Israel's official international development cooperation program was launched in late 1957 with the aim of sharing with the rest of the developing world the know-how and technologies which provided the basis for Israel's own rapid development.
MASHAV , the Hebrew acronym for Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, was established as a division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What started as a modest program focused on grassroots-level human capacity building at a time when Israel itself was still very much a developing country, has blossomed into an extensive program of cooperation throughout the developing world with the aim of ensuring social, economic and environmental sustainable development.
Since its establishment, MASHAV has trained close to 270,000 course participants from approximately 132 countries in Israel and abroad and has developed dozens of demonstration projects worldwide.
MASHAV has consistently made its priority the goal of poverty alleviation, provision of food security, empowerment of women and upgrade of basic health and education services. The formalization of these priorities in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has only caused us to redouble our longstanding efforts to put Israeli solutions at the service of developing countries in order to further their implementation.
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MASHAV in Ethiopia
International development cooperation is a fundamental part of development diplomacy and an inherent part of Israeli foreign policy in Ethiopia. MASHAV emphasizes the importance of creating effective partnerships for development implementation of cooperative projects.
MASHAV activities focus on areas in which Israel has a comparative advantage and/or accumulated expertise. Ethiopia is one of the biggest MASHAV recipients, and enjoys a large variety of activities, mainly in the fields of agriculture, education and health. This is done both through in-country projects and trainings in Israel.
MASHAV is working with several other development agencies: USAID, GIZ, Czech Development Agency, Dutch development Agency, Italian Cooperation Agency as well as Israeli NGO’s and local government offices.
MASHAV Activities
Small Holder Horticulture Project (SHP)
The Small Holder Horticulture Program is a joint MASHAV-USAID-MoANR Ethiopia program implemented in four main regions of Ethiopia- Amhara, Tigray, SNNPR and Oromia. Phase 1 was launched in 2005 as a pilot project in SNNPR at a nursery center in Butajira and Areka. The primary purpose back then was to introduce improved fruit and vegetables varieties and irrigation technologies to hel
p improve small holder farmers’ production and productivity, income and nutrition.
We are now in the 4th phase of the project, focusing on single fruit type, targeting avocado export from Ethiopia to Europe and the project sustainability towards the nurseries’ autonomy
Urban Agriculture
The urban gardening project is a joint MASHAV- First Lady’s Office program aimed at improving the wellbeing of children in Addis. This program is part of the ongoing school feeding project championed by the First Lady of Ethiopia. Providing nutritious meals to more than 20,000 children in primary schools and creating employment to nearly 900 mothers this project is closely linked with urban agriculture dimensions that will strengthen the food supply to the schools while creating employment to more mothers of undernourished children. The supply of fresh raw materials to the school feeding program not only creates the market link to the initiative but also improves the quality of food served to the children.
Currently MASHAV is supporting the establishment of fruit and vegetables gardens inside schools around Addis Ababa, as part of the project, offering technical support and trainings.
Irrigation for small holder farms
As part of the cooperation between MASHAV and the Netherlands’ development agency, MASHAV is working with the SMIS (Small scale and Micro Irrigation Support) project, providing trainings on irrigation schemes and technologies. Last year a study-tour to Israel was taken by a delegation of water experts from around Ethiopia, and this year two trainings are scheduled in Ethiopia. MASHAV will also assist in building excellence centers for water in different woredas.
Strengthening Drought Resilience- TREE project
The Tree Project: Trilateral Resilience Enhancement in the Ethiopian Lowlands is a joint MASHAV- GIZ- MoNAR Ethiopia program aimed at improving the livelihood and drought resilience in AFAR region through the establishment of three nurseries for date palm trees. With a total area of 72,000 km and about 1.7 million residents, the regional state of Afar is located in the arid and semi-arid lowlands. Pastoralists and agro-pastoralists use most of this land for grazing mixed herds of camels, cattle, goats and sheep. Today, more than 40% of the population is permanently or temporarily reliant on food aid because of strong and long-lasting droughts in the past and the impacts of climate change
MASHAV is supporting this project by offering trainings both in Israel and in Ethiopia to the nurseries’ managers and staff along with other related personnel from Afar region, sharing from its vast knowledge and teaching best practices.
Trainings for the Health System’s Personnel
As part of a trilateral agreement between MASHV, the Italian Cooperation agency and ministry of Health, MASHAV is providing courses and trainings to the Ethiopian health system personnel on various aspects. So far two training have been conducted in Addis with Israeli experts from Hadassah medical center in Jerusalem. In the first training UNAIDS also took part, to train pediatric doctors from all over Ethiopia in the field of Emergency medicine. These trainings involved visits to the Black Lion Hospital and practicing on state-of-the-art medical dolls to imitate real life situations 
Trainings in Israel
MASHAV conducts short-term professional training courses in Israel, along with various partners and institutions.
MASHAV extends a hand in partnership wherever Israel’s experience is relevant, and offers trainings in an extensive list of fields, including: water resource management and irrigation, desert agriculture and combat of desertification, gender and women empowerment, early childhood education, community development, STEM education and entrepreneurship, emergency and disaster medicine, refugee absorption and employment programs, and many, many others.
Every year MASHAV offices around the world send trainees to Israel to participate in the different short-term trainings held there. More than 50 participants from Ethiopia travel to Israel yearly to participate in these trainings.
Upon their return to Ethiopia the connection remains through the SHALOM CLUB
Shalom Club
MASHAV alumni are invited to join the SHALOM Club upon their return to Ethiopia. The Shalom Club is a network of volunteers’ clubs around the world initiating and participating in various activities throughout the year for the benefit of their communities.
The strong bond between the members and the support they receive from MASHAV help them to better implement the knowledge they acquired in Israel in their work and in their voluntary activities.
Shalom Club in Ethiopia has more than 300 active members. On May 2017, the club celebrated The International Good Deeds Day with fun and helpful activities in orphanages for children with special needs.
Supporting Israeli NGO’s
DIR ISRAEL
MASHAV also supported an Israeli NGO, DIR ISRAEL, in hosting a seminar and training on dealing with kids with Autism, in collaboration with the ministry of Education. The two-days seminar for teachers and care-givers was followed by a two-days of trainings in schools around Addis, addressing issues encountered by the local staff there.
Art-Joy-Love
As part of the cooperation with Haddasah Hospital and Dr. Dan Angelard, the embassy supports every year the Art-Joy-Love festival held at AHOPE orphanage. The festival is part of the activities held in the orphanages throughout the year by the embassy staff and volunteers from Israel.
The festival cooperates with local and Israeli artists, working with the kids toward an art exhibition that marks the closing of the festival each year.
Medical Clowning
MASHAV supported a couple of trainings in the field of medical clowning
held in Ethiopia. MASHAV brought an experienced medical clown and educator to assist the Fekat Circus in their training to better serve the sick in the Black Lion hospital.
Fair Planet
A well-known Israeli NGO that focuses on agriculture, fair planet works closely with MASHAV to introduce the Ethiopian farmers to new Israeli technologies, improved seeds and best practices to yield more crops.
Nala Foundation
Working in the field of health, focusing on preventing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTS) in poor communities around Ethiopia, the Nala Foundation works closely with the ministry of Health and various international NGO’s. MASHAV, through the embassy, supports their work.
CultivAid
CultivAid was established by young Israeli engineers from different field and provides technical trainings, knowledge sharing and infrastructure support in the fields of agriculture and water. They work mostly in Tigray area, and are now working closely with some of the ministries regarding Seqota declaration. CultivAid are working closely with MASHAV and the embassy to reach more farmers and change more lives.
Save a Child’s heart
Save a Child’s Heart provides life-saving cardiac surgery and other lifesaving procedures at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel. SACH is flying Ethiopian kids along with their mothers or guardians to Israel to undertake these surgeries. It also offers a comprehensive training program within Israel for doctors and nurses with the assistance of MASHAV and the embassy.