This campaign has now closed
Nomadic pastoralists in Ethiopia are often unable to access basic services including health and education, due to living in remote areas, migrating regularly with livestock, and having distinct cultures and traditions. Health Poverty Action is improving health and maternity services and reducing maternal deaths among pastoralist communities in the remote Bale Lowlands of Ethiopia. You can help us to provide vital training to health staff and life saving maternity equipment, and to pilot the first HIV testing service in the area. 25,000 women, 19,000 young people and 25,000 men will be able to access improved health services, which will in turn reduce sickness and deaths from preventable causes.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Nomadic women in these communities are largely unaware of family planning services where they are available, and contraceptive use among them is just 2%. 95% of women and girls are subjected to Female Genital Mutilation, which can lead to shock, haemorrhage, infections, infertility, cysts, traumatic and painful sexual relations, obstructed labour and obstetric fistulae, which dramatically increase the risk of maternal death. Frequent deaths of women during pregnancy and childbirth (1400 per 100,000) occur due to early pregnancies, lack of funds, little available transport to health centres, and inadequate services at health centres to deal with complicated labours. Children also suffer – nearly a third of under-5 deaths occur among newborn babies during their first month of life. 94% of births in Ethiopia take place without skilled assistance, which is the highest rate in the world. The project is improving health services for pastoralists through training health staff on life saving skills during childbirth, providing vital maternity equipment, supplying contraceptives and advocating for long term supplies. We are also setting up a mobile HIV testing service and developing health education materials on Female Genital Mutilation, HIV, safe childbirth and family planning. £50,000 would provide vital equipment, supplies and training, helping to save lives. For every £1 provided, over £3 will be released from the European Commission towards the project.