Ethiopia: Our work during COVID-19

Group of young boys smiling, in Ethiopia.
Written by Ashley Anderson, published on April 16, 2020 Give the Gift of Sight

Updates from our country manager Yashwant Sinha

As part of our emergency response in Ethiopia:

  • 2,204 personal protective equipment pieces were provided
  • 680 hygiene kits were distributed
  • 87,411 individuals received health education
  • 1,826 health education materials were distributed
  • 661 hand washing vessels were distributed

May 25, 2020

Our total impact to date as of May 25th, 2020

  • 680 hygiene kits have been distributed to vulnerable and marginalized families.
  • 661 hand washing vessels have been distributed to strategic locations.
  • 87,411 individuals have been reached through health education.
A community health worker demonstrates proper hand washing techniques.

May 15, 2020

Updates from the week ending May 15th, 2020 

  • 631 hand washing vessels have been distributed.
  • 1,816 health information brochures have been distributed.
  • 50 hygiene kits were distributed, bringing the total up to 680 hygiene kits distributed.
  • A total of 28,670 individuals have received health education on COVID-19.

May 8, 2020

Updates from the week ending May 8th, 2020 

  • 6,876 individuals were screened for COVID-19 and provided with health information about COVID-19 detection and prevention.
  • An additional 10,000 people were provided with COVID-19 health information.
  • A pedal-washing station was installed at the Tibebe Ghion Hospital. It serves approximately 10,000 people per day.

May 1, 2020

Updates from the week ending May 1st, 2020 

  • Six health facilities have been provided with the necessary PPE to protect staff.
  • 630 hand washing kits have been distributed to marginalized and vulnerable families.
A community health worker demonstrates proper hand washing techniques.

April 24, 2020

Updates from the week ending April 24th, 2020 

  • We identified vulnerable and marginalized families to receive hygiene kits.
  • Procurement of government-recommended faucets to be attached to hand washing stations is ongoing and expected to be completed next week.
  • We are continuing to source safety materials (gloves, masks) and items for hygiene kits.

“During this unprecedented time, Operation Eyesight has successfully managed to come forward to help the people of Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia is appreciative of this effort knowing it will go a long way in paving paths for other agencies to also come forward and help in saving the lives of people. Kudos to our implementation partner in Ethiopia who are working day and night in reaching out to the unreached with the required support.”

– Yashwant Sinha

April 17, 2020

Updates from the week ending April 17th, 2020  

Our team in Ethiopia has procured water tanks/vessels. We are working in partnership with the government to deliver water to the communities. We have also procured the COVID-19 information, education and communication materials in local languages from the Ministry of Health to distribute.

April 10, 2020

Public sector employees whose roles are not essential have been placed on compulsory leave, and civil servants have been asked to work from home. Non-essential travel is banned, and all airlines have suspended their operations until the end of April.

In Ethiopia we are working to train 50 community health workers to respond to COVID-19. This training will cover topics such as the detection of symptoms, the importance and proper techniques for hand washing, and what to do if you or a family member starts displaying signs of COVID-19.

To ensure the safety of our staff and our community health workers, we are working to procure safety materials such as disposable nose masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.

We plan to install five handwashing stations at prominent locations such as schools and in high density, low income neighbourhoods. Additionally, we will distribute 1,000 sanitation kits to low-income female headed households and to those living with disabilities.

Our goal is to adapt, print and disseminate health education and information materials, with the goal of reaching 30 000 individuals by mid-May.

Learn more about our response to COVID-19 and how you can help here.