As both the humanitarian crisis and COVID-19 pandemic continue to have a profound impact on day-to-day life in Ethiopia, it has become challenging but even more so important to train health workers. Therefore we are specifically proud to see the success of our learners in Addis Ababa, who managed to complete the Pandemic[e]Response training in the midst of hectic times and are very grateful for the work of the local implementers and stakeholders.
On the 20th of December, the Ethiopian Midwives Association organized the follow-up workshop for in-service midwives in Addis Ababa, marking the completion of their 4-month learning journey. The midwives have learnt how to safely deliver maternal, neonatal and sexual and reproductive health services during a health emergency and how to safely provide maternal care for COVID-19 infected pregnant women, as well as the effects of the pandemic on domestic violence, gender equality and maternal health. With 22 graduates out of the 25 participants – a completion rate of 88% – it has been a very successful group of trainees.
The workshop was kicked-off by an opening speech, followed by an introduction on our newly launched LUCY maternal health app for Ethiopia, to encourage our learners to continue empowering pregnant women and mothers of newborn with health information. The afternoon session consisted of a practical skills session inviting all trainees to put their newly acquired skills into practice and an evaluation was conducted, making room for reflection on one’s acquired knowledge and skills and the program itself. The workshop ended with the certification of trainees, with our Health[e]Foundation staff virtually being present as well.
         
We are honored to see the interest in our program of special guests that were present: Dr. Aster Teshom, Executive board of EMwA, Mr. Jember Tesfaye Executive board of EMwA and Mrs. Betelhem Taye MNCH, directorate of Addis Ababa, who acknowledged the importance of the blended-learning training. We are looking forward to the progress of the in-service and pre-service midwives in Debre Birhan, Jimma and Wolkite and expect to soon organize a rewarding workshop for these groups as well. We thank Nuffic and Dioraphte for their generous support which enables us to implement this program in Ethiopia.