Each of my last few trips to Ethiopia was filled with memorable stories. This last one was no exception. For me, the story was not that I was fortunate enough to be around twenty five or so dedicated health care professionals who sacrificed their time and resources to help the children of Ethiopia, even though it should have been. It was not about the seemingly endless networking, marketing and meeting with decision makers that was apparently getting us closer to building a children’s hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Even the dedication of our hospital ground did not have the heart warming effect on me that I had hoped for, as it deservedly took a back seat to the stories I am honored to share with you.

I’ll start off with my account of a “lucky” seven year old boy whose story touched me more than any other on this trip. I have taken the liberty to call him Addis (meaning “new” in Amharic), even though his real name was Alemayehu. Addis was a vibrant, healthy and fit seven year old who was the pride and joy of his family, as he was given the task of shepherding the family’s herd at such a tender age. He was the sixth child born out of the eight children in his family. He lived some 260 kilometers north of Addis Ababa in a town called Menz Mama Molale, which was a primarily rural farming community. The town sat at the foothills of a tortuous mountainside and it took the family four hours of travel on foot, in addition to the nine hours of bus ride, to reach Addis Ababa.

About two months ago, Addis was found to be stiff and not being himself while he was tending the herds. Nowhere to turn, Addis’s father took him to a traditional healer for treatment with “Holy Water”. Unfortunately, the treatment didn’t work, and Addis’s condition continued to deteriorate. He reportedly “fell” and hit his head during one of the trips to another traditional healer that rendered him quadriplegic, and unable to move. Despite this, the story took a turn for the better. Addis’s situation somehow managed to reach Dr Medhin, who was the Director General of Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. She took it upon herself to get Addis to the capital for treatment. Through her tireless networking efforts, she was able to get a CT scan of Addis’s head which was paid for by Mr. Dawit Moges, who was the owner of Sister Aklesia Hospital in Nazareth (Adama) Ethiopia. The CT scan showed multiple lesions on his brain. The astute radiologist suspected tuberculosis and obtained a chest X-Ray which confirmed his suspicion. Despite such grim news, Addis’s luck yet again turned for the better; once he was notified of Addis’s case, Dr. Akeza of St. Yared hospital in Addis Ababa kindly agreed to start in- patient treatment for Addis, free of charge! Dr Akeza was a U.S trained infectious disease specialist who quickly got Addis started on his treatments.

[View with PicLens]

A mere one week into a standard TB treatment, Addis began his “miraculous” recovery and was able to leave the hospital after fifteen days, much to the delight and surprise of all those involved. Even though his rehabilitation was going to be long and treatment ongoing, Addis began to display the same spirit that had eluded him for the past couple of months. Such timely and cooperative spirit might not have reached the thousands of children who were not as lucky as Addis, but it surely made a huge impact in one life and in one family. It was this fighting spirit and timely cooperation that made a lasting impression more than the countless stories I encountered during my stay in Addis.

While Addis’s story was full of hope and spirit, I could not say the same about two other youngsters I met around the same time. It was a humbling as well as overwhelming experience about the limitations of how much we could do in such a short stay, despite our best intentions. Sometimes, we could not reach or even help some within our reach, whether in Addis or anywhere else. But what we could do was try to give hope and optimism, even when it seemed bleak. This was exactly the “other” story that touched me during my stay, not because of what we did for these children, but how we interacted with the parents.
Having reviewed their medical records, we realized there was very little we could do for these two children. However, we obliged to see them, at least to offer hope. The two families may have had different stories, but the children shared a similar history; the three year old was a product of a protracted labor that caused distress to the mother and baby that resulted in a significant motor and developmental delay as well as seizures. The four year old we saw was born under similar circumstances; he was spared from seizures, but had significant motor, developmental, as well as behavioral problems. While we were agonizing with the limits of what could be offered to these parents, we could not overlook the hopeful spirit in their eyes, despite the grim possibilities. They truly felt grateful to have visited with us.

To be quite honest, I was not sure who was fortunate or lucky, or that it really made a difference to a parent looking for an answer to their child’s ailment. Perhaps, I was the fortunate one to be in a position to play a small part in making a difference in a child’s life. In the end, I may not be able to reach or help everyone, but God willing, I will keep trying. I am proud to say that this is the spirit of Gemini Health Care Group and all the dedicated volunteers and partners! It is not enough to say we care; we must act. As each one of us is capable of a making a positive impact, let us all open our heart and mind to work in a spirit of compassion and not cynicism.

Addendum
I have attached some pictures of Addis and his family. You can see the sparkles in his eyes and appreciate his precious spirit, even in his trying moment. Addis’s treatment and recovery is going to be long and he is expected to stay in Addis for the better part of his treatment. As his family has no relatives in Addis Ababa, his meals, lodging and clothing are so far being paid for by a couple of good friends of mine in Ethiopia. I am reaching out to all those who may be touched by the story and spirit of Addis to join me in digging deep into your heart and pocket to help him achieve his God given potential. Let us all pray for his for speedy recovery. Finally, I will try to give those interested in helping out contact information. I will also keep you posted on his recovery.

Dear Friends and Supporters:

Gemini Health Care Group is excited about its upcoming medical mission trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In collaboration with our partner Healing the Children, Greater Philadelphia Chapter, we will be taking twenty five health care professionals to provide service and teaching at various hospitals in Addis Ababa. The team will be staying in Addis Ababa from March 18th to the 27th, 2010. Along with the health care professionals, we will be able to donate various vitally needed medical equipments and supplies, thanks primarily to the efforts of our mission partner Healing the Children, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.

The medical team primarily consists of pediatric urology, pediatric ENT (Ear, Nose and throat), anesthesia, audiology, biomedical engineer and general pediatrics. The teams will be providing clinical service as well as teaching at the Black Lion Hospital as well as Cure Hospital. We are also excited about the prospects being able to assist the Mekanissa School for the Deaf with their needs. Even though the team will be staying in Addis for a short period, we place strong emphasis in providing educational opportunity for local health care providers as well as equipping them with the tools to meet the needs of their patients. We are very much aware of the fact that such short term medical missions are not going to address the largest health care needs in Ethiopia, but we hope it will contribute immensely toward alleviating some of these needs. Certainly, we are making every effort to put a system in place to bring vitally needed health care professionals and equipments on a continuous basis.

We would also like to invite our supporters and friends in Addis Ababa to a social and networking event on Saturday March 20th, 2010 in honor of the medical team. The event will be held at the Laphto Sports and Entertainment complex between 7PM-12AM. Finally, we would like to thank our generous donors and supporters whose contributions and support allows us to do what we do. Particularly, we would like to acknowledge the support of Sheraton Addis as well as Sity Communications for making this mission possible.

Gemini Health Care Group is a non-profit organization that was established and registered in the U.S. The primary mission of Gemini is to participate in the effort to alleviate the health care burden that is disproportionally affecting women and children in Ethiopia and other Sub-Saharan African Countries. One of our primary objectives is the establishment of the first freestanding children’s hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Along with that objective, we plan to participate in the effort to educate current and future health care providers and assist them with the tools to provide quality services to their patients. Finally, we are primarily of the mindset that such objectives can only be accomplished through collaboration. Therefore, we urge and invite other organization of similar vision and mission to partner with us to help the children of Ethiopia.

Respectfully,
Ebba K. Ebba M.D, M.P.H
Founder and President,
Gemini Health Care Group, Inc.

Attachment: Gemini Press Release Ethiopia March 2010

See pictures from the ZEthiopia annual dinner gala

See pictures from the APWONJO annual dinner gala

The evening started with a reception and was followed by a short video presentation highlighting Gemini Health Care Group’s history and objectives. After the dinner, the audience was entertained to a kid’s fashion show as well as contemporary Ethiopian music by Mat Makonnen and his band. Dr. Ebba, cofounder and president of Gemini Health Care Group, gave a presentation about the state of pediatric health care in Ethiopia and about Gemini’s role in mitigating some of these needs.

Take a look at pictures from our event.

Finally, Gemini Health Care Group wants to thank our corporate and individual sponsors as well as those who honored us by their presence at our fundraiser and those that made their contribution in lieu of their attendance. As a volunteer driven organization, we depend on your support and participation. We would very much like to get your input about the fundraiser as well as the work we are undertaking. Please contact us on this website to give us your feedback and become part of our organization.

Take a look at the complete list of sponsors.

God Bless

This year’s theme was, “The State of Health of Children in Ethiopia – from Challenges to Solutions”, and the keynote speaker was Dr. Bogale Worku, who is the President of the Ethiopian Pediatric Society, and Chief of Pediatrics at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

During his keynote speech, Dr. Bogale explained to the audience that the 80% of the major causes of disease and death among the Ethiopian children result from preventable sources. Diarrheal diseases, pneumonia and various neonatal diseases account for the majority of these ailments. He went on to explain how the current projected trends in reducing infant, maternal, and under five mortality, lag behind the goal set for 2015.

Regarding health care workers in Ethiopia, he shared with the audience the severe shortage of pediatricians where nearly 25% of the 205 pediatricians trained in Ethiopia over the last few decades, have left the country to practice elsewhere, and of the remaining pediatricians, about 50% are working at a non-clinical capacity, mostly at NGO’s that are paying them higher wages.

Regarding the need for a pediatric health care facility, he gave a historical overview of the Black Lion Hospital, which was once the pride of Africa when it was established over 40 years ago. Despite the growing pediatric population, which is estimated to be around 40 million, the medical facility and resources have not kept up with the growing demands.

As one of the emphasis of the conference was to find solutions to current situations, a lively, informative and inspiring discussion took place among a group of professionals. The panelists included Dr Bogale Worku, Mr. Mulusew Bekele from African Services, Mrs. Carol Rhees from Hope for Children USA, and Mrs. Abaynesh Asrat from Nation to Nation Networking.

Each panelist talked about what their respective organization is doing in Ethiopia, and every one of them expressed the need for a pronounced collaboration. Among the other topics discussed was the recently proposed legislation in the Ethiopian parliament regarding Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in Ethiopia. A unanimous consent between the panelists and the audience was made to emphasize the urgent and pressing needs in health care that could be met by the establishment of a free standing children’s hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In his closing remarks, Dr Ebba urged the participants to champion a cause for them to get involved in. He particularly emphasized the need to engage the younger generation in the culture of giving and getting involved in helping those that are less fortunate. He concluded his remarks by inviting the entire audience to join him at the first ‘Gemini Health Care Group’s Annual Fund Raiser’ which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday October 4th 2008.

I hope you are well. I am excited to share with you this video slide that was prepared by my 14 year old nephew Christopher of New Rochelle, New York. I am very proud to see young people getting involved to help those less fortunate in every way they can. He does not understand why we have so much here (USA) and many of the children in Ethiopia and other developing countries die needlessly from ailments that coud be prevented!!!

Let us help Christopher and his young friends fullfill thier dreams of creating a better future for the children of Ethiopia. Please help Gemini Health Care Group build this much needed medical home. Your tax deductible contribution will go a long way in ensuring that this project will become a reality. If every one that receives this email contributes $5, we will have the hospital built and the mobile clinic up and running in a year and half. May God Bless your efforts and please pass along this information to your friends.

Ebba

By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008

New York (Tadias) – The Gemini Health Care Group, a non-profit established to provide health care to Ethiopian children, will be hosting a health care forum on Thursday July 3rd at George Washington University. The event will be held from 6pm to 8pm at the Continental Ball Room, Marvin Center, and will feature Dr. Bogale Worku, Chief of Pediatrics at The Black Lion Hospital of Addis Ababa and President of the Ethiopian Pediatrics Society.

We interviewed Dr. Ebba Ebba of the The Gemini Health Care Group to give us some insight into his organization’s work. Read more at Tadias.com.