Children accessing water outside their village in Western Eritrea. © Derek Markwell
The Secretary of State has announced a review of the DFID Bilateral Aid Programme. The information on this page reflects current activity and is not an indication of the direction or possible outcome of the review.
Bordering the Red Sea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan, the country of Eritrea, with its mountainous terrain and coastal plains, is one of the most picturesque countries in East Africa.
But it remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
Eritrea ranks 165 out of 182 on the UN Human Development Index.
Life expectancy is 59 years but HIV prevalence remains below 2%. The government has put substantial effort into improving health, education and clean water and hygiene provision, but many challenges still remain.
Water shortage is a major difficulty for Eritrea; it has endured consecutive years of drought, leading to serious humanitarian problems such as food insecurity and severe malnutrition in children.
DFID activity in Eritrea:
DFID’s Eritrea programme team is based in London with support from Nairobi.
It works closely with the British Embassy in Asmara, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multilateral organisations such as the UN.