Ethiopiaኢትዮጵያ

Ethiopia AIESEC in Ethiopia The Culture Calendar / Holidays Currency Transportation Climate Activities to do in Ethiopia

This Booklet Contains

Visa Information What we provide In case of emergency Security What to pack Contacts

First of all, we would like to congratulate you on successfully getting this internship. You will soon be arriving in our Historic Land. We are very honored to have you choosing to embark on

your life-changing experience with us, we hope that you will continuously be enchanted by the kaleidoscopic colors, contrast,

cuisine and cultures that are present here.

May this internship provide you with opportunities to discover your potential and may it be as enriching for you as it is

for us. Together we can achieve the vision of “Peace and Fulfillment of Humankind’s Potential” and be the positive

change that you want to see in yourself !

Yours sincerely

AIESEC Ethiopia

Dear AIESEC Ethiopia Intern,

ኢትዮጵያ

Ethiopia, officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic

of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is

bordered by Eritrea to the north and northeast, Djibouti and

Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and

Kenya to the south. With over 93,000,000 inhabitants Ethiopia

is the most populous landlocked country in the world, and the

second- most populated nation on the African continent. It

occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometers (420,000

sq. mi), and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa

Ethiopia has rich cultural heritage and

is one of the best-kept secrets in the

world. Being one of the oldest

countries in the world, Ethiopia’s great

geographic diversity encompasses a

land of rivers and deserts, mountains

and lowlands. Today it is Africa’s

second-most populous nation and

home to 80 ethnic groups who speak

84 languages.

AIESEC is the world`s largest youth run organization and was established

in 1948 after the World War ΙΙ. AIESEC’s vision is the “ Peace and Fulfillment

of Human kind potential.” We are present in127 countries and territories

and with over 90,000 members . We provide a platform for youth

leadership development. AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to

be global citizen, to change the world by being problem-solver as local

citizen and get experience and skills that matter today.

AIESEC in Ethiopia is one of the East African entities and founded in 2008 by cooperation between AIESEC Italy and KPMG Italy, with the support of GTZ and various AIESEC Alumni from AIESEC

International Network in Ethiopia. We began official operations in Ethiopia in 2011.

Local Committees and Expansions

• LC Addis Ababa University

• LC EiABC

• LC Exp School of Commerce

• LC Unity ( Helico, Admas , Unity University)

• LC Hawassa University

• LC Mekele University

Ethiopia is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country Ethiopia has a diverse

mix of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. It is a country with more than 80

different ethnic groups each with its own language, culture, custom and

tradition. Religion is a major influence in Ethiopian life. Nearly half the

population belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but there is also

large Muslim population. Others adhere to an ancient form of Judaism.

The Feast of the Epiphany ("Timkat") is the largest festival of the year.

FOODSInjera; a spongy unleavened bread made from teffgrain, is the staple of every Ethiopian. All food is eatenwith the hands, and pieces of injera are ripped intobite-sized pieces and used to dip and grab stews (wat )made of vegetables such as carrots and cabbage,spinach, potatoes, and lentils. The most common spiceis “berberey”, which has a red pepper base. Meat,specifically beef, chicken, and lamb, is eaten withinjera on special occasions. Beef is sometimes eatenraw or slightly cooked in a dish called kitfo. Traditionally,this is a staple diet.

COFFEE CEREMONYThe coffee ceremony is a common ritual. The serverstarts a fire and roasts green coffee beans while burningfrankincense. Once roasted, the coffee beans areground with a mortar and pestle, and the powder isplaced in a traditional black pot called a “jebena”.Water is then added. The jebena is removed from thefire, and coffee is served.

LANGUAGEEthiopia has many indigenous languages (84 according to the Ethnologue, 77according to the 1994 census), most of them Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic),plus some that are Nilo-Saharan. The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic, a Semiticlanguage which is spoken by about 27 million people (2.7 million expatriate). Amharicis written with the “Ge'ez” script, which derives its name from the ancient Semitic“Ge'ez” language. The second largest language in Ethiopia is the Oromo language, aCushitic language spoken by about 30% of the population. The third largest language

in Ethiopia is the Tigrinya language, related to Amharic but mostly spoken in northernEthiopia in the state of Tigray. English is a working language as well as the most widelyspoken among the youth and is the medium of instruction in secondary schools anduniversities.

Date English name Local name

January 7 Orthodox Christmas Day Genna or Lidet

January 19 Feast of Epiphany Timket

March 2 Adwa Victory Day Ye'adowa Bä'al

April 10 Orthodox Good Friday Siqlet (Crucifixion)

April 12 Easter Fasika

April 13 Easter Monday (public holiday)

May 1 International Workers' Day

May 5 Patriots' Day Arbegnoch Qen

May 28 National Day; Derg Downfall Day

July 17 Eid – al - Fitr

September 12 Ethiopian New Year Inqut'at'ash

September 23 Eid al - Adha

September 28 Finding of the True Cross Meskel

December 24 The Prophet’s Birthday

Calendar

Holidays

Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopic calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 dayseach plus five or six pagome days, which comprise a thirteenth month (all of which is apublic holiday). The Ethiopian months begin on the same days as those of the Copticcalendar, but their names are in Ge'ez. The sixth epagomenal day is added every fouryears without exception on August 29 of the Julian calendar, six months before the Julianleap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, for years between 1901 and2099 (inclusive), is usually September 11 (Gregorian). It, however, falls on September 12 inyears before the Gregorian leap year.The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2007, which began on September11, 2014 AD of the Gregorian calendar.

Updated on September 12, 2015, Click here to see the current currency exchange rate.http://www.combanketh.et/More/CurrencyRate.aspx

Currency Exchange

Updated information : http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Ethiopia

There are three common types of transportation in

Addis Ababa.

MINI-BUS, which costs about a minimum of 1.5

birr($0.072) and a maximum of 7 birr($0.34) and also

work from 6 am to 10 pm

HIGER-BUS, commonly known us "higer", which costs a

minimum of 1 birr($0.05) and a maximum of 5 birr($0.24)

and also work from 6 am to 9 pm

CONTRACT - TAXI, It roughly costs minimum of 30

birr($1.44) and a maximum of 400 birr($19.17) and

works 24 hrs

• Of the three modes of transportation, the most

comfortable and the fastest one is the contract-

taxi but it is also the most expensive.

• Of the three modes of transportation, the one

that is recommended based on comfort, cost

and speed is the mini-bus.

Transportation

ClimateThe climate in Ethiopia varies tremendously depending on elevation.

Before you come to Ethiopia, it's a good idea to check the averagetemperatures of the region you plan to spend time in. You can go from 60 -95 Fahrenheit (15 C to 35 C) in a matter of hours when you travel in Ethiopia,so bring layers! Scroll down to find temperature charts, average sunlighthours and rainfall for: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and Mekele.

In the highland areas of central, eastern and western Ethiopia, it getscool very quickly at night. Frosty mornings are common so you'll want topack a jacket. In the far south, far west and far east of the country, averagedaily temperatures reach 85 Fahrenheit (30 C) and over. The closer you getto the borders of Ethiopia's neighbors the hotter it gets because the elevationtends to be much lower. This is the "hot" zone, known locally as kolla.

Activities to do in Ethiopia

One of the most fascinating things about Ethiopia is that we have avery ancient culture. Our language, Amharic, is one of the oldestwritten languages in the world. Add on the fact that Ethiopia hastourist attractions like feeding hyenas, the city known as the 2ndJerusalem, African Safaris, and even a real world Camelot, youhave quite a country & culture to experience. And also Ethiopia isone of the cheapest places to travel in Africa.

Best Areas to Explore?• Addis Ababa• The Northern circuit; Axum, Gondar, & Lalibela, SemeneMountains• The Southern Circuit: Awasa, Omo Valley, Rift Valley Lakes• The East: Harar & Somaliland (Somalia)

Addis Ababa is home to Merkato which is one of thelargest markets in Africa and the largest open air market on thecontinent. Traveling around the country is very cheap, if you’regoing over long distances we would recommend that you fly. Youcan buy two round-trip tickets to three different cities which cancost you only $210, the roads are atrocious between cities so it isbest to fly since the prices are so cheap.• The only thing that Ethiopia does not have is good Internet

access, after the war with Eritrea their access to the coast wascut off along with its Internet access. The only place to find goodInternet access is a large hotel chains and Internet Centers andCafes.

You will love Ethiopia because _______?Ethiopian culture resembles no other and being such an ancient civilization it’s extremely interesting and fascinating to get to know.Supposedly, our history descends directly King Solomon. It is extremely cheap, the people are friendly, open to new cultures and people, and the women are beautiful.

አዲስ አበባ

Addis Ababa is known as the capital of Africa due to

it hosting the headquarters of the African Union, of

which all but 1 country in Africa is a part of. If you

need a visa for any country in Eastern Africa, or any

country in Africa for that matter, you should come

here. It is home to the largest market in Africa, has

gorgeous churches, cathedrals, and mosques to

see, and incredible nightlife (there is salsa in Addis

Ababa!).

You can also find the museum that houses the oldest

humanoid in the world, Lucy. Addis Ababa is one of

most favorite places to live while living overseas, it

has a perfect combination of safety, great people,

and cheap living.

AIESEC in Ethiopia , Have weekly hangouts every

Thursday starting from Evening 5:30 Local Time.

Addis Ababa

Axum (Aksum)

Axum happens to be one of the oldest cities in

Africa and home of the ancient Aksumite

Empire. There are ruins around the entire city and

you can find some of the best relics and artifacts

in the center of the city. Axum also is the

supposed location of the Ark of the

covenant. The city has so much history

Bahar Dar

Ethiopia’s 3rd largest city gives you access to Lake

Tana which feeds the Nile where you can see some of

the countries oldest monasteries. One thing you should

see is the Blue Nile Falls which is very scenic.

Feeding Hyenas in Harar

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Ethiopia,

most people would be absolutely mortified to do

this. At two different locations in the city you are able

to feed the Hyenas every single night. The city of Harar

is also extremely interested being the 4th most holy city

for Muslims; great museums, food, but not much

nightlife.

Lalibela is a must see for the attractions in Ethiopia. A

city designed and built to be the 2nd Jerusalem, many

Ethiopians from the city still claim that fact. It is home to

an extremely impressive array of churches that are

carved out of stone including the famous St. Georges

Cathedral you see on the left. There is also a variety of

monasteries in the region that you can visit.

The Omo Valley is a very interesting cultural

experience as they are one of the lower parts of the

world that haven’t been influenced by the western

world.

Ethiopia is the only place you can

access Somaliland (Somalia), the real-life Camelot

can be found in Gondar, the second Jerusalem in

Lalibela and the history of a powerful empire in the

city Axum.

Visa InformationVisa Information

Argentina ,Germany ,Mexico, Sweden, Australia, Greece ,The Netherlands

, Switzerland , Austria , Ireland, New Zealand , Thailand, Belgium , Israel ,

Norway , United Kingdom , Brazil , Italy , Poland , United States , Canada ,

China , Japan , Portugal , Denmark Republic of Korea , Russia Federation ,

Finland , Kuwait , South Africa , France , Luxembourg , Spain

Countries that are eligible for visa on arrival

EPs who come to Ethiopia require visas. You may also obtain a visa on

arrival. For tourist visas, the fees are as follows: USD 20 (one month, single-

entry); USD 30 (three months, multiple-entry); USD 40 (six months, multiple-

entry). Only visitors of Ethiopian origin are able to apply for the six month

tourist visa. Work visas are also obtainable, but are probably best organized

in advance. Note that entry into Ethiopia is only allowed from Addis Ababa

International Airport, unless the Government has granted prior permission

for another point of entry, and a visa has been pre-organized . A yellow

fever vaccination certificate is required to enter Ethiopia, if arriving within six

days of leaving or transiting through an infected area. NOTE: It is highly

recommended that your passport has at least six months validity remaining

after your intended date of departure from your travel destination.

Immigration officials often apply different rules to those stated by travel

agents and official sources.

What we Provide Organizing cultural events and tours

Practical and cultural orientation

Exchange of cultures

Cultural outings City guidance

Ethiopia is one of the most safest country, However ,

It is advisable to be with Local AIESECers while you

are moving or Visiting and also keep your phone with

you in all times and save contacts Numbers of your

EP Buddy , Project manager ,Reception Teams or EB

members. You must have Insurance to guarantee

that you will most definitely have a pleasant stay

and experience..

Ambulance

Fire

Police

992

993

991

Security

What to Pack If your Internship is in summer , its rainy

season so warm cloths are recommended

Formal outfits for work, depending on your

project

Plug socket: a round two pin ( 220 V)

Towels

Your personal laptop

Items that represent your country’s culture

Bed sheets

EiABC l Administrative Block - International Relations Office Phone/Fax: +251.11.276.7605

AIESEC in Ethiopia

Contacts

www.aiesec.org/ethiopia

LCVP iGCDP Contacts

Sofonias Solomon LCVP iGCDP sofoniassolomon1@gmail.com +251912351680

Anteneh Tesfaye LCVP iGCDP ant.goite@gmail.com +251912419794

Milliyon Teshome LCVP IGCDP milliyonteshome50@gmail.com +251921337211

Emnet Endihnew LCVP IGCDP emnet.endihnew@aiesec.net +251913206216

Shewit Wores LCVP iGCDP shewit.wores@aiesec.net +251920024797

EiABC

AAU

Unity

Hawassa

School of Commerce

MCVP IGCDP

AIESEC Ethiopia AIESEC in Ethiopia

Kweku Boatin MCVP iGCDP kweku.boatin@aiesec.net

+251929380498

+233249292589

Thank you For Choosing AIESEC Ethiopia

Welcome aboard