The first DSW country office in East Africa was established in Ethiopia in 2000. It started with just four staff members. They administered grant programmes implemented by community-based organisations. Four years later, DSW became the first civil society organisation to open a training centre for young people in Ethiopia. As the thematic areas of work expanded, so did the number of staff. Today, there are 75 staff members, two of whom have been with the organisation from the very beginning. The country office manages projects in four regions and the capital. The head office is located in Addis Ababa, the training centre in Bishoftu and the project-specific liaison offices in the four regions. DSW Ethiopia currently works with 22 youth development centres, 150 youth clubs and 30 youth groups, all of which are linked to the nearest health facilities to provide their services.

The projects are aimed at young people in different life situations. These include school-age, working and homeless young people, as well as domestic workers, casual labourers and sex workers. Each project provides them with tailored and timely messages to raise their awareness and interest in sexual and reproductive health and rights and services, and to empower them to lead self-determined lives.

Tailored strategies have been developed to meet the different needs and priorities of young people. For example, specific projects have been initiated and piloted in the flower farms, industrial parks and factories, taking into account working conditions, where people live and how they get to work. For school-age young people, approaches have been developed that involve teachers, parents and pupils, i.e. the whole school community. Out-of-school youth are supported, trained and encouraged in youth clubs. DSW Ethiopia is constantly expanding its institutional capacities and its network, also in order to tap further resources from potential donors.