The Oasis Foundation
Grace Village
Ethiopia

Health Education

Background

The northwestern zone of Tigray is sadly underserved with regards to health service. The great initiative by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in training Health Extension Workers has made some inroads into providing rural Ethiopia with Health Education. 

Problem Statement

The area of Tahtay Koraro includes the local referral hospital but this sadly is unable to meet the demand of the rural population for the basic information provided so well by good health educators.   Faced with an enormous load of acute and emergency patients Health Education is often pushed to the background. The Health Extension Workers are involved in simple curative methods that are taking up much of their time. All this means less than ideal health education is being carried out in rural Ethiopia.

Objectives

• To provide regular health education to the rural communities in Tahtay Koraro
• To teach subjects that are community specific
• To ensure the consequences of early marriage and female genital mutilation
• To train in clean delivery practices
• To provide simple delivery kits to trained birth attendants working under the HEW.
• To inform them about obstetric fistula care at the Bethel Center
• To integrate health issues into the pre-existing health education program of the local health facilities
• To establish communication networks with health facilities in Tahtay Koraro
• To form collaboration networks with other stakeholders focusing on health issues

Project Design

The Oasis Foundation has been responsible for a small nurse driven clinic, which has highlighted the needs of the Tahtay Koraro, recently we have been informed that a health center is to be built about two kilometers away, so the small clinic would become redundant. We looked around to see what other activities we could carry out and decided to concentrate on what is not covered.

A small Health Unit (called Bethel Center), which includes a four bedded Fistula Waiting Ward where women may rest, eat well, be kept clean, provided with physiotherapy and then cover the costs of expediting them to Mekelle for further care at the Mekelle Fistula Center. The previous nurse Sister Letiberhane Kidane and her assistant have had training in Mekelle for care of these women.

Both Sister Letiberhane and Berhine her helper are trained in health education, further in house Health Education has been given by Sister Ruth Kennedy and the Health Bureau has provided the various government protocols for health education in Tigray Region. The nursing staff are currently studying these and preparing lessons to present to the public of Tahtay Koraro Woreda.