Ethiopia

A culturally rich, diverse country with over 100 million people, 80 languages, and about three times the size of Germany. But also with hunger, displacement, drought, and violence. The mortality rate among young children remains high – 48 out of 1,000 children die in their first five years. Improving humanitarian and medical care is urgently needed to improve this situation.

For over two years, people have been suffering from the consequences of the civil war in northern Ethiopia, in the state of Tigray and the border regions. Despite the dramatic situation, Ethiopia receives little international attention.

Friends, relatives, and family of ours live in Ethiopia. We focus our aid on the "Wollo" region, around the town of Mersa, not far from the border with Tigray. The nearest provincial hospital is in Dessie, where we have also been active since 2024.

The university hospital in Dessie is responsible for approximately 11 million people. Unlike Mersa, it has various specialized departments, including an intensive care unit. However, basic equipment and, in some cases, medications and consumables are also lacking here. Based on the list of our local partners, we are trying to procure urgently needed supplies within our means.

Every euro (or birr) invested here benefits a multitude of people, as we see during our on-site visits (most recently in December 2024). We will visit the hospital in Dessie again in April 2025.

Mersa - in the Mountains of Ethiopia

From Addis, it's about a six-hour drive north to Mersa; the nearest larger town is Dessie. From here, the road winds through the mountains; baboons can always be seen somewhere along the roadside. And there are always people on foot, for miles.

Mersa is now home to around 100,000 people, many families with children. And refugees, internally displaced persons. The border with Tigray is not far away; fighting has been going on there since November 2020. In the summer of 2022, another 100,000 refugees received emergency care in Mersa, which is already poor and devastated by war. Schools were closed to provide shelter.

Mersa has a health center and a hospital. All equipment and inventory were looted at the end of 2021. The hospital reopened in 2022. Thanks to our fundraising campaign, we were able to purchase and bring a blood count machine, refrigerators, and other medical supplies. Since then, we have been on-site regularly and in constant communication with the hospital management. Most recently, we were able to arrange a large delivery of medical equipment and medications in 2024.

Due to the critical security situation in the Mersa region, visits are unfortunately not possible until further notice. However, we are in close contact with the hospital management.