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UNODC and SOS Children’s Villages Partner to Bring Integrity Education Closer to Children in Ethiopia |
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27 July 2026 — From Lisbon to Addis Ababa, the Zorbs are on the move again. Late July, the Zorbs landed in Ethiopia, where UNODC’s Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education (GRACE) Initiative and SOS Children’s Village Ethiopia launched the Amharic edition of Pathways to Integrity: Anti-Corruption Workshops for Children and Young People and handed over a collection of integrity education materials, including the Zorbs’ very own comics, now available in Amharic. No boarding passes were needed this time. The Zorbs, UNODC's Ambassador of Peace, Justice and the Rule of Law, travelled the way they like best: inside the pages of their comic books, newly translated into Amharic and ready to meet children in Ethiopia in their own language.
Opening the mini-workshop ahead of several anti-corruption related activities for young people from Ethiopia, Bianca Kopp, the coordinator of UNODC’s GRACE Initiative stressed that, “integrity is not a lesson that can wait until adulthood. It starts with the values, choices and conversations children and youth experience every day. Through our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, we are helping to bring these conversations closer to children in Ethiopia, in their own language and in ways that are meaningful, engaging and relevant to their lives.”
On 27 July 2026, the Amharic edition of Pathways to Integrity, a manual to advance ethics, integrity and anti-corruption education in the non-formal education sector developed jointly by UNODC and SOS Children's Villages International, was officially launched at SOS Children’s Village Addis Ababa. The event brought together the Representative of the National Director, the Deputy School Principal, teachers, Holistic Child Development Officers and Mother Representatives, alongside UNODC's GRACE Initiative team and the Head of UNODC office in Ethiopia.
By making integrity education materials available in Amharic, UNODC’s GRACE Initiative aims to do more than just translating words but creating opportunities for children and young people to explore values such as honesty, fairness and responsibility in a language and context they can truly connect with. The mini-workshop combined learning with lively discussion, introducing participants to the GRACE Initiative and UNODC’s efforts to promote ethics and integrity education worldwide. Through interactive exchanges, participants explored how the GRACE Initiative’s educational resources complement SOS Children’s Villages’ commitment to empower children and young people with the values and skills needed to make ethical decisions and contribute positively to their communities.
“Integrity and ethics education is one of the most important investments we can make in the lives of children and young people. Across all our schools at SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia, we are committed to nurturing not only academically capable learners but also responsible, principled, and compassionate citizens. By equipping children and young people with strong ethical values, honesty, accountability, and respect for others, we empower them to make informed decisions, resist negative influences, uphold their rights and responsibilities, and become positive agents of change in their families, communities, and the nation.” stated Mr. Lijalem Baileyegn, who represented the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia on the launch event.
To support learning beyond the workshop, UNODC's GRACE Initiative provided SOS Children’s Village Addis Ababa with a collection of integrity education resources in Amharic, including the Pathways to Integrity publication, Zorbs comic books, and secondary school teaching materials designed to make ethics and integrity learning accessible and engaging for young people. For the Zorbsit was the perfect welcome. Their stories, which help children reflect on honesty, fairness and doing the right thing, can now be read, shared and discussed in classrooms in Amharic.
“Strong partnerships, like the one we have with SOS Children’s Villages International, are essential to advancing integrity education. By making these materials available in Amharic, we are making these important conversations more accessible and meaningful to children across Ethiopia.”echoed Mr. Abraham Ayalew, Head of UNODC Ethiopia Office.
The launch did not end with the handover of the materials. Following the event, the GRACE Initiative team, together with SOS volunteers, facilitated selected activities from Pathways to Integrity with 15 children aged 12 to 13 living in the village. The highlight for the participating children was the “Corruption Tree” activity. Together, they explored what they saw as the roots and causes of corruption, how corruption takes shape, and the consequences it can have. Their ideas turned a complex topic into an open and engaging conversation, giving the children space to share their own experiences, questions and perspectives.
The launch marks a new chapter in the collaboration between UNODC’s GRACE Initiative and SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia.In the coming year, the partnership strives to work more closely to advance ethics and integrity education and materials, with the ambition of reaching all six SOS Children’s Villages locations across Ethiopia, while exploring opportunities for collaboration with SOS Children’s Villages International and across the region. To support this expansion, UNODC is currently working with partners to secure the resources needed to roll out the project more broadly and maximize its impact for children and young people across Ethiopia.
For the Zorbs, this means - hopefully - many more classrooms to visit and many more children to meet. For the GRACE Initiative and SOS Children’s Village International, it means something even bigger: creating more opportunities for children to ask questions, think critically about the choices they face, and understand the value of integrity in their everyday lives.
