Global Outreach
Building Speech & Language Skills in Ethiopia
በኢትዮጵያ የንግግር እና የቋንቋ ክህሎትን ማሳደግ
The need for communication support in Ethiopia far exceeds the availability of speech-language therapy services. Many families, teachers, and caregivers are searching for practical ways to help children communicate, but have limited access to specialized resources. This page was created to help bridge that gap by providing simple, effective strategies that can be used in homes, schools, and communities to support communication development.
በኢትዮጵያ ያለው የተግባቦት ድጋፍ ፍላጎት ካለው የንግግር እና የቋንቋ ሕክምና አገልግሎት አቅርቦት በእጅጉ ይበልጣል። ብዙ ቤተሰቦች፣ መምህራን እና ተንከባካቢዎች ሕፃናት ሃሳባቸውን እንዲገልጹ ለመርዳት ተግባራዊ መንገዶችን ቢፈልጉም፣ ልዩ የሆኑ ግብዓቶችን የማግኘት ዕድላቸው ውስን ነው። ይህ ገጽ የተዘጋጀው በቤት ውስጥ፣ በትምህርት ቤት እና በማህበረሰብ ውስጥ የተግባቦት እድገትን ለመደገፍ የሚያገለግሉ ቀላል እና ውጤታማ ስልቶችን በማቅረብ ያንን ክፍተት ለመሙላት እንዲረዳ ነው::
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Ethiopia: Insights and Strategies
Training Videos
In collaboration with Eye to Eye, an Israeli based non-profit, a four part speech and language webinar series was let by Karen Taylor, M.S., CCC-SLP for parents and professionals from a range of fields in July & August, 2025. The goal was share more about speech-language therapy approaches to better support children with autism in Ethiopia.
Beyond Speech: Helping Non speaking Children Communicate- Ms. Karen Taylor
Understanding Speech Sound Disorders- Ms. Karen Taylor
Talk & Understand Language Development Basics- Ms. Karen Taylor
Communication Profile of Autism -Ms. Karen Taylor
Past Training Activities
The People of Ethiopia Changed My Life
My first trip to Ethiopia in 2023 changed everything I thought I knew about communication access. I traveled to provide trainings for parents and teachers, model strategies, and assess students, but what I found was a country of incredible people facing enormous challenges. During my first visit, there was only one speech therapist in the entire nation, and families had few people they could consult and ask for guidance about autism, Down Syndrom, genetic or developmental delays.
Even in the face of limited resources, I met teachers and parents whose passion and love for their children inspired me deeply. That experience opened my eyes and set my heart on helping expand awareness and support for children with communication needs.
In October 2025, I returned to Ethiopia for two weeks of intensive outreach, conducting trainings in schools and hospitals, connecting with medical residents, and mentoring Ethiopia’s first Master’s Degree students in Speech-Language Therapy. The partnerships built continue through virtual trainings, resource sharing, and ongoing collaboration until my next visit in person.
These experiences remind me every day why I do this work, because every child, everywhere, deserves a voice.
(Read more in Voices from Ethiopia to see how collaboration and compassion are transforming communication access one connection at a time.)
Training with teacher at Addis Pride Academy
Students enrolled at Addis Ababa in the Master's of Science in Speech_Language Therapy following a full day training with Karen Taylor, M.S., CCC-SLP
Partnerships
Nia Foundation Joy Autism Center - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mag School - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Nathan Home for Special Needs Kids - Adama, Ethiopia
Negat Neurodivergent Center - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Pride Academy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Agathos Academy
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eye to Eye, Israel
