USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah “says development assistance to Ethiopia’s health sector has helped save thousands of children’s lives in the past year,” VOA News reports, noting, “The progress came even as the Horn of Africa was hit by the worst drought in more than half a century.” “Twenty years ago, every fifth child died by the age of five. Today, 10 out of 11 make it past their fifth birthday,” the news service writes, noting, “Shah says the results are a credit to Ethiopia’s effective use of aid dollars.”

“‘Because of those joint partnerships that we have had for years and years, last year, we now know, that partnership helped save 36,000 Ethiopian kids’ lives,’ said Shah,” adding, “That’s the kind of important widespread result that hopefully will lay the basis for a more prosperous and more successful Ethiopia into the future,” VOA writes. “The survey shows less improvement in Ethiopia’s struggling education system,” the news service notes (Heinlein, 4/6).