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New Generations, Old Challenges: Questioning Grassroots Development in the Horn of Africa
JOURNAL OF YOUTH RESEARCHES
Ecology rationally utilizes resources of the biosphere in full awareness of the potential of
local ecosystems, as well as the global and outer limits imposed on present and future
generations. It implies the impartial access to resources and socially relevant technol-
ogies by all. Sustainability considers the interdependency of these resources in short,
medium and long term in terms of time and in local, national, and transnational in space.
As the true form of democracy, participative democracy is not merely government of the
people and for the people but also, and more fundamentally, “by the people” at all levels of
society. Lastly, structural and sustainable changes are required in social relations, in eco-
nomic activities and in their spatial distributions, as well as in the power structure, to realize
the conditions of self-management and participation in decision making by all those affect-
ed by it, from the rural to urban community to the world (Servaes, 2002:78-79).
Findings & Discussion
Overview of the Target Rural neighborhoods
The target neighborhoods considered for the case study are located in Southern Na-
tions Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP) regional state, Guraghe zone, Enemor and Ener
woreda, Ethiopia. They are situated at about 190 km south of Addis Ababa through
Wolkite-Hossana main road. Out of the total distance, only 155km is asphalt-road, while
all the rest following the city of Wolkite is all-whether gravel road that turns very chal-
lenging during the Ethiopian summer months. This road was constructed by the Gurage
Roads Construction Organization (GRCO) before four decades (Nishi, 2008:14).
The target neighborhoods (Kebeles) fall within the hot and temperate climatic zones, lo-
cally known as ‘Kolla’ and ‘Woyna dega’ respectively (Menu & Ahmed, 2006). The average
annual rainfall of the kebeles is about 1200 mm. Maximum precipitation occurs during
June, July and August with a minimum rainfall in December and January. The maximum
temperature is about 30 and the minimum is 4 in degree Celsius. The altitude varies from
1200m to 1700m above sea level. As part of the Southern Ethiopian Plateau, the target
site lies beneath volcanic rocks of Tertiary Age. These volcanic rocks include the early
tertiary age basalt flows of the Ashangi group which underlain the Malgdala group (Menu
& Ahmed, 2006). For most part, both formations seem to be basalts adjacent to the area.
The volcanic rocks are believed to rest on light colored Genesis and Schist probably of
Pre-Cambrian Age.
The neighborhoods have serious shortage in terms of water supply, sanitation and hy-
giene education, health education and related basic facilities. For instance, Sadika Ele-
mentary School had been the only school among the three neighborhoods before other
two primary schools were introduced years back. Although all the three neighborhoods
are identified as exposed to various health hazards, there is no single health center in any
of the three neighborhoods. If there happened to have any, residents have share same
water with the cattle. These neighborhoods have never utilized electricity. For home light-
ing, they use an old-style wick-based kerosene lamps, locally called Kuraz. Regretfully,
this happens at a time even one of the nationally giant electricity power generation sta-
