Situated on the shore of Lake Tana, Bahir Dar is the gateway to the Blue Nile Falls and the Zeghe Peninsula. The lake is Ethiopia’s largest and is dotted with 37 islands, famous for their churches and monasteries. Bahir Dar has a population of about 130,000 people. The past ten years has seen the population grow with the migration of rural poor into town. Bahir Dar has the fastest-growing rate of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Recent estimates are that 26% of the children in the town are either part or full orphans. Youth unemployment is also a major problem, accounting for 72% of all young people.

JeCCDO’s projects in Bahir Dar are designed to enable local communities to take control of their lives so that they can climb out of poverty and respond to the needs of disadvantaged children.