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80,000 Addis Ababa residents eat trash to survive (video)

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

The video below shows a shocking story about 80,000 Ethiopians who survive on trash at the Addis Ababa city dump in an area called Korah. Many of the people who scavenge through the trash are children and women. These people are living under such horrible poverty not because Ethiopia is a poor country. Some of the reason is that Ethiopia’s treasure is being squandered and looted by Meles Zenawi’s ruling party, that educated people who can help develop the country are forced into exile, and that the country is being ruled by a government of idiots.

This video below will make any decent human being sick. The billions of dollars donation collected from around the world by the Meles regime in the name of these people is being used to keep them under such hellish poverty. This is done with the full knowledge and active collaboration of the poverty-mongers at the World Bank and IMF, as well as Western governments who are financing the parasite regime, and training its killers to keep it in power (see here). Ethiopians are smart, hard working people. With the right government, they can make a decent living. Ethiopians do not expect the West to give them their freedom. We are simply asking the U.S. and E.U. to stop giving weapons and money to the brutal, parasite regime that is sucking the life blood of Ethiopia.

And below are some horrifying pictures of how tens of thousands of children live in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. These people live under such obscene poverty partly because the so-called “government” is busy buying thanks and fighter jets, and building concentration camps, instead of schools. The other reason is that the Ethiopian elite that has the capacity to do some thing about it simply chose to be indifferent.

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Korah, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

99 thoughts on “80,000 Addis Ababa residents eat trash to survive (video)”

  3. Disadvantaged people live every where in the world. 13% of people in USA about 45 millions have no food to eat if they don’t get help from the government, still millions of people digging trash every day to collect cans, plastics and bottles for recycling the same thing happens in Ethiopia.

  5. What a bunch of Heart less Woyane, who forget what people do when they are starved. what a stupid thing to compare America To Ethiopia where a recycling service comes to each home if people chooses to do so. I do not know any one throw any bottle away in ethiopia where you buy a Coke which includes a bottle price. Why on earth any one go to this disease infected garbage dump to make any coin unless they are desperate? We have seen people eat dirt in Ethiopia during Mengistu now Garbage. 80000 is not a true number, if there is an istmated 5,000,000 orphans running around in Ethiopia according other international Orgs.

  9. I weaped water

    eat nothing after all.

    The runing dogs

    over me

    But I find them

    like friend..

    I give a pray

    give me back my childhood…

    I never there

    But,the kids of Azieb

    Born to kill

    live joyfull

    att Holly-Wood…

  10. Hatsi HaileSillasie was good with Wollo Hunger 200,000 1972-73 and Dergue was also better with 2,000,000 victmes 1984-85.But this killers are extremis when they handel like that againsty the generetion.

  11. They need to go to school not collecting trash or recycling. Someone has to take responsibilty for this poor children immadiatly. Why don,t Meles learn from eritrean government how they fully take care of the comming generation. meles was good to be tought while he was leader of TPLF in Tigray or in ENDA SELLASIE ADWA.

  12. First, I would like to send my heartfelt gratitude to the Ethiopian Civic and Political Group, Media, Activists, Scholars, and Artists. Meles uses Ethiopian money to spread his propaganda through his PR machine DLA Piper, and his personal Woyane Ambassadors around the world. I appreciate the Ethiopian Associations so much for all the sacrifices and the struggle they are making for their country and Ethiopian people. The struggle of Ethiopians and the #1 liar of the world–Meles is like the Biblical story of Samson and Goliath. I have faith that God watches Marxist Meles, and Meles will be defeated when that time comes. One of many Meles’s lies that he has been spreading is that, all the people who protest against him around the world are only the privileged Amharas, that want to take power back in Ethiopia. The statements that was made by CU professors Sachs and Stiglitz is the testimony by itself how Meles’ lies are being believed and accepted to be the truth. It is great and I am thankful to see that many Ethiopian websites work hard to inform Ethiopians in everyday basis. In addition to informing Ethiopians, I hope in the background more formations about Meles, letters, videos, photos are being send out to different organizations and the world media about the horrible living conditions of Ethiopians and the distractions of Ethiopian’s land that are being given free of charge to foreigners out side of the province of Tigrea.

  14. Reta,

    What is your point exactly?Why do you feel ashmed for seeing this videos?After all these are the faces of actual people who are forced to live this way for survival.
    Apparently, you must be one of those well paid government supporters,other wise you should have been shocked,confused,and perplexed by such scenery.The only thing that bothers you is that its revelation.

    Look,I don’t want to see images of of beautifull kids tring to survive from left over of trash,but this is the reality of life for this kids.Friend,you need to have fear of GOD.Feel the pain of these kids and dont stand oppsing its report as if it does’nt exist. After this report I can only hope help will arise from some corner for the needy kids.
    If you are living life to the brim under melese good for you.But stop your portrial of life in Ethiopia,under weyane, as paradis for the majority of citizens.That this is not the case is proved as the immage we see stands in sharp contrast to your clai. Your emphasis that it should not be reported,we have to respect them doesnt hold up.

  15. 10% of the money Meles and his cohorts keep in foreign banks would have been sufficient to build a shelter, education and provide food for these children …. I guess that is asking too much !!!! Any one who tries to defend this unfortune situation, be it supporter of the gvt or otherwise, should question his own moral values. The worst I found is that those people trying to compare it with US …
    I personaly won’t wish to see any children be it in Ethiopia or elsewhere eat or work, as some might say, in this kind of conditions.

  16. ELIAS,

    THANKS AS ALWAYS.

    EXPOSING THE APARTHEID SYSTEM IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR STRUGGLE. SOME BANDAS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ‘BELITTLING YOUR OWN COUNTRY’. IT IS EXTREMELY INSULTING OUR INTELLIGENCE WHEN THEY SAY THIS. YOU HIT THEM HARD AS ALWAYS AND WITH YOU THE BEST.

    MOST IMPORTANT IS THE OPPOSITIONS’ INDIFFERENCE TO SOLVE THE COMPLEX PROBLEMS WE HAVE TO SOLVE. FIRST THEY SHOULD CREATE A UNITED FRONT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO DISMANTLE WEYANE. THEN WE CAN REACH FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE DEPEND THEIR LIVES ON NASTY TRASH.

    HOW COME A HUMAN BEING CAN BEAR THIS SITUATIONS WITH HIS/HER RIGHT MIND? HOW LONG SHOULD WE HAVE TO WAIT TO REACH THE DAYS WHEN WE ARE LIVING NORMAL LIFE?
    WEYGUD

  17. Korah is nothing people. Just retruned a month a go. No one can tell me other-wise. Even gursha is sold for fifty cents. To those of you are making execuses to these heartless leaders of Ethiopia; all I can say to you is Egzabihare yeker yebelachu. People are so desparate that even our yelugnta is gone. I am not talking about yenie betie; regular people. 99% of Ethiopia does not spend time and eat at sharton huh.
    god help us

  18. Ethiopian poverty shouldn’t be such shocking news to any one who was born and raised in Ethiopia. If it is your first time to see such horrifying images, SHAME ON YOU!! This shows nothing but your ignorance.

    Blaming the government, which we all seem to be good at is not going to help any of those helpless kids who will be responsible leading the country tomorrow. Let’s not forget the fact that, our current leaders, if not all of them, most of them came from the same kind of life style; extreme poverty, lived their childhood or adulthood life in distress, frustration, discrimination and being looked over. So, how is it that we expect these people to deliver something they have never been given or equipped for? How is it that we are expecting the best leadership from the least educated people?

    Yes, we are paying the price and too bad, there is nothing we can do about the government. It is very frustrating but if we don’t stop the blame game and start looking for a solution to improve and educate these kids, tomorrow will be even worse for Ethiopia, for our kids. The question we should be discussing on should be what can we do? Not who is to blame.

  19. Wrong Elias,

    Like many other third world countries, people sell recycled materials from trash pits. A good example is India, where tens of millons people survive by selling recycleable objects.

    Alex

  20. This is a breaking news for woyane as it wants to see Ethiopian people eat trash 0r feed on trashes.Because they are extreme sadists and above all it is a retaliotary action to decimate the non-Tigryan population in Addis and elsewhere in Ethiopia.As matter of fact you can hardly find a Tigryan fed on trash at this time.It is a hey day for them.

  21. The Retas and some of you who are against showing this story, either you are hiding behind the Meles regime’s skirt because it is exposed pretending this is humiliating Ethiopia or naively saying this is negative message for Ethiopia. What ever your reason, such stories need to come out because if people don’t know they can’t ACT to reach out to these people or do something to expose the Meles regime because of what we are seeing here. Stories, that are FACT need to be told to make a change.

  22. The reality of Meles,

    I agree, it is a great idea what you said about collecting evidences of as ER have been gathering, so far and sending it out to EVERYBODY (US, EU, UN, all organizations, ALL Ethiopians who ever it is). Our goal should be to interact those supporting the regime, what is their reasoning, how do we negotiate, who is who, etc… because getting rid of this regime requires:
    1. Safety of Ethiopia from outsiders at the transition of getting rid of this regime.
    2. Safety of the people at the transition of getting rid of this regime
    2. our pro activeness in the international arena and domestically. Working from one point of view will not work meaning:
    There should be arm struggle, there should be something that will protect Ethiopia internally and externally, there should be non violent struggle within and outside Ethiopia, there should be strong lobbying for Ethiopia’s safety and democracy internationally. From every corner this should be tackled if we want the survival of Ethiopia. There should be also some kind of committee to bring traitors back to their sanity. There should be recognition of who is involved in sabotaging the struggle for Ethiopia’s democracy. All Ethiopians in any profession or not need to be involved in order to keep our country alive.

  23. #68
    “the blame game and start looking for a solution to improve and educate these kids, tomorrow will be even worse for Ethiopia, for our kids. The question we should be discussing on should be what can we do? Not who is to blame.”

    You obviously talked about the past poverty meaning to put the blame on who, leadership or people in the past? I want to know. As you started to talk about current, you avoided the blame on current leaders or people? So, I want to know what is the purpose of a country’s leadership if not to bring the well being of the population? So are you saying since the current leaders come from poverty therefore they are accounted only to themselves in bringing themselves out of poverty? So they became leaders just to benefit themselves and that is alright is basically that is what you are saying. Your argument is just pathetic. So if we don’t blame the current leadership that refuses to bring change and development to the country (please stop about the fake infrastructure erection, the children are not going to eat that) are you implying the people? If the people are not allowed to bring change who are you going to blame? I am curious.

  25. In respond to BLiss & Anon #68

    I want to share the following thoughts:

    We need make a consorted effort to seek a solution for the problem of Ethiopia.Day by day the country’s problem is sinking deeper.
    All oppositions who have stake in the country need to set aside their political differences and form a national co-olition.If not now when,failure in this regard will
    make us equally responsible as melese.
    Silence is the worst form of response.
    One of the reasons why the west is not responding feverably to the oppostion is because we are not cohosive force.

    Here is the idea-

    1-We must be cohesive and speak through one voice.

    2- When we are one voice,the possiblity of forming teporal government in absentia can be expermented.

    3-It is essential we have vision for the stablishment of multinational
    resistance force.

    4-Active involvement of all Ethiopians is very essential to end the tyranical rule.

    5-Instead of alienating the lower level supporters of weyane give them alternative to amend their way or to be part of the resistance.

    6-Elias keep up the great job of expoising the abuse of power in Ethiopia.
    By allmeans we must remain focused on how to find solution.

  26. i did write to them so many time to whome it may belong there are a f+++cking big and dippe place around kalit if you dump it for 30 years you cant fill the place why this people give a blind eye to it.its sad to see those people and there are people who lives near by who are suffering asma and other transmit disese.

    its in the center of addis i can not belive it. meles should have imagine that all shit is like under his pillow.

    that is how i can discribing it. how its sensetive.take a walk and have look!!!!
    .

  27. The trash weyane gave Ethiopian gold to a criminal Al-Amoudi with net worth of $12 billion while these helpless people are resorting to this level of depravity.
    He is still selling Ethiopian land to the indians, arabs and koreans while people resort to eating garbage.

    When does this nightmare stop ?

  28. The only way we can stop the misery of these people is by removing the inhuman and idiot leaders of Ethiopia. You can try to bring smart ideas to help these kids and women who live on trash but it doesn’t change anything. What brings change is by changing the government. Sadly enough, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!

  29. Most of you are honest that you put the realty word. But, some of you are not different from Solomon Tekalegne who loves his stomach…eat and vomit not even bubu.
    The world have gave termendous amount of monies to woyanne who are block head doesn’t care about Ethiopians accumilated Billions of Dollars as the self interest Capital. But, imagine how ouyr people are struggling on their daily lives to surive and is it really that most of us are writing just to support TPLF as a Woyanne Umbrella or we could’nt see since we were in the dark under ground like miners and can not see anything. I was one of the fighters with Woyanne since I thought they had facts and honesty at the front, but I felt guilty and regreat that let me to withdraw and joined Tamrat Laynee.
    If you trying to tell me that my people are collecting something to eat from the garbage, Dampester or even from the Bathroom, I will not be surprised.

  31. they were /are not eating trash.they are collecting something anything valuable for sale like plastic bottles ,cracked utensils that can be used by some who can not afford to buy new ones;or anything they can get ,clean, and take it a second hand market where they can get something for it.

  33. Even though it is heartbreaking to watch the images of very innocent poor Ethiopians living in human misery and eating from a city trash,it is a fact and reality that is the product of total neglect of millions of poor Ethioians by the criminal Weyane led by mercenary Meles Zenawi.
    What a disgrace and shame is to be felt by millions of Ethioians and Africans to see their fellow citizens by thousands living in un-imaginable horrible situation and their so called leader likes to be photographed with president Obama and Tony Blair wearing his Armani suit who knows how much he paid?
    I would like to thank E.R for being the voice of the voiceless.You should be proud.All the millions of ethiopians who are not self centered and ignorant open your hearts to help your brothers and sisters,and the only way is to get rid weyane whose only aim is to enrich the tigray elites,create a very wealthy middle class dominate ethiopian politics,finance of course media outlets control the army by making it 100% tigrayan, hire thousands of hodamotch from all ethnic groups,silence the true patriots deepen ethnic federalism.
    Weyane leaders think if the tigrayan middle class increased by millions by stealing ethio treasury,and tens of high rises are built in addis Ethioppia is growing.They do not care if millions of Oromo,amhara,sidama etc mothers can not feed their precious beautiful babies or eat from trash.They are indeed devils!!!

  34. Thank you Elias,

    A living testimony how these thugs from dedebit are treating Ethiopia and Ethiopians. I bet anything that we would not find such vagaries of live anywhere in the Republic of Abay Tigray. The double didgit growth we have been told time and again must be for the Reublic of Tigray only.

    These ethno-fascist of Abay Tigray must be held accountable and brought before the court of law.

  36. ThAnk you biddho

    I have so money eritreans friends and I always hear them when they talk about Eritrea and they fellow citizens like they pay they two percent and helping they citizen without looking outside word help
    As Ethiopian I am shame to tel everyone on there we so greedy we only think about ourselves just like our government so please let’s get to know and adopt Eritrean policy and I am sure we will be better off in the long term

  37. As far as Eritrea is concerned, to do something tangible for these poor and neglected children to free themselves out of the weyane-made misery, is a national security issue. If Weyane can load street children on trucks & dump them in a middle of the night on to a remote hyena infested forests, then what would stop the demonic Weyane from using these children as cannon fodders in its adventurous wars in 5 or 10 years from now. It’s a perfect device to exterminate what it considers as expendibles. Eritrea and others should give these neglected children a hope to dream for a better tomorrow, otherwise weyane can manipulate them to satisfy its blood lust. it’s easy for Weyane who has demonstrated its skills by cajoling and bribing even the rich Hodams, let alone a genuinely hungry & vulnerable street children. I’d advise the GoE and others to use all its resources to help them, not only for the sake of its own interest and security but mainly for God……. as it says in the bible in Mathew 25: 37-40. 
    Weyane is a friend of this “world”….a very good friend but enemy of his own people that he was supposed to advance their interest first. That makes Weyane an enemy of God, as it also says in the bible….. James 4:4 

  38. Thanks Elias for bringing this disgusting life experience of Ethiopians to the whole world,
    Dear sisters and brothers, let me tell you one truth. Unless we organize in a certain political group who are fighting woyane like G7 and OLF to contribute something to the struggle the terrible life of all ethiopians will continue indefinetely. Please join any political organization which you think is relevant and contribute what you could. Let everybody do his homework first. I tell you we will eradicate the woyane parasitical weeds of our country for once and for ever

  40. I bet you wouldn’t find the people in Tigray province, living in such extreme poverty. The vast amount of the hard currency earned by Ethio, makes comes from Coffee export & it is being diverted to the north (tigray)taking full advantage of their time in power. Shame on the Meles!!

  41. Forget About weyane it isnot for Ethiopians but Legesse[Meles} Zenawi&his limitted ehtnic cacoons Ask our selves what can we do to make it better for this forgoten citizens of Ethiopia Long LIve Ethiopia!!

  42. What kind of humanity can deny such a stark reality?. How come these people(the ruling people) and their sympsthizers get to this moral level with in 20 yrs to be totally indifferent to the rest of Ethiopians and deny every reality, lie literally about everything?
    How was the rest of Ethiopia taking the issues that they were raising when they fight Derg?. Was there a denial by the rest of Ethiopia about the taugh time we all go through during derg? It might be foolishness to take everything as true, How about denying everything? Everything?
    How come They and the rest of Ethiopia move totally in opposite direction?

  43. Zalabesa,

    The difference and similarity between Mengistu and Meles is that, they are the same because they rise to the power out of hate, anger and resentment. They also rise to the power because of the complexity they have against in Mengitu’s case, the eleite Haileselassie but not necessarily ethnic issue. In Meles case it is with complexity with ethnic hatred of primarily Amara and the rest of Ethiopia except his ethnicity Tigray and Eritrea. If it wasn’t for Isayas, Meles regime is to protect Eritreans and Tigrayans. Mengistu used violence for very short moment that is during the Red Terror and depsing of Haileseassie. Although a blessing in disguise he refused the influence of the West. In addition, as time progressed, Mengistu was waking up from his ignorance until he was over thrown. Meles however has been spreading violence for 20 years since TPLF took power. The violence is slow death focusing through out Ethiopia while Mengistu’s was quick and done. Slow death meaning the weakening of Ethiopians altogether that you can’t fight and protect your selves. To the benefit of Meles regime, he quickly formed alliance with the West with the undermining of Ethiopia. Not like Haileselassie’s alliance with the West by making Ethiopia first. To the benefit of the West of course, they will take the suffering of Ethiopia for their benefit. If a country’s own leader is begging them to exploit his own people, gladly they will do it.

    The bottom line is it is the citizens who MUST bring respect to their country if not, we should not blame the West. Therefore, this is happening in Ethiopia because we let it happen. We are allowing Meles regime to keep doing what he is doing. Where as, us living anywhere in the world have changed that only the well being of ourselves, in capitalistic way that we inherited in our host country, only we matter becasue as long as we are here and safe nothing matters. I have someone telling me that who cares about Ethiopia that it is too late. We must choose between ME vs US.

  44. Elias, I think this is your first witness publicly anounced. If you believe that 80,000 people in Addis, though completely fake,are living on TRASH the people who are adding to the junke some eatable like its really sign of development. This was very uncommon in our history because no one has enough food to eat leave alone to drop … Great witness, anyways. Hopefully, it will not be far to see these too being rich and foodself suficiency.

  45. Look my fellow Ethiopians, talk is cheap! It’s no doubt people are starving back home and every where in the world. Even the latest stats. show that one out of seven people in the US are leaving in poverty, imagine the richest country in the world! Talking and heralding, how many of our people are starving to the world every day isn’t gonna solve the problem.
    Go back home and invest on your country and help our people like we all do!

  46. Is that fair to expose people of a great nation without concreted evidence and figures? As most of the comments say, I couldn’t see any person who eats the trash, and the number of people here is too little to represent 18,000. We know right now. 1 in 6 Americans are poor–it is on the news forever. PLEASE LET US BE FAIR WHEN WE PRESENT SOMETHING IN PUBLIC BCAUSE SOMEBODY WATHCHING OUR FAIRNESS AND GENUINE JUDJMENT. GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA.

  47. A very nice video of the life in Repi or Koshe and I agree that nobody should be living like this. But, 80 000? The current estimate is that there are around 500 to 600 permanent and seasonal people who make a living collecting waste for own consumption, reuse or recycling at Repi. Instead of presenting them as vulnerable people associated with the waste they are working with the focus should be on the positive contribution they are doing to reducing the amount of waste contributing to an improved environment. The new plans of the municipality to constructing a new landfill closing the existing one will have a huge affect on access to waste and the source of making a small income for them. And that is the worsted thing about the current situation; nobody cares about them even though they are doing a very important job benefiting the whole society

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