With community-based care, culturally appropriate health education, and medical supplies, GGCH and EECMY have brought much-needed support to rural Ethiopians struggling to stay alive and well.
Limited Access to Adequate Health Care
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38% of Ethiopians have no access to public health services.
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Over half of all households must walk more than 2 hours (6 miles) to reach the nearest health facility.
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Only 3 physicians are available to serve every 100,000 people.
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Inadequately staffed hospitals and health facilities often lack sterilization equipment; face shortages of medications and anesthesia; even require patients to bring their own drugs and basic supplies.
Poor Sanitation
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Less than one quarter of all Ethiopians have access to clean drinking water.
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In rural areas, 94% lack adequate sanitation facilities.
Hunger and Malnutrition
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Ethiopia has one of the highest child malnutrition rates in sub-Saharan Africa and the world: more than half the children under 5 are stunted.
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Heavy workloads, poor diets, and frequent pregnancies severely undermine women's nutritional status.
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Chronic poverty and food shortages persist, leaving millions in need of emergency relief.
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46% of the Ethiopian population (50% of the child population) is undernourished; 47% are stunted.
Infectious Disease
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Ethiopia is one of the most malaria-epidemic prone countries in Africa, with almost 600 people in every 100,000 being infected with over 68 percent of the population being at risk for infection.
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Tuberculosis is the biggest killer of Ethiopian women: 96 deaths per 100,000.
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The risk for malaria, meningitis, measles, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea is increasing, especially for children and pregnant women.
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Up to 4.04 million people are infected with HIV‹and the pandemic is quickly spreading.
Child Health and Mortality
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In 2007, nearly 1 in every 8 newborns died before age one.
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According to the UN, approximately 400,000 Ethiopian children die before their fifth birthday every year making an Ethiopian child 30 times more likely to die before his or her fifth birthday, often due to preventable diseases.
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Diarrhea and pneumonia are the main causes of early death among children, and HIV has emerged as a growing cause of early childhood death.
Call to Action
Improve access to essential health and nutrition services through our CBRH Program:
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Expand the number of villages we serve with primary care
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Provide education on primary health issues: vaccination, safe drinking water, good nutrition, childhood illness prevention and care, pregnancy self-care, and prevention of infectious disease, especially HIV/AIDS
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Obtain and distribute desperately needed medical supplies
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Offer home-based care to people living with HIV/AIDS
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