Supporting Kidney Patients & Dialysis Care

PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

Supporting Kidney Patients & Dialysis Care (#72117)

Face Up Generation Aid Organization (FUGAO)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Reporting Period: July – September 2026

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

Warm greetings from Face Up Generation Aid Organization (FUGAO).

We are pleased to share our latest progress report for the project “Supporting Kidney Patients & Dialysis Care (#72117)”.

This project is dedicated to improving access to life-saving dialysis treatment and strengthening support for vulnerable people living with kidney disease in Ethiopia. Kidney patients and their families continue to face serious financial, medical, and emotional challenges, particularly when regular dialysis and essential medicines are beyond their means.

Through this initiative, FUGAO is working to reduce these barriers and help kidney patients access treatment, care, dignity, and hope.

Our mission remains clear:

To help vulnerable kidney patients access life-saving treatment, reduce the burden of kidney disease on families, and contribute to a future where no patient is forced to forgo essential care because of poverty.

Project Overview

During the reporting period, FUGAO continued strengthening the project around several interconnected areas:

• Supporting access to dialysis treatment
• Reducing the financial burden of treatment on vulnerable patients and families
• Supporting essential medical care and patient follow-up
• Promoting awareness of kidney disease prevention and management
• Strengthening engagement with healthcare providers
• Supporting patients and caregivers with information and encouragement
• Mobilizing resources for sustainable kidney-care interventions

The project prioritizes kidney patients who require regular treatment, particularly those whose economic circumstances make it difficult to maintain continuity of care.

The overall five-year project vision is to expand access to dialysis and related support, including medicines, nutrition, screening, caregiver support, and strengthened dialysis services.

Progress So Far

July – September 2026

During this reporting period, FUGAO continued efforts to support vulnerable kidney patients and strengthen the foundation for expanded dialysis and kidney-health interventions.

The project continued to focus on:

1. Dialysis Treatment Support

Access to regular dialysis remains one of the most urgent needs facing patients with advanced kidney disease.

FUGAO continued working toward improving access to dialysis treatment by:

• Identifying patients facing financial barriers to treatment
• Supporting access to dialysis where resources permitted
• Reducing financial pressure on vulnerable patients and families
• Strengthening coordination with healthcare providers
• Following up on patient treatment and care needs

Consistent dialysis treatment can be critical for patients whose lives depend on regular sessions. The project therefore continues to prioritize continuity of treatment and patient dignity.

2. Patient Care and Medical Assistance

Kidney patients often require more than dialysis alone. They may also face additional costs related to medicines, transportation, nutrition, follow-up care, and other treatment requirements.

During the reporting period, FUGAO continued strengthening its patient-centered approach by:

• Identifying additional patient care needs
• Supporting access to essential medical assistance where possible
• Encouraging appropriate follow-up with healthcare providers
• Linking patients and families with available services
• Promoting dignity and compassionate care

FUGAO recognizes that supporting a kidney patient means supporting the person as a whole—not only the medical procedure.

3. Support for Vulnerable Families

Chronic kidney disease can place significant financial and emotional pressure on families.

Families may face:

• Repeated medical expenses
• Transportation costs
• Lost income
• Nutrition-related challenges
• Caregiving responsibilities
• Emotional stress and uncertainty

FUGAO therefore continued promoting a compassionate approach that recognizes the needs of both patients and their caregivers.

By reducing some of the pressures surrounding treatment, the project seeks to help families remain focused on the patient's health and well-being.

4. Kidney Health Awareness

Prevention and early detection are important components of the project's long-term vision.

FUGAO continued promoting awareness around:

• Kidney disease prevention
• The importance of early health-seeking behavior
• Risk factors associated with kidney disease
• The importance of appropriate medical follow-up
• The need for patients to maintain recommended treatment
• The role of families and communities in supporting kidney patients

The project's broader five-year plan includes screening people for early kidney-disease risks and strengthening community awareness.

5. Healthcare Provider Engagement

Effective kidney care requires cooperation among patients, families, healthcare professionals, hospitals, community structures, and organizations.

FUGAO continued emphasizing coordination with healthcare providers to:

• Better understand patient needs
• Strengthen referral and follow-up mechanisms
• Improve communication around patient support
• Identify gaps in available services
• Explore opportunities to strengthen dialysis care

Partnerships with medical institutions remain an important part of FUGAO's long-term strategy.

Early Impact & Stories of Hope

Restoring Hope Through Treatment

For kidney patients, access to dialysis can mean the difference between continued treatment and a potentially life-threatening interruption.

By supporting access to treatment and reducing barriers faced by vulnerable patients, the project is helping create opportunities for patients to continue receiving essential care.

The project is ultimately about more than dialysis—it is about giving patients the opportunity to continue living with dignity, hope, and connection to their families.

Supporting Families Under Pressure

Kidney disease affects entire families.

When a patient requires regular dialysis, relatives may experience financial pressure, emotional stress, and caregiving responsibilities.

Through patient-centered support and awareness, FUGAO seeks to help families better understand kidney disease and identify available avenues for assistance.

Building Awareness for Prevention

The project also recognizes that long-term progress requires greater awareness and prevention.

By promoting kidney-health information and encouraging early health-seeking behavior, FUGAO is working toward a future in which kidney disease can be identified earlier and communities are better equipped to understand its risks.

Challenges Encountered

Implementation continues to face significant challenges, including:

• High costs associated with dialysis treatment
• The continuing need for regular and long-term treatment
• Limited resources compared with the number of patients requiring assistance
• Costs of medicines and other medical supplies
• Transportation challenges for patients who must travel for treatment
• Economic pressure on low-income households
• Limited availability of dialysis services in some areas
• The need for stronger and more sustainable healthcare partnerships

The continuing nature of dialysis means that assistance cannot be treated as a one-time intervention. Patients often require ongoing support over extended periods.

Despite these challenges, FUGAO remains committed to mobilizing resources, strengthening partnerships, and expanding support for vulnerable kidney patients.

What’s Next?

October – December 2026

During the next reporting period, FUGAO plans to focus on:

• Expanding support for vulnerable kidney patients
• Strengthening access to dialysis treatment
• Mobilizing additional resources for patient care
• Strengthening cooperation with healthcare providers
• Supporting essential medicines and patient-care needs where resources permit
• Increasing kidney-health awareness
• Strengthening patient follow-up and monitoring
• Exploring opportunities for kidney disease risk screening
• Strengthening caregiver and family support
• Documenting additional stories of change
• Improving monitoring, learning, and accountability systems

FUGAO will continue working toward a model of care that combines immediate patient support with longer-term prevention, awareness, and healthcare-system strengthening.

Sustainability & Long-Term Vision

Sustainable kidney care requires more than short-term financial assistance.

FUGAO's long-term approach therefore emphasizes:

• Strengthening partnerships with medical institutions
• Increasing community awareness of kidney disease
• Supporting patients and caregivers with appropriate information
• Improving referral and follow-up systems
• Mobilizing resources for continued dialysis support
• Promoting prevention and early detection
• Strengthening patient and community support networks
• Advocating for improved access to essential kidney-care services

The project's five-year objectives include supporting 2,000 kidney patients, subsidizing 20,000 dialysis sessions, supporting nutrition programs for 5,000 kidney patients, screening 100,000 people for kidney-disease risks, and training 1,000 caregivers by the end of the project period.

FUGAO's long-term vision is to contribute to an Ethiopia where kidney patients can access essential treatment without being forced into avoidable suffering because of poverty or lack of access.

Why This Project Matters

Kidney disease can transform a family's life.

For a patient who requires regular dialysis, missing treatment can have serious consequences. At the same time, the financial burden of long-term treatment can overwhelm families who are already struggling economically.

That is why “Supporting Kidney Patients & Dialysis Care” matters.

The project contributes to:

• Improved access to life-saving dialysis
• Reduced financial pressure on vulnerable families
• Improved patient support and follow-up
• Greater awareness of kidney health
• Stronger support for caregivers
• Increased attention to prevention and early detection
• Improved dignity and hope for kidney patients
• Stronger partnerships for sustainable healthcare support

The GlobalGiving project currently identifies practical giving opportunities ranging from medicines and patient transportation to dialysis sessions, nutrition support, screening, and dialysis-center supplies.

How Donor Support Makes a Difference

Every contribution can help reduce the burden faced by a kidney patient and family.

According to the project's current GlobalGiving giving levels:

• $10 can provide life-saving medicines for one patient for a week.
• $25 can support transportation and meals for a dialysis session.
• $50 can provide nutrition support for a kidney patient for one month.
• $100 can subsidize one dialysis session for a low-income patient.
• $500 can provide full dialysis support for a patient for one month.
• $1,000 can cover essential medicines for 10 patients.
• $3,000 can support kidney-disease risk screening for 1,000 people.
• $5,000 can help equip a regional dialysis center with supplies for six months.

Every contribution represents an opportunity to transform medical need into practical support and uncertainty into hope.

Monitoring & Evaluation

FUGAO is committed to accountability, transparency, and continuous learning.

The project uses monitoring approaches including:

• Patient treatment tracking
• Healthcare-provider reports
• Beneficiary feedback
• Regular follow-up with patients and families
• Documentation of support provided
• Field-level monitoring
• Stakeholder consultations
• Periodic project review
• Documentation of stories of change

Feedback from patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders helps FUGAO identify emerging needs and improve implementation.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The project tracks progress through indicators including:

• Number of kidney patients supported
• Number of dialysis sessions supported
• Continuity of dialysis treatment
• Number of patients receiving medical assistance
• Number of patients receiving nutrition support
• Number of caregivers and families engaged
• Number of people reached through kidney-health awareness
• Number of people screened for kidney-disease risks
• Number of healthcare partnerships strengthened
• Beneficiary feedback and satisfaction
• Evidence of improved access to care
• Evidence of improved awareness of kidney health

These indicators help FUGAO measure progress, identify gaps, strengthen accountability, and improve future interventions.

Looking Ahead: Hope for Life

The journey for a kidney patient is often long.

It requires regular treatment, medical attention, family support, financial resources, compassion, and sustained commitment.

FUGAO is determined to continue walking alongside kidney patients and their families as they navigate this difficult journey.

We believe that:

Every kidney patient deserves access to essential care, dignity, compassion, and hope.

With continued support from the GlobalGiving community, donors, healthcare partners, volunteers, and other stakeholders, FUGAO will continue working to transform financial hardship into access to treatment, vulnerability into resilience, and uncertainty into hope.

Together, We Can Support Hope for Life

We extend our sincere gratitude to the GlobalGiving community, donors, partners, healthcare providers, volunteers, patients, caregivers, and local stakeholders for standing with vulnerable kidney patients in Ethiopia.

Your support helps make essential care more accessible and reminds patients and families that they are not alone.

Together, we can help move patients:

From treatment barriers to access.
From financial hardship to support.
From uncertainty to hope.
From vulnerability to dignity.

Thank you for standing with kidney patients and their families in Ethiopia.

With deep appreciation,

Face Up Generation Aid Organization (FUGAO)

“Saving lives today creates hope for tomorrow.”