capital, to help some of these people. Before I leave the , I need your help and generosity to reach and hopefully exceed my target fund of £2000. During my time in I will be spending time visiting schools and hospitals, working with some of the local projects supported by Ethiopiaid - this is where your money and donations will be going. A selection of these projects are outlined below, with examples of how your donation - no matter how small - can help.

Please give generously and help support the people of to support themselves. Thank you.

HOPE. In alone, an estimated 60,000 children are living rough on the dangerous streets of this impoverished city. Often abandoned and without parents, these children spend every waking hour desperately seeking food and shelter. Many are forced to beg, steal or worse, simply to get their next meal. Since 2000, HOPE has been working with Ethiopiaid to provide food and schooling to hundreds of street children. Every morning, project staff round up these children from doorways, bus stations and derelict hovels. They provide a simple breakfast of milk, two pieces of bread and a banana as an incentive to attend informal classes in basic literacy and numeracy which are held afterwards. A social worker and project office are constantly working to try and reunite these children with their families.

Just £100 will provide one of these children with breakfast and schooling for an entire year.

Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Situated in is a compound known locally as "The House of Angels". Those within it's walls and who arrive at it's doors are among the most desperate on earth. The nuns that run the compound work tirelessly to help refugees, the blind, disabled, mentally and physically ill, the poor, the homeless and victims of floods, epidemics and famine. Nobody is turned away. The House of Angels is often a last resort for the city's most despairing people, both young and old. Many of those in need have been left in the alleyways surrounding the compound by family members simply unable to cope. The nuns also run an orphanage within the compound for children who have lost their parents, many of them to HIV/AIDS. Some of the children are adopted, whilst those remaining are given a home and are cared for.

The House of Angels has basic overheads to cover which include medical supplies, food and maintenance costs. Your donation, whatever the size can help keep this amazing place going.

The . This is an incredible place where dedicated hospital staff rebuild lives and restore dignity every day to women afflicted with this horrific condition. All the women who visit the hospital have suffered traumatic childbirth injuries. Coming from miles around, they leave the hospital cured, with a new dress and a smile on their face. The hospital encourages their patients to regain as much independence as possible and providing them with work is one of the best ways to achieve this. The hospital trains groups of women who are recovering from their operations in tailoring skills to help them find work making dresses and uniforms after returning home. Through this they develop flexible skills and more confidence so they can leave the hospital smiling, assured their futures are bright and full of opportunities. The hospital is one of Ethiopiaid's major beneficiaries, having supported them since 1994. In 2005 it was estimated that 40,000 women were living with a fistula in . At the current rate of 1,200 interventions a year, it would take over 33 years to treat the backlog of patients. To date Ethiopiaid has donated over £2.8m to the organisation which has helped to give back lives to thousands of women, but much more needs to be done.

£100 can pay for the operation to treat a Fistula victim

£50 will buy medical supplies for the hospital

£25 can by enough food to build one patient up to full strength so that she can undergo an operation

Facing - Noma. Not many people have heard of Noma as it disappeared from developed countries over 100 years ago. It reappeared in during the Second World War, mainly in the Nazi concentration camps. Noma is a horrific, flesh-eating disease that attacks people, particularly children whose immune systems have been weakened by disease and malnutrition. The infection starts in the mouth and spreads rapidly. within weeks, the lips, cheek, nose and jaw are eaten away by gangrene, leaving ghastly, painful wounds on the victim's faces. Only 10% of victims survive this ravaging disease, but for the survivors, the suffering continues for the rest of their lives. They are excluded from society, horrifying everyone they come across. Victims are left unable to speak, eat or even drink properly and are doomed to a life of pain, embarrassment and misery. Ethiopiaid is working with a charity called Facing Africa to send teams of highly-skilled medical volunteers to to perform reconstructive surgery on people who have been tragically disfigured by Noma. All the healthcare professionals are unpaid volunteers, generously donating their time to and skills to this fantastic cause, yet it still costs around £800 to fund each specialist operation. These professionals use extremely delicate and lengthy procedures to take flesh from one part of the body and use it to reconstruct the victim's faces. In the process they also pass on their specialist knowledge and expertise, including the latest surgical techniques to Ethiopian doctors. This will go towards helping them to successfully treat Noma patients in the future and quite literally return the smiles to their patient's faces.

£100 will pay for the post-surgery treatment of one patient

£50 will go towards the cost of one Noma operation

£25 can buy enough food to bring a patient up to full strength so that they can undergo the operation.

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