Humanitarian Aid in Ethiopia - Sidama Zone
OUR WORK IN ETHIOPIA
Sidama lacks the infrastructure to support more than subsistence farming, which remains economically crippling for much of the population. This area also suffers greatly from the impact of HIV, which has left thousands of children orphaned. In the wake of the loss of nearly an entire generation of parents, children struggle to gain employment, money and food and are often left to be cared for by elders or siblings.
WHFC is implementing community development projects in all regions in which we also do adoptions. The purpose of these projects is to initiate sustainable development in combination with our infrastructural support, child sponsorship, and adoption efforts. WHFC, in partnership with the government, visits each community to identify the greatest needs. A key to the success of these projects is the community's involvement through the entire project process: planning, implementation, and maintenance. Community members assist WHFC staff in carrying out needs assessments to determine priority projects and also contribute labor and supplies for funded projects.
Leku Clinic, Shebedino
In response to an urgent request, WHFC funded a medical clinic focused on mother and child health in Shebedino, a region in Sidama of approximately 240,000 people. The aims of the project were to increase health coverage; decrease infant mortality; increase family planning services; and improve the overall quality of the care provided to this underserved population.
The project was completed in two phases: Construction of the maternal and child clinic, followed by funding for essential medical equipment and materials as well as staff training. Since the completion of the clinic, there have been no reported maternal deaths - a huge accomplishment for Ethiopia! The completion of the clinic was also a critical step in providing pre-natal and post-natal services and reducing infant and child mortality for the regional population. All children enrolled in the Sidama sponsorship program receive free medical care at this clinic.
WHFC is now planning to expand the clinic into a hospital. The clinic does not have the capacity to provide c-sections and emergency surgeries (such as an appendectomy). If a woman needs a c-section she is referred to a hospital 27 kilometers south. Rather than walk that distance, most women return to their homes to die. Expanding the clinic to a hospital will enable surgeries to be performed, provide health services to a larger population, and further reduce the maternal and child death rates.
Dongoro-Elecho Potable Water Supply Expansion Works, Aleta Chuko Woreda
The goal of this project is to improve access to safe water and practices related to environmental sanitation and personal hygiene for 3,850 people. Only 36.2% of households in this woreda have access to safe water. People wash their hands and bodies in the same water source that is used for drinking, and the water is further contaminated by animals who defecate in the same area. This contributes to high water-borne and fecal-borne disease rates throughout the region. Currently, a mother or her young children must walk 60-90 minutes to collect water, making it difficult for children to attend school and for mothers to engage in other development activities. The project involves constructing water distribution points and elevated steel tankers to increase safe water access while implementing an interactive behavior change program to improve hygiene and sanitation practices. The community and local government are donating 25% of the funds through labor and materials while WHFC needs US $8,110 to cover the funding for 75% of the project.
Upgrading Gormada Primary School, Gordama Kebele, Aleta Wondo Woreda
The goal of this project is to increase educational opportunities for 960 students and reduce the school dropout rate. In Ethiopia, only one in five who are of secondary school age have access to a high school education. Gordama Kebele has a primary school (grades 1-4), but is 13 kilometers from a secondary school (grades 5-8). Students must leave their homes and study in the woreda's central town if they want to attend school beyond grade 4. This project will allow students to continue studying in their communities through grade 8, thereby increasing the number of children receiving a secondary education and decreasing dropout rates. Expanding the school will also reduce class size. Currently there are only 8 classrooms for more than 990 students. The proposed project requests funds to construct 4 classrooms and a library. The total cost of the project is US $24,280, of which the community will contribute 25% in labor and materials. Ethiopia has requested US $18,210 from WHFC.