Most children in Ethiopia do not have access to complex pediatric surgery and thus live with their disability or die from it. The only pediatric surgical center in the country is in Addis Ababa, but most families cannot afford the cost of surgery, medication, or hospital care for their children. This project will allow children with life-limiting disabilities to be operated on by trained pediatric surgeons and be restored to a meaningful and productive life.
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries globally, and specialized health care is severely limited by access to care, limited resources, and a lack of specialist MDs. In pediatric surgery, care is limited to Addis Ababa and multiple issues limit the number of children who can be cared there. BethanyKids, an NGO dedicated to the holistic care of of children with surgical conditions and disabilities, has trained an Ethiopian pediatric surgeon who provides the surgeries at no added cost.
This project will provide life-giving surgery to children. We can help children like Abezash, a month old baby girl born with an anorectal anomaly (no anus). She had a successful surgery and returned home as a normal, healthy child. We can also help children like Canab, who was born with a severe condition in which the urinary bladder is completely open to the skin from birth. She was never able to attend school and was shunned by peers. After surgery, Canab is dry from urine.
The project will provide healing and health to children with surgical needs. Each child who receives an operation will get a new lease on life, being able to be integrated into society, attend school and receive education, and have a meaningful life. Each child can impact a community, thus hundreds of communities across Ethiopia will be positively impacted through the children being operated.
