DIGITAL DETOUR


DIGITAL DETOUR

A sign advertising the Telebirr mobile payment service hangs inside a taxi, promising passengers a seamless, cashless fare experience. QR codes, Merchant IDs, and Operator IDs offer multiple ways to pay if only the network held up. In a city racing toward "cashless" status, many can’t help but chuckle at the idea of tapping phones in beat-up, overcrowded taxis where connectivity is as wobbly as the suspension. Modern finance meets old-school transport, with results that are, at best, aspirational.

[ssba-buttons]

In-Picture

NEIGHBORHOOD DAMS

Often overlooked in urban homes, jerrycans become priceless where water is a luxury. On the streets of Mekelle, they are hauled on wheelbarrows through neighborhoods that rely on pipes for long-awaited water, without the constant fear of running dry. Ethiopia's water supply struggles touch roughly 60 million people, about 43pc of the population, with rural communities bearing the heaviest burden. Even fast-growing urban centers, including Addis Abeba, face shortages, while several regions are cl...


In-Picture

PEACE TALK

Dawit Merhatsidk, CST Ethiopia Humanitarian Programme Advisor, and Abera Teferi of Adigrat University attend the National Peacebuilding Learning Symposium at the Intercontinental Hotel on October 14, 2025. CST Ethiopia, with support from the European Union, opened the symposium to media coverage, highlighting collaborative approaches to peacebuilding, recovery, and resilience in conflict-affected communities. Delegates from government, civil society, academia, and regional partners convene...


In-Picture

SWEET BASKETS

At Lafto Vegetable Market, young vendors sit among baskets brimming with ripe papayas and avocados, swapping stories as they display their vibrant produce. With the average Ethiopian consuming roughly 550 grams of food daily, mostly staple grains, the bursts of fresh fruit serve as a small, bittersweet reminder of life's flavor in a market navigating rising costs and sweeping reforms. Each basket tells a story, not just of fruit, but of dreams, hustle, and hope ripening under the sun...