IZUMI Foundation visits WEEMA program in Ethiopia

Last week, Gretchen Stoddard, the Program Director at the IZUMI Foundation, traveled south with the WEEMA team to see our mHealth program in action.  IZUMI Foundation is generously supporting this innovative approach to empower community health workers with a $100,000 grant.

Gretchen reports, "What a wonderful experience to visit WEEMA in Ethiopia! IZUMI Foundation is excited to see the mHealth program grow and thrive to improve child health. We were thoroughly impressed with all of WEEMA's programs and their dedicated and passionate team! Thanks you for the excellent visit!"

The community health workers also shared their enthusiasm with the team.  Here are some of their comments: 

• "This (program) contributes to the quality of our service. We are sure of what we are doing."
• "Previously caregivers preferred to go to the Health Center. Now this is improving. They are also coming for (their child's) followup appointment, and they are coming before their appointment to say children are getting better."
• "Different organizations have come and some cause confusion...This is clear and exemplary."
• "Mothers are happy."
• "Before we were using chartbooklets...now things are clear. Everything is guided. It simplifies the work....The number of children coming has increased."

Thank you, IZUMI Foundation!

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This past spring, IZUMI awarded WEEMA for it program Empowering Health Extension Workers in Ethiopia: Addressing Under-5 Child Mortality with Clinical Support Tools. The tool is an app designed by D-Tree International that allows Health Extension Workers (HEWs) to more quickly and accurately diagnose sick children and provide appropriate treatment. Thanks to this grant, WEEMA is able to keep more families and children healthy!

Equipping Medical Teams at Durame Hospital

The names of medical instruments may not be music to everyone's ears, but for the staff at Durame General Hospital these pieces of metal chime a glorious victory.

WEEMA delivered requested (and much needed) medical equipment to the surgical staff at Durame. Equipment included tools for performing skin grafts as well as a device that can release pressure in the case of hemorrhaging. These are simple tools that can be found in abundance in U.S. hospitals, but are in short supply in Ethiopia. The medical staff has waited three years for these instruments; everyone is trained and skilled in their use, but they are not easily found in country.

The impact is immediate; doctors can now treat three patients they would have referred to a different hospital a week ago saving them from traveling hours to receive the procedures. WEEMA is happy to equip doctors and keep patients close to home!

THANK YOU TO IMEC FOR DONATING THESE TOOLS!!