One Meal a Day

As hardship deepens, thousands rely on Addis Ababa’s free meal program

A line of nearly 30 people forms outside the Tesfa Berhan feeding center in Addis Ababa’s Bole Michael neighborhood. Elderly women lean against the wall, mothers steady restless children, and men stand quietly, waiting for the doors to open and for the free lunch promised by the city administration.

The center, located in Apartama Sefer in Woreda 1 of Bole Sub-City, is one of several community feeding sites established across the capital as Ethiopia grapples with rising urban poverty and living costs.

Among those in line is Mulu Ahmed, a mother of five whose family survives without a stable source of income. Her husband, unemployed for years, occasionally finds temporary day labor.

Until recently, the family lived in Tiwan Sefer, another neighborhood in the area. But after a fire destroyed their home and belongings, they relocated to the Aire Ameba area with little left to rebuild from.

Now, Mulu relies heavily on government assistance to feed her children, who range in age from four to 18.

At the center, beneficiaries receive one meal a day: a single injera served with rice or different varieties of stew.

Mulu said the support has become essential to the family’s survival, though she described the portions as insufficient for a household of seven. Her children also depend on school-feeding programs offered at nearby public schools.

“I have five kids, but one injera is not enough for all of us,” Mulu told The Reporter. “I have been coming to this center for four months now. I thank the government for feeding me and my kids because we have no other income. Without this support, I wouldn’t be able to manage.”

Others at the center described challenges accessing the program, saying enrollment often depends on local registration procedures and neighborhood approval.

Misrak, a mother of two who asked to be identified by a pseudonym for privacy reasons, waits daily at a feeding center behind Kotebe Metropolitan University. Last year, she lost her home during urban redevelopment projects in the city.

To support her children, aged seven and 11, and her husband, who has a disability, she began begging in different parts of Addis Ababa. Two months ago, a passerby directed her to the feeding center.

But receiving meals required official approval from local authorities.

“I had to request the Kebele officials to grant me the chance to be included in the system,” Misrak said. “Later they gave me a coupon that allows me to receive food, and I became a regular at the center.”

She says some people in urgent need are occasionally allowed to eat without coupons, though registration requirements can exclude others who lack documentation or local residency papers.

Across the street from the center, Mulatu, 35, sat watching the line form. He arrived in Addis Ababa five months ago after fleeing conflict in the Amhara region.

For the past two weeks, he said, he has repeatedly visited the center seeking assistance but has been unable to register because he lacks both an Addis Ababa residence ID card and the required coupon.

“I don’t know anyone in this city to support me,” Mulatu told The Reporter. “I came directly to the center when I heard about it, but the documents are still a problem.” Despite being turned away, he said he plans to continue searching for a feeding center willing to accept him.

“I’m already planning to relocate to a cheaper neighborhood just to find an affordable place to sleep,” he said. “I’m confident I’ll get my chance at another center there.”

The Tesfa Berhan feeding initiative was launched by Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abiebie in 2021 and is presented by city officials as the first citywide feeding program of its kind in Ethiopia.

According to city officials, the initiative was inspired by scenes at the Koshe landfill, where vulnerable residents were seen scavenging for discarded food collected from restaurants and universities across the capital.

Operating under the slogan “Beyond Feeding,” the program describes its mission as restoring dignity to people forced to search for food in garbage dumps and public waste sites.

Sentayehu Mamo, deputy director-general at the City Administration’s Registrar Agency, said the initiative was designed to improve living conditions for vulnerable residents through a community-based catering system.

She said the program also reflects the governing philosophy of “Medemer,” the political doctrine associated with the ruling Prosperity Party, which emphasizes collective responsibility and social cooperation.

For her, the initiative was conceived as a way to encourage residents to support one another while reinforcing what she described as the social responsibilities of citizenship.

“The idea was conceived during the mayor’s visit to Koshe. That experience became the basis for launching the initiative,” Sentayehu told The Reporter.

According to Sentayehu, the eligibility criteria were intentionally designed to be inclusive, without restrictions based on religion, gender, age, or income level. Although the primary focus remains residents facing acute economic hardship, she said the centers were also established to serve anyone struggling with hunger.

What began as a single feeding center in the Arada area has since expanded to 29 sites across Addis Ababa as of 2026, according to city officials.

Recently, the Mayor stated that the expansion had significantly reduced food-related begging in the capital.

“Frankly speaking, there is no reason for people to beg for food on the streets of Addis Ababa,” the mayor said during a public appearance. “We have prepared free food centers all over the city where anyone can receive a fresh and nutritious meal.”

The remarks drew mixed reactions among residents navigating worsening living costs and unemployment. But city officials maintain that the program continues to expand and serve growing numbers of vulnerable residents.

Sentayehu said the administration plans to open an additional center in the coming weeks, bringing the total number to 30. According to her, roughly 40,000 residents currently receive one meal a day through the network.

Sentayehu rejected criticism that some vulnerable residents remain excluded from the system, arguing that the impact of the initiative is visible at the centers themselves.

“Anyone can go and observe the people being served every day,” she said, referring to elderly residents, unemployed people, veterans, and orphaned children accompanied by guardians among those receiving meals.

Still, cases like Mulatu’s illustrate the challenges faced by migrants and displaced residents who lack local identification documents. Sentayehu defended the registration procedures, saying the centers require administrative controls to manage limited resources and prioritize residents considered most vulnerable.

“The critical priority is ensuring that the system directly targets people who genuinely need the support to survive,” she said.

Under the current structure, local administrative offices and the Women and Social Affairs Bureau identify eligible residents within each woreda and compile beneficiary lists used to issue meal coupons.

“The lower administrative tier identifies residents and submits the list to us,” Sentayehu said. “Based on that process, coupons are prepared, and beneficiaries present them when receiving meals.”

She added that the coupon requirement applies primarily to regular beneficiaries. Sentayehu also said the long-term sustainability of the initiative depends heavily on private-sector participation rather than municipal financing alone.

According to her, between 40 and 50 private donors and investors have contributed more than five billion birr toward feeding operations and infrastructure development since the program began. Three additional centers are currently under construction, she said.

City officials say the feeding initiative is also linked to broader social welfare programs targeting children and low-income households.

School-feeding programs, initially introduced to combat malnutrition and absenteeism, now operate in tens of thousands of pre-primary schools nationwide under Ethiopia’s Early Childhood Development framework.

The policy, jointly implemented by the Ministries of Education, Health, and Women and Social Affairs, integrates nutrition, healthcare, and early education services for young children.

In Addis Ababa, city officials say the strategy has expanded significantly under the “Kedamay Lijnet” — or Early Childhood — initiative led by the Mayor.

According to municipal figures, the city has expanded its public daycare infrastructure from 11 facilities to approximately 1,100 early childhood centers serving low-income communities. Officials say the centers provide meals, healthcare, and psychological support alongside classroom instruction.

The administration says the broader welfare framework, combining school-feeding programs with community meal centers, has contributed to reductions in child malnutrition and developmental delays among vulnerable households in the capital.

Yemane Berhanu contributed to this article

المصدر: The Reporter (Ethiopia)