Like in many western countries, the extended family has been seen as the safety net for these Ethiopian orphans, but, unlike in the west, when the extended family is not there to provide care, there is very little available from the government to meet the shortfall. As such, many of these children end up on the streets.

These children forgo basic rights such as access to education, care support and availability of food. Instead they have to work to provide for themselves and in doing so are vulnerable to exploitation, including sexual exploitation. Its a sobering fact that in Addis Ababa alone, over 30% of girls aged ten to fourteen are not living with their parents, many taking up domestic roles with other families receiving poor pay and little or no help with their emotional development.

The plight of orphans in Ethiopia is also cyclical, cascading down future generations. Lack of education, understanding of family life and poor knowledge of the prevention of AIDS/HIV means that these children's children are likely to become equally disadvantaged from birth.