Inspiring Youth Mobilization Against COVID

Young people from Mudula quickly answered the call to donate blood amid a national shortage.

During challenges that seem insurmountable, we often find inspiration in the younger generation mobilizing to take action. WEEMA is happy to find such inspiration in the youth of Kembata-Tembaro Zone as they organize to reign in the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. Here are some of the major activities the youth are spearheading: 

• Voluntary blood donation campaign: Despite an increasing need for blood donors after the start of COVID, there has been a national decline in voluntary blood donation in Ethiopia. Prime Minister Abiy and first Lady Zinash have put out a national call urging for blood donations at this critical time. Following this call, the youth in Mudula Town gathered in Mudula primary hospital and donated 53 units of blood in one day and the donations are expected to continue for three successive months.   

• Promote Hand washing stations: The youth volunteers manage hand washing stations at places of public gatherings such as open markets and bus lines. 

• Manage Water Tankers: The water tankers set up by the Health department and WEEMA are handled by these amazing youth volunteers who set up the tankers each day, re-fill them throughout the day and return them back to the storage location at night. 

• Home to Home and public awareness creation: The youth have been leading public educational sessions, through home-to-home awareness creation, flyer distribution to service providers like restaurants and hotels or public area campaigns using microphones to spread critical messages to the community. 

• Resource Mobilization: The youth volunteers have been helping in gathering resources like sanitary supplies, food items for the quarantine center, cash, and other materials for the prevention of COVID-19 in the Tembaro community.  

 What an inspiration indeed! WEEMA is encouraged to continue its fight and do our part against COVID and we hope you are too. 

Have a productive rest of the week! 

Mudula youths donating blood after Prime Minister Abiy’s call to action.

Pad distribution and hygiene packages change lives!

Primary and middle school students celebrate with their new menstrual kits!

Two weeks ago WEEMA International, in partnership with Studio Samuel, distributed 400 reusable sanitary pads at Samura Primary and Middle School and left an additional 200 for future students. This distribution was accompanied by presentations, led by peer mentors, on how to use the pads as well as general information about hygiene and menstrual management.

Evidence shows that lack of access to menstrual supplies (and knowledge!) leads to girls' school absenteeism and drop-out.  One female student explained how these pads will transform her school life:

"I want to thank WEEMA for giving us this reusable pads so that we can focus on our education. It's been a problem for me to focus on  school activities during menstruation because of fear, pain and embarrassment. I didn't come to school during menstruation but now that I have this materials with me, it won't be a problem anymore."

In addition to the pad distribution, we'd like to send a big shout out to Cindy and her supporters for spearheading hygiene packages for boys. Her packages included underwear, toothbrushes, soap and toilet paper for over 200 students.  Gratitude!

Saruma school boys pick up their hygiene packages from Cindy and her daughter.

This demonstration taught 400 girls how to use and wash their reusable pads and maintain proper hygiene.

WEEMA'S 2018 Cataract Campaign

WEEMA has performed cataract surgeries on over 1,000 eyes during our 2018 Cataract Campaign!

We are hosting this campaign in partnership with Himalayan Cataract Project in Hossana. Last year, the campaign screened over 10,000 people in the Hadiya Zone and performed 1,000 surgeries.

We reached our goal again this year and restored sight to 828 patients in just 4 days!

Happy World Health Worker Week!

We're taking this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all of the global health workers who work tirelessly every day to care for families around the world.  We appreciate you!

Learn more about World Health Worker Week: April 1-7, 2018

WEEMA truly values the dedication and commitment of Ethiopia's frontline health care workers, Health Extension Workers (HEWs). Together, in partnership with D-Tree International and Ethiopia's Ministry of Health, we are developing and implementing a comprehensive mobile tool to empower these women to provide high quality maternal child health care.  While our pilot program is located in the Kembata-Temabro Zone, we plan to see this program scale to all 35,000 HEWs serving rural communities throughout Ethiopia.   HEWs- with these phones in hand- save lives.

Listen to these rural farmers- they can see again!!

WEEMA International won a "best practice" health award for its cataract work in Ethiopia.  WEEMA, with its partners Himalayan Cataract Project and the zonal health departments, has hosted 3 high volume cataract campaigns in Kembata-Tembaro and Haydia Zones and served over 2000 patients.  In recognition of this work, a large Ethiopia NGO association made a "best practice" film.  We clipped some of the patient stories to produce this short trailer (note, you will hear shifts in music in the background.)

Watch this sweet trailer below.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FULL 18 MINUTE "BEST PRACTICE" SEGMENT, VIEW HERE.