The Saatusa area is about 475 kilometres from the capital Addis Ababa, in the Boreda Abaya district (in the Southern Peoples' Region). There are about 30 villages in the Saatusa area. Many of the families living in this district settled there in 1974 when an influx of people came from several more densely populated highland areas.

There is no electricity in Saatusa so people use firewood for cooking and paraffin lamps for light.

Every day in most villages there's a small market or 'giya' (pronounced gee-ya). People sell surplus food such as maize, lentils and uncha. Other items for sale are spices, firewood and salt.

The closest town is 4 to 5 kilometres away, across the Shiffe river. Birbir is the main town in the Boreda Abaya district and it has electricity. Town is much larger than the villages and has a bigger market every Saturday. The market sells a wider range of food such as bananas, sweet potatoes and prepared foods plus quite a number of household items such as plates, cups, matches, material and clothes. There is a large health clinic in Birbir where health staff treat more serious cases from villages.