The Socio-Economic Impact of Covid-19 on Young People in Ethiopia

Abstract

The immediate requirement to tolerate in times of COVID-19 are troublingly low in Ethiopia. The larger segment of the population lives on a daily starving income level. A sizable portion of the population struggles with limited access to food, water and housing provisions. 58% of the population lack access to clean water, 89% live without safe toilets, and 55.7% survive without electricity and 48 million people live further than 2Km from all-weather road. Furthermore, the country’s health care system is too basic and fragile to cope up with the preventive methods prescribed by the World Health Organization. With the existing poor socio-economic status of the people, it would be unbelievable for Ethiopia to withstand tremendous shocks posed by the pandemic. (29) The COVID-19 pandemic has bought a highly negative impacts in almost every sectors of the country. The socio-economic impacts has spread in every corner of the country’s economy including governance (Regional response, case investigation, surveillance, coordination and communication), economy (immigration, employment, logistics, border of entry), peace & security (gender based violence, mental health, limited civic space, misinformation), environment (infection, WASH programs, prevention, control) and social wellbeing (Health, Education, social support, food security, External communication).