Last week WEEMA’s Founding Director, Liz McGovern, joined global leaders, experts, and advocates in New York City to work on strategies for achieving universal access to effective and affordable health services by 2030.

While at the at the Universal Health Coverage Conference, Liz had the privilege of meeting Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian physician and global health advocate who was elected Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017. Dr. Tedros has a long track record of public health leadership and served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health from 2005–2012. Under his guidance, Ethiopia invested in critical health infrastructure, expanded its health workforce, and developed innovative health financing mechanisms.

During their encounter, Dr. Tedros asked about WEEMA’s work and the meaning behind WEEMA's name. Liz was honored to explain how WEEMA not only means “hope” or to become “whole” or “fulfilled” in the local dialect, but how it also represents our mission and approach to development through Water, Education, Economic Empowerment and Medical care projects, implemented in Alliance with the local community.

Thank you, Dr. Tedros, for taking interest in WEEMA, and for being such a strong champion of access to high-quality, affordable health care!

To learn more about WEEMA's medical programs, click here.

“WHO's work is about serving people, about serving humanity. Most importantly, it's about fighting to ensure the health of people as a basic human right.”
-Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus