The Adwa Clinic - A Community Aspiration
OUR WORK IN ETHIOPIA
For years, residents of Adwa in northern Ethiopia felt the urgent need for a health clinic. With the nearest hospital much too far a walk for someone ill or about to give birth, and virtually no other forms of transportation available, most of the roughly 1.5 million people in the region had no access to healthcare.
In this war-torn drought-prone area the shortage of health-care facilities resulted in death for many women during child birth, and for many more children malnutrition and suffering from easily treatable diseases. Others suffering obstetric fistulas and preventable or treatable ailments were treated as outcasts.
Partnership with the Population
In keeping with Wide Horizons’ commitment to fund projects the community wants and needs, WHFC agreed to construct the Adwa Comprehensive Health Clinic at the request of the local government and population, with the community contributing labor and materials.
Said Adwa resident Kiros Abereha: "There are lots of AIDS patients and needy people who can’t afford taxis to get to the hospital, which is far away from their homes. The construction of a clinic was the priority need in our community. For many years we have been thinking of having a clinic. We’re so happy WHFC came and we were ready to help."
A site was chosen in the poorest area of Adwa, within walking distance of many of the remotest villages. Hundreds of community members participated. Women carted dirt and rocks on make-shift stretchers, while men spent hours using rudimentary tools to chisel stone for the clinic’s exterior.
Now two-thirds complete, the clinic will include a maternal and child health ward, an out-patient department, operating and delivery rooms, a registration and waiting area, and administrative offices. When operational it will ultimately save the lives of thousands, particularly vulnerable women and children.
Ahead of Schedule!
You read it right! The enthusiasm from the community has been so great that the clinic is now two-thirds complete. Construction is expected to be done six months early. The $150,000 left to raise toward the project’s $320,000 cost represents the final hurdle towards completion.
We need your support to guarantee the Adwa Clinic gets up and running. Join us in helping make this a reality for the people of Ethiopia. Make your donation online now.
