Autism in Ethiopia is no different to autism anywhere else in the world. However, when autism occurs in combination with poverty, it becomes an unbearable burden for the families affected. Many parents of autistic children in Ethiopia separate – the mothers usually remain single parents. They often end up in poverty and frequently become depressed. With a long-term exchange between therapeutic professionals from Germany and Ethiopia, we want to improve the professional knowledge in the country about the support and therapy options for children with autism and strengthen Ethiopian families with autistic children.

There are four centers for autistic children in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, and another center has now been opened in Hawassa (approx. 300 km south of Addis Ababa). These are the only facilities of their kind in the entire country. The centers were founded on the initiative of mothers of autistic children and now operate as state-recognized NGOs. At the Nehemiah Autism Center, for example, around 60 children are currently being trained by 20 caregivers. However, the waiting lists of these facilities contain around a thousand names of children who would like to receive support.

During our research, we visited all four autism centers in Addis Ababa and discovered what is lacking above all: professional qualifications and continuous training for the staff in the facilities. Unfortunately, there is currently no practical training for psychologists, curative educators, social pedagogues, educators, etc. with a focus on autism in Ethiopia, only a general course of study for special educators.

After we had to postpone our project several times, first due to Corona and then because of the civil war in Ethiopia, our long-awaited Autism Week finally took place in Addis Ababa from July 2 to 10, 2022. Laura Vogt and Jennifer Wiegelmann were there as experts for Autismus Köln/Bonn e.V. Ermias Belai, from our association, accompanied the two experts on site. The project manager in Addis was Biruh Misganaw – Teketayi Abebe helped with interpreting and moderated.

During workshops at the Nehemiah and Joy Autism Centers, there was a lively exchange between the German experts and their colleagues from Ethiopia. Topics included therapeutic approaches such as TEACCH, communication support with picture cards based on PECS and ABA. We were also able to supply each center with a laptop with a printer and METACOM software and train therapists on site in how to work with the software. Battery storage units were also purchased for the facilities to bridge power outages.

Now that the project has been completed, there is a regular exchange between the therapy centers in Addis Ababa and Cologne. Video conferences are held on a jour fixe basis. The conferences can be about special case discussions, but also about other topics – such as internal processes and management issues at the centers.