Ethiopia
Situation Report
With the second highest population in sub-Saharan Africa, the HIV and AIDS pandemic has affected Ethiopia heavily. Nearly 30 percent of AIDS-related deaths are among the most productive members of society, constituting a great economic burden to the country. AIDS deaths have also resulted in millions of orphans and widows, many of whom are also HIV-positive.
Additionally, in much of Africa the ratio of fully trained general surgeons to the population is between 1:500,000 and 1:1.7 million. Most surgeons are concentrated in the major cities caring for the wealthy and upper middle classes. Training African surgeons in Africa is the surest way to prepare African surgeons for the unique challenges they will face. It enhances the likelihood that they will serve out their years in this neediest of all the continents and it will provide desperately needed surgeons for a continent that is annually losing more surgeons to the West than it is training.
Through a partnership with the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), Medical Teams International volunteers provide hands-on training as well as lectures to surgical residents of multiple hospitals throughout Africa. The goal of PAACS is to train African surgeons who can then serve at Christian hospitals throughout Africa in a way that honors God and provides quality surgical services to the poor. Medical Teams International sends teams to Soddo Hospital, the PAACS program in Ethiopia.
Our Work
Medical Teams International first worked in Ethiopia during the 1984-85 famine. Since 1985, 27 volunteer teams have provided relief and medical training assistance. We have supported two major HIV & AIDS programs in partnership with Ethiopian church development programs and will embark on a new HIV & AIDS partnership in FY11. We also send surgical and other training teams to Soddo Hospital.
Future Plans
Medical Teams International will fund a HIV & AIDS project with Life in Abundance International. The project will focus on increasing uptake of services among women and children for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) and treatment along with HIV prevention and behavior change within the communities and health care centers of Debre Birhan.
We will also send 1-2 volunteer surgical teams to train resident surgeons and other staff at Soddo Hospital. Volunteers needed at Soddo include surgeons of all specialties including general surgery, orthopedics, OB/Gyn, anesthesiology, plastics, pediatric surgery, ENT, pathology.
Our Partners
- Life in Abundance International (LIA), is an African-led Christian community development organization that was established in 2002. The mission of LIA is to empower churches to serve the poor using a holistic approach for community transformation. This international organization is the parent entity of what has now become a ministry serving seven east African countries. The Ethiopian office of LIA was established as a local community development organization with the goal of assisting the most needy community members, particularly women and children. LIA-E uses an integrated community based health care strategy to reach the poorest individuals and communities with holistic interventions. Their ongoing projects include: Church based holistic ministry programs; Orphans and vulnerable children projects; Integrated HIV/AIDS Care & Support projects; Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission projects; Abstinence and Behavior Change projects among youth and; Water and Sanitation projects.
- Soddo Christian Hospital, sponsored by the St. Lukes Healthcare Foundation and a designated Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) training hospital, is located in southern Ethiopia and serves an area of more than three million people. The mission of the PAACS program is to train and disciple African surgeons who can then serve at Christian hospitals throughout Africa in a way that honors God and provides quality surgical services to the poor. PAACS’ goal, in association with other participating hospitals, is to train at least 100 Christian African surgeons by 2010. Staff surgeons at the hospital include plastic, general and orthopedic surgeons.
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