We wanted to take a small break from COVID related news to wish all mothers out there a wonderful upcoming Mother’s Day!
Here’s a sweet little story to conclude our cataract series and uplift your spirits as we celebrate our mothers this weekend.
Read MoreWestern media headlines about Africa’s readiness for the coronavirus have been predictably doom-and-gloom. “Africa is woefully ill-equipped” wrote the Economist. “African countries fear they are defenseless against inevitable spread,” said Time magazine, citing a dearth of doctors, medical supplies and financial resources to combat COVID-19.
Read MoreThanks to your generosity, in just one week WEEMA raised one third of our campaign goal to support COVID-19 prevention efforts in southwestern Ethiopia. We are so thankful to our supporters who have jumped in to support our efforts during this crisis.
Read MoreAs the number of COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia increases steadily, the WEEMA team has actively started its response efforts. We are working in collaboration with the regional government of the Kembata-Tembaro zone.
Read MoreMuch like the rest of the world, WEEMA’s focus has also shifted to COVID response at this critical time. As of this morning, April 1, 2020, Ethiopia has reported 29 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 27 active and 2 recovered cases.
Read MoreWe are keeping everyone in our thoughts during this difficult time of COVID-19 crisis. WEEMA is working with our team in Ethiopia to help increase awareness and cautionary methods in our regions of work. We will share more on these efforts next week.
Read MoreCOVID-19 is weighing heavily on all of our minds here in the US, in Ethiopia, and across the globe. As part of recommended precautions, the WEEMA team is now working remotely- this includes the Cambridge, MA office, the Addis Ababa office and the Mudula office.
Read MoreWEEMA wishes you a Happy belated International Women’s Day (March 8, 2020). In commemoration of this past Sunday, we wanted to share the beautiful story of one of our female patients from this year’s successful cataract campaign where we conducted more than 1000 surgeries in one week.
Read MoreWEEMA continues to celebrate our successful 2020 cataract campaign where we conducted surgeries for more than 1000+ patients. In the next few weeks, we’ll share a couple short stories to celebrate our patients’ journeys to regain sight:
Read MoreLast week, WEEMA held its 6th annual High Volume Cataract Surgical Campaign at Hosanna General Hospital in partnership with the Himalayan Cataract Project, Hadiya Zonal Health Department and Wachemo University. During four busy and hectic days, over 1000 patients (1054 eyes to be exact) underwent cataract surgery.
Read MoreNext week we will all be gathering at Hosanna General Hospital for the annual High Volume Cataract Surgical Campaign. This will be our 6th campaign in partnership with the Himalayan Cataract Project and over 1200 patients have already been scheduled for surgery.
Read MoreMaternity Waiting Homes are a priority for the Ethiopian government. Pregnant women frequently need to travel long distances or have complications that require them to stay near health centers when they begin labor.
Read MoreSure, it’s 2020, but we have a few more end-of-the-year successes we’d like to share, all of them related to improved healthcare delivery in Ethiopia. Among them:
· Imagine running a hospital without a laundry machine. Day after day, large piles of soiled linens, surgical towels and hospital gowns need to be washed by hand. Last fall WEEMA installed a new washing machine at the Mudula Primary Hospital, the only hospital in Tembaro.
Read MoreWEEMA is joining forces with the Ethiopian government to expand digital healthcare services across the country.
Over the past 2½ years, WEEMA and D-tree International have developed and distributed a mobile healthcare tool that is helping 100 local health extension workers (HEWs) in the Tembaro and Hadero districts diagnose childhood illnesses like diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria.
Read MoreWhen he was just a one-year-old child, Kurabachew Abiyu was hospitalized at Jimma General Hospital with a serious illness. He was treated and fully recovered. Then, as a young adult, a close friend developed a software program that tracked patient visits at hospitals.
Read MoreWhile “community-led development” is gaining traction in the development and humanitarian sectors, putting those words into practice is still a big challenge for many nonprofit groups, philanthropists, and government agencies.
This month, WEEMA board member Habtamu Lamore joined global experts to examine what it takes for organizations to truly achieve community engagement and empowerment – key bedrocks of community-led development – in their day-to-day work.
Read MoreThe WEEMA team is thrilled to be honored recently by the Kembata-Tembaro Zone Administration as its top nongovernmental community partner.
The award, announced last week at the Kembata-Tembaro Zone’s Cultural, Historic and Language Symposium in Durame, recognizes WEEMA’s wide-ranging contributions to improved clean water access, healthcare, and educational opportunities over the past eight years.
Read MoreIn India, a revolutionary 37-year-old known as the “Padman” is solving an age-old problem by creating low-cost sanitary pads for millions of Indian women. WEEMA staff recently visited with the Padman to see if the entrepreneur’s success could be replicated in Ethiopia.
Read More“The app guides me through each step. It makes our life simple. I consider the application as a ‘‘virtual doctor’’ that assists me to the right diagnosis and treatment.” - Bette, Health Extension Worker
Read MoreProlonged labor or multiple pregnancies can result in weakened pelvic muscles and can cause complications, including prolapses in the uterus (the uterus falling out the body). Women living with a prolapse are often publicly shamed and ostracized.
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