The Former Executive Director of ORDA: improving the life of mothers is improving the life of the family and the livelihood of the population too
By Fasil Wolde Michael
Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, the Executive Director of ORDA, said “improving the life of mothers is improving the life of the family and the livelihood of the entire population too”, while officially open CBM stakeholders consultative workshop recently held at Homland Hotel in Bahir Dar, on July 25/2013.
The Executive Director of ORDA also stated “improving the life of the Children is improving the life of the future; enabling the rural communities beneficial of potable water is improving their livelihood; CBM did in the previous years to achieve these goals.”
During the workshop it is also disclosed that CBM has managed model integrated Trachoma prevention and control project which has benefited many mothers and other beneficiaries which had been suffered from trachoma disease in Gubalafto and Dessie zuria woredas.
Yet, the prevalence of Trachoma in the Amhara Region has a huge backlog of the disease, Dr. Demssie Taddesse, CBM East Africa Regional Advisor, stressed. He also added “the 2006 Survey indicated that over 10 million people in the region are at a risk of Trachoma and in that it has shared a huge burden of the disease.”
Dr. Demssie said that managing this problem in a timely fashion through implementing integrated surgery, antibiotics, face and hand washing, and environmental sanitation (SAFE) strategy is imperative. To make integrated SAFE strategy fruitful, “there is no any partner better than ORDA which can implement this strategy”, he stressed.
In a bid to expand it in four woredas of the region and implement it for five years, grounding on the successes gained and challenges faced, this consultative workshop has been held for its successful start up of the project, Tigabu Gebre Medhin, CBM Country Director in Ethiopia and Sudan explained.
For the new Amhara Trachoma Control Program (ATCP) project to be run in Raya Kobo, Dessie Zuria, Gazgibla and Sekota Zuria districts from the period 2014 to 2018, the budget that CBM Italy and the CBM Canada have allocated is estimated about over 49 million, Gugissa Meshsha, Director of the Water Resource Development Program in ORDA revealed.
Through realizing comprehensive SAFE strategy in the four woredas, the project has targeted to construct 310 water supply schemes and increased their safe water supply coverage, Gugissa reported. The project plans to treat 1,250 trachoma patients in Sekota Zuria and Gazgibla to the end of the project, 2018; whereas, screen out and treat 1,200 trachoma surgeries and 3,000 patients in Kobo and Dessie Zuriya by same period, Gugissa mentioned.
He further told that 55 school clubs and many WATSAN committees in the targeted districts will be organized by the project, besides of providing education on hygiene and sanitation, trachoma prevention, causes, mode of transmission and treatment for 60,000 school children, students and people in all project areas.
Furthermore, Tigabu noted that comprehensive SAFE strategy will be applied to expand this project and a number of stakeholders at all levels including the Bureau of Health, the Education Bureau, the Youth, Children and Women Bureau, the Finance and Economic Development Bureau, the Water Resources Development Bureau, the Carter Centre in Ethiopia - Amhara Region Coordination Office, the Regional and Zonal Administrative Councils, the project’s woredas and hospitals in the respective operational areas.
Moreover, it is stated that all efforts exerted by all stakeholders at all levels needs to be coordinated so as the project can achieve better results in a sustainable manner, Dr. Demssie vowed.
CBM Country Director in Ethiopia and Sudan added that CBM has chosen the Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) to implement this project, considering its commendable holistic development engagements in the Amhara Region.