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Eritrea

Women in Eritrea water their crops [CAFOD]

Political and economic troubles, and outbreaks of conflict, have dogged Eritrea since it achieved independence from Ethiopia after decades of war in 1993. Extreme poverty now exists across the country.

Key challenges

Loss of livelihood: Severe drought has forced people to sell their assets to buy food, leaving them without the seeds, tools or animals needed to cultivate the land.

CAFOD spent £37,000 in Eritrea in 2008

Conflict: The war itself disrupted the economy and local markets, and left many people traumatised.

Faith as a duty to help those in need

Abba Uqbagabher, General Secretary of the Eritrean Bishops Conference, tells of the struggle the church faced to operate in the country after independence