Train new health workers in Ethiopia: Save lives!

The nursing students at Alkan Health Science College began the third quarter of their second year this July and have continued pursuing their studies in areas of predetermined key competencies to improve the nursing skills they have already begun to develop. As we follow their studies, it is important to remember the impact these scholarships are having not just on the lives of these six students, but also in the communities they will serve.

Ethiopia is one of the most populated countries in Africa, second only to Nigeria. Providing healthcare to such a large and continuously growing population is especially challenging. In addition to being densely populated, Ethiopia is also a mountainous country which makes reaching rural areas extremely difficult. However, each of these six students will bring back their advanced skills to a rural community in Ethiopia, and serve a population that otherwise would not have access to basic health care.

The rapidly growing population highlights particularly the importance of training more nurses and midwives to be skilled birth attendants. This is one of the key competency areas these students are studying through hands-on training in the skills laboratory to learn the process of labor and listen to classroom lectures on the female reproductive system. Eyerus reflects on the community and the role she will play as she practices the skills she’s learned in child and maternal health at nearby health center: “I have an interest to be part of the community fight[ing] to reduce the death of mothers and babies.”

Thank you to Eyerus, and the five other nursing students: Almaz, Hawa, Fatuma, Tsehay, and Haymanot for continuing to share your hard work and learning experiences with us. To our donors, thank you for supporting these students and the thousands of people they will one day serve. Together we can build a healthier world.