Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) aid available to, and (2) religious freedoms of, the Manjo peoples living in the Sheka zone of the Southern region of Ethiopia.

The Manjo people in Southern Ethiopia have faced long standing social, political and economic marginalisation. Consequently, they have not benefitted equally from Ethiopia’s development gains. Neither have they been able to fully exercise their human rights, including that of religious freedom.

DFID made an assessment of the situation of the Manjo through the first phase of the Civil Society Support Programme (2011-16), to which the UK contributed £14m. The programme supported interventions by local civil society organisations to address the underlying factors that maintain social and religious marginalisation. Community dialogue events sought to change cultural attitudes towards the Manjo. The second phase of the programme will continue to have a focus on marginalised communities, including the Manjo, through grants and strategic government engagement.