In early 2013, Global Partners announced a new partnership with Project Mercy in Yetebon, Ethiopia.
After more than three years of successful surgical work at Nyakato Health Center in Mwanza, Tanzania in East Africa, International Health Partners (the non-governmental organization with which we partnered) has left the Mwanza area. They are making plans to build a new pediatric facility north of Dar es Salaam in Zynga. You can read below for some history of Global Partners’ work in Tanzania.
In 2013, Global Partners selected Project Mercy as our new partner in Africa to continue building community-to-community partnerships focused on healthcare, education and community development initiatives.
Here is what Project Mercy has to offer:
- Fully functioning hospital, clinic and dental unit with one surgeon on staff and several contracted physicians.
- K-12 school on campus with about 1,500 students; a new off-site high school will soon open.
- Children’s Home on site with 70+ children who have lost their parents or have a parent who is unable to support them.
- Test gardens to experiment with fruits and vegetables that can be grown in the arid climate.
- Currently raising cattle that can survive the dry weather and limited feed. Very few people in the area have tasted milk and, therefore, the cattle will be a nutritious source of dairy products and meat.
- Chicken and honeybee projects in progress; hoping to start a cheese-making program.
The Global Partners-Ethiopia leadership team is currently developing plans with Project Mercy for what specific projects will be the focus of this new partnership. The partnership will strive to improve the overall health of the people and community, which means addressing needs beyond healthcare, such as education, housing, healthy drinking water, agriculture and more.
There will be many volunteer opportunities available in Ethiopia for medical and non-medical staff, including:
- General Surgery
- Podiatry
- Dental
- Obstetrics/Gynecology
- Vision Screening
The first Global Partners trip to Ethiopia took place in February-March 2014, with back-to-back teams planned annually for February of each year. If you are interested in volunteering on a trip, please complete the Volunteer Form or email globalpartners@gundersenhealth.org.
Ethiopia 