Humanitarian Aid in Ethiopia - Leku Hospital
OUR WORK IN ETHIOPIA
The Leku District Hospital: Life-Saving Medical Care
The health care crisis in Ethiopia has a profound impact on people of the Sidama region. There are currently only 2 hospitals serving more than 10 million, leaving most residents with no access to health care of any kind. Emergency care, medication, surgery and maternity services are virtually non-existent.
The situation is especially grim for mothers and children. Almost all women give birth at home, usually assisted by untrained birth attendants. If there are complications, the only option for a woman in labor is to walk 15-35 miles to the nearest hospital. In fact, it is not uncommon to see women die in the arms of those carrying them to the closest medical facility.
After a 3-year campaign, we have raised the funds to complete construction of the Leku District Hospital for the people of Sidama!
Fulfilling a Promise: Saving Lives in Sidama
Wide Horizons For Children (WHFC) joined with the regional government, local health care professionals and the community to build the much-needed hospital in Shebedino. Our goal is to expand the small clinic currently serving 600,000 into a full-fledged facility providing a range of treatment options and surgical services to area residents for the first time.
The Leku District Hospital will provide emergency services, prenatal care, labor and delivery support, pediatric care, surgery, prevention programs and health education. There will be programs to combat disease and malnutrition, with an emphasis on mother and child health. "When a mother dies in childbirth, it puts her child in a crisis situation," says Dr. Fletcher Wilson, chair of the WHFC Medical Advisory Board. "Reducing the region's extremely high maternal mortality rate will not only mean that fewer children will become orphans, but also make those children much more likely to survive through childhood.
"This project is a true partnership between the government, the community and WHFC, fully driven by the Ethiopian people," he adds. "The goal is to create an excellent facility with a very high standard of patient care."
According to Mesay Hailu Dangiso, head of the Sidama Zone Health Department, "Construction of the Leku Hospital is a much anticipated event all over the region. It will be the only hospital in the area serving more than 20 rural health clinics. This is a great triumph for the people of Shebedino."
We can do even more with your continued support. Please donate online now, or contact Tamar Lewis, Development Director, at tlewis@whfc.org for more information.
