As many as nine million Ethiopians have disabilities - about 10 per cent of the population. Yet, the population often misunderstands the causes of physical disability and some Ethiopians believe it is a curse from God. One NGO working to change attitudes is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Cheshire Services is celebrating 50 years in Ethiopia this year, a remarkable feat given the upheavals the country has known in that period.

Amber Stime needed more than a hand. She needed two.
After nearly a decade of use, the prosthetics worn by the Palo Alto resident were falling apart despite a patchwork of repairs.
"They don't fit right," said Stime, 50, who lost her hands when she picked up a landmine in her native Ethiopia as a toddler. "I'm tired by the end of the day because I have to compensate for them."

But the founder and director of African Cradle Inc., a Mountain View-based nonprofit organization that caters to the needs of adopted children of African descent and their families, was in a bind. She gave up her health insurance years ago to stay afloat financially and couldn't afford replacements.

Addis Ababa- January 4, 2012- Now days we are fortunate enough to have dual holidays for the same cause. We celebrate two new years and two X-mass in one year period. Last weekend, Ethiopians, with a high spirit celebrated the western New Year. The spirit, on the eve was closely similar to the Ethiopian New Year which was celebrated four months a go. Considering a week after the New Year, Saturday, is a celebration of the Ethiopian X-mass (Gena), many in Addis spent the eve, making the day an early celebration of the approaching holiday.

Fog harvesting, a technique used by nature and ancient civilizations to wring water out of the air, is getting a second look as modern technology tackles an age-old problem. Drought-parched communities around the world are running out of options. As water tables drop, populations grow, and the climate changes, having sustainable sources of water in relatively arid regions has taken on new urgency. Fog harvesting, used by beetles and redwoods alike, is a chance to pour fresh, clean water into empty cisterns.

Australia's Tour de France champion Cadel Evans and his Italian wife are adopting a one-year-old Ethiopian boy, according to a report. Evans had hinted at a child, telling his Twitter followers on Tuesday he was "busy babysitting". His wife, Chiara Passerini, who had posted an image via Twitter of her holding a small child's hand with the message "We had the most special Christmas of our lives", confirmed the couple had travelled to Ethiopia to adopt a child.

"I can't imagine the weight that was on her," Kelly said of Mary's recollection of her home in Ethiopia. "After I told her the paperwork said her mom was dead, she thought maybe she was dead and nobody told her. So it was huge for her to know she was right, that her mother was alive. I was lucky she remembered and was strong enough to stick with her story."

You've probably never seen a Lada before but the Russian cars are ubiquitous in Ethiopia. The boxy Cold War-era vehicles are commonly painted blue and white and used as taxicabs in Addis Ababa.

The name Lalibela should be as famous as Petra. It has been said that if Lalibela were anywhere but Ethiopia, the small city high in the Lasta mountains would be considered one of the Wonders of the World. Lalibela was the reason I went to Ethiopia. Images of its churches have intrigued me for years - and in person, they did not disappoint. The 11 Christian churches, still in use, were carved down out of solid rock some time in the 13th century; to this day no one is sure how. Each is unique and fascinating. Many are linked through tunnels or passages, forming something like an underground village.

One of the ways to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS is to destigmatize homosexuality. Unfortunately, many government and religious leaders in Africa want to ignore that, and that includes a large number of religious leaders in Ethiopia. Religious leaders in that nation abruptly canceled a news conference calling for the denunciation of the planned meeting of a group of LGBT rights activists on the fringes of an international meeting on AIDS. Among those who were suppose to meet with journalists in Addis Ababa were Abune Paulos, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as well as “representatives of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, the Roman Catholic Church, and Protestant denominations.”

The best Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto make for a great night out, complete with belly-warming, aromatic comfort food, great ambiance and a reasonable bill at the end of the meal. All the top spots in the city are in fairly small and intimate spaces, filled with spicy smells and happy eaters. For those interested in the slow food movement, this is the cuisine for you. You can expect to wait a good half hour at most of these places so be sure to bring along good conversationalists and good eaters. Served on one large platter for the table, the dishes are meant to be shared.

The best place to find Canadians at our best is often in the rarest of places. It is in the villages of Africa, helping distribute the most basic necessities of life or in the most dangerous of places in times of war keeping peace as envisioned by our Nobel Peace Prize winning Canadian Diplomat, Lester B Pearson generations ago. Whether we are New Democrats, Liberals, Greens or Conservatives, we have always worn our great mutual citizenship in our heart and, as Bono, reminded us, “The world needs more Canada”

One of the precious few perks to living in the District of Columbia (sorry guys) is the wealth of amazing Ethiopian food. We've yet to find an area of New York as concentrated with Ethiopian joints as the U Street corridor and Adams Morgan are, so we were thrilled to bump into Hiyaw Gebryohannes, chef and founder of Taste of Ethiopia, at Foragers market this afternoon.

If I listed the things that I admire about the people in Ethiopia, religion would most certainly be at the top. People openly observe their religion and follow their beliefs there. In America, a person's spiritual beliefs are often listed as an “optional” questionnaire response. I don't necessarily think it's bad to keep our religion a secret.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder & managing director of soleRebels, Africa’s fastest growing footwear brand, has been awarded the prestigious Most Valuable Entrepreneur (MVE) award during a special event at the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week [GEW] in Ethiopia. “I am honored to be given this award. I accept it with the full knowledge that not simply hard work, but good fortune and having a great team beside me, have allowed me to achieve my dreams. That is the true power of entrepreneurship - it involves not only an idea and a single person, but also those who will follow that idea, dedicate themselves to it and make it a living and breathing reality. It is within this process that greater shared prosperity for the many can be achieved.”

WHEN Heiko Schroeder saw the job advertisement in the London Times, it seemed almost calculated to capture his interest. It sought an academic to oversee the transformation of the technology faculty of a rapidly growing university. But there was a catch: the applicant would have to move to Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.