Category: Homenews

A New Chapter for Maternal and Child Health in Oyam and Otuke, Uganda

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

In a significant step toward strengthening healthcare for the most vulnerable, Doctors with Africa CUAMM in partnership with African Network for Change, and in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Foundation, has officially launched a transformative two-year initiative in the Lango sub-region in Uganda, particularly in Oyam and Otuke Districts.

The project sets an ambitious but vital primary goal: to reduce neonatal, perinatal, and under-5 mortality by 15% across the two districts by December 2027. By integrating clinical excellence with community-based interventions, the collaboration seeks to ensure that no mother or child is left behind due to distance from the health facilities or lack of resources.

The inception meeting, held to formally introduce the project to stakeholders, was defined by a spirit of shared responsibility. Obizu Moses, CUAMM’s Monitoring and Evaluation Manager in Uganda, set the tone by emphasizing that success depends on a unified front. “Our purpose today is to ensure a shared understanding of our goals. We are here to strengthen coordination between district leadership and health teams. Only through true collaboration can we improve child survival, nutrition, and HIV services within these communities,” Moses stated.

The project’s strategy is built on four pillars designed to enhance both the quality of care and the leadership required to sustain it:

  • Antenatal and Postnatal Care: Increasing service utilization by 10% through the support of Peer Mothers and Village Health Teams (VHTs).
  • Newborn Excellence: Boosting the quality of care for newborns by 20% by upgrading Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care with essential equipment, medicines, and “newborn transporters.”
  • Child Survival: Tracing “zero-dose” children and following up on immunization defaulters using the “Reach Every Child” (REC) approach.
  • Accountability and Leadership: Improving data quality (HMIS/DHIS2) and strengthening emergency referral systems, including ambulance functionality.

For districts like Otuke, which are classified as hard-to-reach, the project represents a lifeline.

“Otuke faces many hurdles as a hard-to-reach area, which makes delivering health services difficult,” Opio Patrick, the District Health Officer (DHO) of Otuke, explained highlighting the unique challenges his teams face daily. “We feel fortunate to have CUAMM’s ongoing support, particularly in improving facility-based deliveries and maintaining the ambulances donated by the Ministry of Health. It is a great privilege to be selected for this project.”

Dr. Peter Lochoro, CUAMM Country Representative, introduced the “la Caixa” Foundation to the stakeholders, underlining the international solidarity behind the funding:

“We are operating across several districts in Uganda to strengthen health systems at the roots,” Dr. Lochoro remarked. “I encourage every leader and health worker here to work diligently. We have a two-year window to achieve meaningful, measurable results for these families.”

A recurring theme of the launch was ensuring sustainability: the progress made during the project survives long after the funding concludes.

“Project funding doesn’t just solve immediate challenges; it highlights practices we must hold onto forever,” noted Mr. Ebong Chris, representative of the Ministry of Health, challenging district leaders to look at the project as a catalyst for long-term development. “Effective data management and the systems introduced now must become part of our routine health system.”

He also addressed the critical issue of human resources, urging the districts to remain vigilant in filling staffing gaps. “When health workers leave, they create gaps in service delivery. We must ensure these roles are replaced promptly so that the impact of CUAMM’s monitoring and support leads to a lasting legacy.”

Through school outreaches, community mobilization, and the provision of specialized equipment for sick newborns, this intervention isn’t aimed just at delivering assistance but rather at building a resilient health network. As activities move from planning to implementation, the focus remains clear: saving lives, one birth and one village at a time.

Educating Communities, Protecting Women in the Central African Republic

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

In the Central African Republic (CAR), women and girls face deep-rooted discrimination, inequality, and violations of their rights from an early age. Gender-based violence (GBV) has reached alarming levels, fueled by sociocultural norms that disadvantage women despite national laws and policies.

Years of ongoing crisis and insecurity—especially in rural areas—have further increased vulnerability. Armed conflict and persistent violence have worsened livelihoods and limited access to food, healthcare, and clean water. Women and girls are among the most affected: by October 2025, an estimated 2.4 million people (37% of the population) required humanitarian assistance, with women and girls making up 60% of those in need.

Working with Communities to Prevent Violence

Despite these challenges, there is hope. With support from the European Commission and in partnership with the local NGO OFAHRD, we are working in the sub-prefecture of Koui to assist survivors of GBV and engage community and religious leaders in preventing violence and promoting lasting change at the community level.

Since the start of the intervention in April 2024, we have organized 45 awareness-raising sessions across multiple locations to discuss and analyze different topics related to GBV. These sessions have taken various forms:

  • Workshops with community leaders, students, and women’s associations
  • Mass awareness campaigns
  • Theatrical performances, to facilitate understanding of sensitive topics

A theatrical performance against GBV

In the most recent session, participants explored the devastating effects of domestic violence on families, particularly children.

A theatrical performance portrayed a husband who spends the earnings from his wife’s small business on drinking at local bars. At the slightest refusal, the wife is beaten, and the husband, often returning home late and intoxicated, spreads fear and aggression throughout the household.

The children, left largely in the care of their mother, abandon school to engage in small income-generating activities—something the father approves of. In one particularly alarming scenario, the 15-year-old daughter, already sexually active due to these circumstances, is proposed in marriage by her father to the village butcher. The mother’s opposition sparks violent conflicts within the family.

While the scenario was presented as fiction, it reflects the reality for many women and girls in CAR. At the end of the session, several community leaders shared that similar situations occur in their own communities. Recognizing the severe consequences of domestic violence, they pledged to become active advocates against GBV in their areas.

The Power of Education and Community Engagement

This session highlights the power of education and community engagement: transforming communities into spaces of equality and respect, where women and girls don’t just survive, but truly thrive, supported by a network of committed allies.

This activity is part of a wider intervention in Koui, aiming not only to prevent GBV but also to ensure access to essential healthcare services. As Doctors with Africa CUAMM we support the secondary hospital of Koui and 4 surrounding health centers to provide emergency surgical, obstetric, and pediatric care. At the community level, alongside GBV prevention activities, we also screen and treat malnutrition among children under five and provide support for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Through these efforts, our goal is not only to deliver lifesaving care, but also to strengthen protection, dignity, and resilience for communities affected by over a decade of conflict.

 

This publication co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Doctors with Africa CUAMM and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.

March 8 Unlocking Education, Empowering Women

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Eliana was only seven years old when she lost her father. It was 2007, and she did not yet know that from that moment on, the road to her dreams would become an uphill battle requiring all her courage. Today, on International Women’s Day, we want to share her story. Eliana, our student in Rumbek, South Sudan, is a remarkable example of tenacity and self-determination, which led her, on February 20, 2026, to finally hold her diploma in Midwifery in her hands.

An Uphill Journey

After the loss of her father, it was Eliana’s mother who had to fight alone to support her daughters—until a maternal uncle decided to take them in and help with their education. But the path was far from smooth: Eliana’s life became a constant struggle between her desire to study and the severe economic hardships of a family struggling to protect her.

Her Body as “Bargaining Chip”

Eliana’s real battle began in 2017. With the onset of her first menstrual cycle, her family declared that she was “grown-up”: according to tradition, she was ready for marriage, to be given in marriage to a cattle herder in exchange for a dowry. All her relatives agreed, but Eliana found a first, crucial ally: her mother. Thanks to her mother’s firm opposition, the marriage was canceled, and Eliana could continue her studies.

The pressure, however, did not end there. In 2019, after finishing secondary school, the story repeated itself. This time, the family conflict was so intense that Eliana had to hide for a full year, protected by a stepsister, until the suitor chose to marry another woman. For three years, Eliana remained idle, unable to study: her relatives’ “punishment” for refusing marriage was the withdrawal of all financial support.

Choosing to Care for Other Women

In 2022, Eliana’s life took a turning point. She applied to the RHSI (Health Sciences Institute), supported by CUAMM and UNFPA. She passed the exams and, with great determination, began the Midwifery program. It was the start of a new life, but once again she faced hostility from her clan: her relatives refused to pay her tuition. Only with the help of a cousin, convinced by her pleas, was Eliana able to return to her studies.

The Night Escape

The most dramatic moment came in December 2024. Returning home for the holidays after her second year of studies, Eliana discovered that her third arranged marriage was already planned. She was to become the thirteenth wife of a much older man.

One night, her family woke her and tried to drag her to the man’s house. Eliana pretended to comply, walking with them in the dark, but just a few meters from the groom’s enclosure, she found the courage to escape. She ran through the darkness to the home of the man she loved—the man she had chosen for herself.

Looking to the Future

As her program neared completion, Eliana prayed and studied diligently to finish her training. She is seeking employment to support her younger siblings, while her fiancé is currently covering the school expenses of Eliana’s younger sister.

Eliana recalls that, despite the “storm” surrounding her, she benefited greatly from the educational materials provided by UNFPA and CUAMM, the institute’s facilities, and the support of supervisors and tutors, who helped her remain strong and focused. Her dream is to continue her studies and earn a degree in Midwifery, if she can secure financial support.

On February 20, 2026, Eliana was among the students who successfully graduated in Midwifery. She is now ready to begin her career, despite being ostracized by her family. She is immensely grateful to her mother for her sacrifices, to her siblings, and to her fiancé, who never gave up and sacrificed everything—including his own education—to support her, unlike the rest of the clan. On this Women’s Day, her message is a cry of hope and resilience:

“I urge all girls to fight to defend their right to education: they must not allow anyone to leave them behind.”

 

 

Building Health, Nourishing the Future

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

While Tanzania has made significant progress in combating malnutrition, the Dodoma region stands out as an area of deep contrasts and persistent challenges. Although the national average of chronic malnutrition currently sits around 30.6%, the reality in the rural area of the country is more complex: here, stunting—or growth retardation—affects more than one in three children, with peaks in some rural areas approaching 37% (TDHS-MIS 2022-2023). This gap is not solely a matter of food availability; it reflects a complex interplay of economic barriers, water insecurity, limited dietary diversity, and early weaning practices, along with insufficient nutritional and hygiene knowledge. Alongside chronic malnutrition, acute malnutrition remains a critical challenge, which, while affecting an average of 3.3% of children nationwide, continues to present in Dodoma in severe and persistent forms.

It is precisely to address this urgent health and social challenge that the project “Building Health, Nourishing the Future: Malnutrition Unit in Dodoma” was launched by Doctors with Africa Cuamm, with the contribution of Fondazione Prosolidar – ETS, and in close collaboration with local authorities.

The project aims to support the expansion of the pediatric department at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital by creating dedicated spaces for the care of patients affected by acute malnutrition, in line with national guidelines for malnutrition management. The plan includes the construction of a stabilization room for acute cases, a rehabilitation room for recovering patients, a storage area for therapeutic food, a space for culinary demonstrations, and a small office within the nutrition unit to facilitate record-keeping and document management.

To make the Nutrition Unit fully functional, CUAMM will train healthcare staff on the new guidelines for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition, strengthening clinical and practical skills for patient care.

This initiative is not an isolated intervention but part of a longstanding and solid partnership between Doctors with Africa Cuamm and local health authorities, reflecting years of engagement in the district. The project aims to strengthen existing nutrition services and ensure that the fight against malnutrition is an integral part of a resilient healthcare system that meets the needs of the most vulnerable communities.

FONDAZIONE PROSOLIDAR – ETS is an organization established within the banking sector to implement socially relevant and solidarity-based projects in Italy and abroad, promoting social justice, inclusion, and sustainable development. It brings together, on an equal footing, all workers’ unions in the sector (through their national secretariats) as well as, on the employers’ side, the Italian Banking Association and all member companies. It is the first—and currently only—example, even internationally, of an entity created by the parties of a national collective labor agreement and financed through “match-gifting”, whereby contributions are shared equally between workers and companies.

 

Gambella’s Urgent Maternal and Newborn Health Needs

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

“Providing quality maternal care in this context is extremely challenging,” explains Habtamu, CUAMM Midwife in Tomorok. “Beside clinical care, we educate women and families about hygiene, danger signs, and the importance of skilled birth attendance. Raising awareness in the community is crucial, especially where resources and services are limited.”

Refugee women in Gambella’s Nuer Zone face multiple maternal health needs, including access to quality antenatal, delivery, emergency obstetric, and postnatal care, as well as adequate nutrition and mental health support. These needs are often compounded by unsafe living conditions, food insecurity, psychological trauma, and limited access to essential services such as nighttime care, clean water, sanitation, and adequate infrastructure.

In the past three months alone, our mobile health teams have assisted dozens of deliveries at CUAMM’s Mobile Health Post in Tomorok, ensuring women could give birth safely despite shortages of equipment, infrastructure, and trained personnel. Yet, challenges remain: long distances to the closest hospital, limited transportation, and overstretched referral facilities make strengthening community-level care essential.

To respond to these growing needs, CUAMM rehabilitated a long-abandoned health post in Tomorok, now the closest facility to the Loakdong settlement, home to more than 21,000 South Sudanese refugees. Located 25 km from Nyinenyang General Hospital, the lack of nearby services had previously forced many women to give birth without any assistance. Today, thanks to CUAMM’s support, Tomorok Health Post offers lifesaving outpatient care, maternal and neonatal services, nutrition support, and stabilization of severe cases, with referrals available for complications. However, the facility is not equipped for childbirth care, and resources remain insufficient, meaning every birth remains a challenge for both women and health workers.

“Childbirth requires resources that are simply not available here,” says Riccardo Lazzaro, CUAMM Medical Coordinator in Gambella. “Yet we are committed to adapting our response and ensuring that no woman is left without care during one of the most critical moments of her life.”

The urgency is driven by the broader refugee crisis: Tor Gatluak, a 41-year-old father from South Sudan, recounts, “We fled our village when the bombs started falling. We walked for days with almost nothing before reaching safety.” He and his family arrived in Ethiopia this summer, joining thousands of others fleeing escalating violence in Upper Nile State.

Precise figures are difficult to determine, as the influx has continued since the resumption of hostilities in neighbouring South Sudan. Estimates indicate, however, that since February 2025, more than 80,000 refugees have arrived in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region, which already hosts over 400,000 refugees. The majority of new arrivals are women and children, placing enormous pressure on an already fragile health system—particularly for maternal and newborn care.

At registration points and temporary settlements such as Tomorok and Gade, Doctors with Africa CUAMM provides essential primary healthcare through mobile health clinics. Services include antenatal consultations, safe delivery support, vaccinations, and nutrition screening—often the only care available to pregnant women who have fled conflict, trauma, and food insecurity. Since October 2025, CUAMM has deployed two Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams in areas with no other healthcare actors. Despite insecurity and constant population movement, the teams have delivered continuous maternal and child health services, carried out over 16,000 outpatient consultations, screened more than 4,800 children and pregnant or lactating women for malnutrition, and supported referrals for life-saving care.

Present in Gambella since 2017, CUAMM combines emergency response with long-term health system strengthening, working to ensure that even in crisis settings, women can exercise their fundamental right to safe motherhood and dignified childbirth.

With the rapid escalating violence in South Sudan, humanitarian needs in the area are only expected to worsen in the months ahead. While we remain committed to adapting our response to the most urgent health needs, a collective action is critical to ensure that people fleeing violence—especially the most vulnerable—can access lifesaving basic services.

From Hospitals to Communities Being Where It Matters Most

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

One day, while I was on my way to a health facility for a supervision activity, I was informed that a mother was experiencing severe hemorrhaging. I immediately got into the ambulance with another midwife. When we arrived, the situation was critical: the woman was lying in a pool of blood. We worked together to stabilize her before transferring her to the hospital. I followed the case step by step to make sure she received everything she needed. In the end, it was a success. Knowing that your presence, at that exact moment, saved a person’s life… that is the energy that drives you to keep going.

Barbra, a Ugandan midwife who worked for many years in Aber with CUAMM, carries in her heart countless memories and stories of patients she will never forget. Growing together—amid daily challenges and the dream of making public health care accessible to all—has been the story of her life. Barbra has never stopped learning:

“Today I look back on my journey with deep pride, both as a woman and as a professional. When I joined this family, I had only a diploma in midwifery. Today, thanks to CUAMM’s support, I was able to resume my studies, earn a degree, and I am currently attending a Master’s program in Public Health, which I will complete next May.”

It has been—and still is—a path of professional and personal growth.

“There is an enormous difference between how I worked at the beginning and how I work today. The quality of the service I can offer has grown along with my skills. For this reason, my gratitude toward CUAMM is immense. My daily work is a constant source of inspiration.”

The health system has also grown stronger and is now more solid.

“When I look back, the improvements in health facilities are evident—from internal organization to the ability to manage emergencies. In past years, we faced extremely difficult challenges, especially due to shortages of medicines and medical supplies. However, we invested in training: today the staff is more aware and better prepared. Even when funds for supplies are lacking, facilities know how to respond to emergencies, and that gives me greater peace of mind.”

Present and future of the new generations

The real transformation has taken place above all in people’s mindsets.

“It takes time, but you learn how to interact better with patients and colleagues. I see this change even in those who were more resistant; when a midwife you are supporting looks at you with respect, you realize that people trust your work. Once, a supervisor told me: ‘You are our living dictionary. We are proud of you.’ Hearing those words is what pushes me to always give my best. Of course, challenges never disappear: in Uganda the system is changing, and with it the way training is delivered—we are still catching up. Our challenge is the gap between theoretical training and practice. Many facilities are becoming privatized, and often profit is prioritized over quality,” Barbra explains.
“At this very moment, we are bringing in 20 new midwives, many of whom have not worked for a long time and are not familiar with updated guidelines. Our task as the CUAMM team is to support the district: these new staff members need ‘mentors,’ senior midwives who can guide them step by step. It is a slow process, one step at a time—it feels like starting over—but we know we will succeed. I firmly believe we should invest more and more in continuous training and in motivating staff, offering them new responsibilities so they feel valued.”

Barbra’s greatest wish for the mothers and children of Oyam is that there be a real investment in public health, because everything begins in the community, with prevention.

“We must reach women in their homes and address problems where they begin: difficulties with transportation, lack of financial means, and the need to involve husbands so they support their wives. I hope we will reach a point where every man and every woman feels responsible for their own health through knowledge.”

Today, being both a midwife and a public health specialist allows her to see reality from multiple perspectives—from the hospital ward to the heart of the village.

FOUR YEARS OF WAR IN UKRAINE

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Four years ago, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Soon after, the country would experience the horrors of war and all its consequences. Life for civilians would never be the same. As Doctors with Africa CUAMM, called to close solidarity, we decided to launch an intervention to support the Ukrainian people, aiming to provide healthcare in a moment of critical need, while also hoping to support a health system compromised by the conflict. At the core of this commitment: the supply of medicines and life-saving kits, as well as psychosocial support and training for local healthcare personnel.

In the early phase of the war, the rapid collapse of supply chains and the disruption of access to medicines and essential materials made healthcare access a central part of our humanitarian response, proving essential to maintaining service continuity.

What began as an emergency intervention has, unfortunately, continued into its fourth consecutive year. A period that cannot be measured in months, days, attacks, or downed drones, but must instead be reflected in human lives—those lost and those upended. Like Natalia, a 68-year-old woman we met in the summer of 2024. The Russian invasion forced her to leave Kherson, taking with her very little of what she had built in a lifetime. In an instant, Natalia became one of the 3.7 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine, accommodated in a reception center. The experiences of conflict and displacement can cause enormous trauma, and for people like Natalia who are alone, the psychological consequences are often invisible.

Or Maria, just 30 years old, who left Zaporizhzhia with her nine-year-old son after her brother was killed. Her city, close to the front line, witnessed heavy fighting in the early months of the conflict over control of the nuclear plant. Maria restarted her life in a reception center a few kilometers from Kyiv, and like many who lost everything, she received humanitarian assistance: food, hygiene supplies, and other essential goods.

Since 24 February 2022, the conflict in Ukraine has escalated continuously, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. According to the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP 2025), approximately 12.7 million people in Ukraine require humanitarian assistance, of whom 3.7 million remain internally displaced. Over these years, we have met thousands of people with stories like those of Natalia and Maria.

Today, as the conflict continues with no sign of a ceasefire and winter worsens the conditions for thousands of Ukrainian citizens, we continue to operate in the country with an intervention that integrates health and protection, pursuing the same goal as always: providing healthcare to civilians and supporting the national health system.

With the support of the Italian Cooperation, we are working in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions—areas with high-intensity hostilities, proximity to the front line, and severe pressure on essential services. In Kharkiv alone, around 478,000 internally displaced persons are estimated to be present (April 2025), while the Sumy area has been consistently affected by bombardments related to border operations initiated in August 2024. Both regions report severe infrastructure damage, disruptions to essential health services, and a significant increase in mental health and protection needs.

Together with partners such as CESVI and Action Against Hunger (ACF), and with the support of local partners, we are implementing two interventions with activities including:

procurement and distribution of essential medicines, medical supplies, and consumables
structural rehabilitation interventions
delivery of emergency kits
capacity-building activities for healthcare personnel, in collaboration with UNFPA

Since 2022, Doctors with Africa CUAMM has been active in Ukraine responding to the health and humanitarian needs of civilians and health facilities affected by the war. Since then, we have:

reached over 120,000 people
supported 35 health facilities with essential medicines, emergency health kits, and medical equipment
organized 60 MHPSS events to address health, protection, and basic needs of displaced persons and host communities
conducted 10 training sessions on emergency psychology
completed 11 emergency deliveries within 72 hours through the Rapid Response Mechanism, in line with WHO Health Cluster standards.

Learn more about our work in Ukraine.

WOLISSO CELEBRATES 50 NEW DIPLOMAS

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

On Saturday, February 21 the main hall of the College of Midwifery and Nursing at St. Luke Hospital in Wolisso was crowded as 50 students got ready to receive their diploma. In the corridors, outside, and in that very hall, there was a festive atmosphere. The ceremony opened with Bishop Abune Lukas Teshome Fikre, who addressed the students with words of esteem and encouragement.

“Nursing and midwifery are more than professions, they are vocations of care. You are being sent into the world as instruments of healing, standing close to life at its most vulnerable moments—at birth, in illness, in suffering, and sometimes at the threshold of death. In these moments, your hands, your words, and your presence will often speak more powerfully than medicine alone.”

22 midwifery diplomas and 28 nursing diplomas were awarded to this class. For the students, it is the ending of a dream pursued and made true with dedication and passion, which, however, “does not mark the end of learning,” said Ann Christine Moscoso, General Manager of the St. Luke College of Midwifery and Nursing in Wolisso.

“Science and knowledge are constantly evolving, and to remain effective healthcare professionals, it is necessary to continue seeking new ideas, embracing new discoveries, and staying consistently updated,” she added.

Three years ago, all of them timidly walked through the gates of St. Luke college, aware of the commitment that lay ahead. Theoretical study, exercises, and clinical practice—all took place within the walls of this hospital, where Doctors with Africa CUAMM has been training healthcare professionals for over 25 years.

“This achievement is also a great joy for the entire Doctors with Africa CUAMM team, which was founded precisely as a college for students and doctors. In over 75 years of history and experience, Cuamm has remained faithful to its mission: improving the health of African communities and doing it together. This means investing in people—the people of Ethiopia, the students of the Catholic St. Luke Hospital—walking together and learning together,” said Maria Perrella – CUAMM Country Representative in Ethiopia, in her official speech.

The Wolisso School of Nursing and Midwifery opened its doors to students from various regions of the country in 2000, and since then, Doctors with Africa CUAMM has provided continuous support. The collaboration aims to increase the number of qualified healthcare professionals in the country, and so far, it has succeeded. To date, 970 diplomas have been awarded at the Wolisso School of Nursing and Midwifery, thanks in part to scholarships supported through Cuamm.

“Now more than ever, the world needs you. In moments of uncertainty, suffering, or joy—whether in the quiet of a maternity ward or the fast pace of an emergency room—you will be the calm, competence, and compassion capable of changing someone’s life. Never underestimate your role,” said Enzo Facci – Medical Director and CUAMM doctor.

CUAMM’s presence at the St. Luke College of Nursing and Midwifery in Wolisso is long-standing, a solid collaboration that has grown over the years in an effort to offer a better study experience to many young people. In the last ten years, CUAMM has worked closely with Women Hope International, an international organization that also values education and recognizes St. Luke College as a high-level school. Together, they work daily to train students into qualified healthcare professionals.

The shortage of healthcare personnel in Ethiopia affects the system at all levels. The number of specialist doctors is far from sufficient, making professionals such as nurses and midwives essential to ensuring quality care.

Every year, this institution—recognized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and part of the professional school network of the Oromia Region—enrolls an average of 60 students: men and women ready to assist, listen, and build peace through the work of care.

 

A step forward for women’s health in Tanzania: the MACORESI project

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

In Tanzania, obstetric complications during pregnancy and childbirth are among the leading causes of maternal mortality, especially in rural areas. Obstetric fistula, particularly vesico-vaginal fistula, is a severe and often neglected condition, primarily caused by prolonged and obstructed labour without timely access to emergency obstetric care.

With the goal of improving maternal and reproductive health through the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of obstetric complications—specifically vesico-vaginal fistula—the “MACORESI project – Informed, responsible and safe maternity, as a deterrent for obstetric fistula” was officially launched yesterday in Iringa. Funded by the Italian Cooperation, the project operates in the districts of Kilolo, Mufindi, and Iringa DC. The University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in partnership leads it with Doctors with Africa CUAMM, the Tosamaganga Regional Referral Hospital, the Association of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons of Tanzania (AOSFT), Iringa Development of Youth Disabled and Children Care, and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).

Regional and district authorities, hospital representatives, key stakeholders, and the representative of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) attended the launch event in Tanzania.

«Let today mark the beginning of a journey to reduce preventable obstetric complications, strengthen services, and restore dignity to women who need it most. Together, let us work so that every pregnancy is safe, every childbirth is assisted with quality care, and no woman is left behind», stated Paolo Razzini, AICS Representative in Tanzania.

Commitment on three levels

Through this three-year project, action is taken at three levels: clinical, community, and institutional. The improvement of services—to make them more personalized and women-centered—is coupled with the strengthening of knowledge and skills regarding sexual and reproductive health, as well as the enhancement of cooperation and coordination among the actors involved. Efforts will also focus, thanks to community health workers, on countering socio-cultural barriers and reducing the stigma associated with women’s health conditions.

The aim is therefore to strengthen obstetric care and improve the overall health and well-being of women, so that the right to health is not just an ideal, but also a daily reality.

«Health is every woman’s right», stated the Regional Medical Officer. «Thanks to this project, we will place community health workers at the center of our strategy to prevent, detect, and ultimately eliminate obstetric fistula in Tanzania».

Bangui Paediatric University Hospital hosts ECHO’s first visit

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Today in Bangui, at the Pediatric University Hospital – CHUPB, we had the honor of welcoming a high-level ECHO delegation from Brussels for their very first visit, hosted by Medical Director Dr. Gody. The delegation, led by Giuseppe Angelini, Head of Western Africa, had an introductory but highly meaningful meeting: they learned about the hospital’s history, its post-crisis development, and CUAMM’s pivotal role in training health personnel and strengthening operational management. The visit concluded with a tour of the main wards, including the neonatal unit, providing a firsthand look at the tangible impact of our work on the health of the youngest patients.

CUAMM’s intervention at CHUPB began in 2018, supported by the European Union and in partnership with the NGO Action Against Hunger and the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital of the Vatican. The project aimed to strengthen paediatric services in a context marked by structural fragility and recurring crises.

Since then, CUAMM’s work has focused on strengthening hospital governance, training medical and administrative staff, and improving clinical services, ensuring the availability of essential medicines, equipment, hygiene services, and maintenance, to guarantee continuous 24/7 care.

From the start of the intervention until today, CHUPB—the country’s only tertiary-level paediatric referral hospital—has treated over 437,000 children, with more than 118,000 hospital admissions. In the past year alone, data show a recovery rate of 94%, highlighting the quality of care as one of the hospital’s major achievements.

All this takes place in one of the world’s most fragile countries. According to the Human Development Index, the Central African Republic ranks among the lowest globally, alongside countries such as South Sudan and Somalia (Human Development Report, 2023). The index points to significant challenges in life expectancy, average years of schooling, and gross national income per capita, all obstacles to long-term development. Among the most vulnerable sectors are health and education, where the work of CUAMM and international partners remains essential to provide quality services to the most fragile communities.

For this very reason, Cuamm has decided to expand its commitment to ensure access to quality care for women and children also outside the capital, reaching more isolated areas. On the one hand, support for CHUPB is being confirmed, accompanying its transition toward greater administrative and financial autonomy and working to strengthen its most delicate services, such as neonatology and intensive care. On the other hand, efforts are directed toward peripheral first- and second-level facilities, supporting them in the provision of basic care and life-saving services.

From Bangui to the very last mile

While CHUPB represents the country’s first and only tertiary-level paediatric hospital, the national health system also relies on an extensive network of secondary-level hospitals, health centers with varying levels of equipment, and basic dispensaries. Supporting these facilities means ensuring access to essential health services across the territory, strengthening the system’s response capacity, and preventing delays in care.

This is particularly crucial in isolated areas, which face a degree of socio-political instability and are affected by continuous population movements, as people seek responses to their growing basic needs—demonstrating the persistence of humanitarian crisis zones.

In this context, in the Bocaranga-Kuoi district in the western part of the country, we work at Kuoi Hospital and provide support to five affiliated health centers. With only 20 beds, Kuoi Hospital is located in a hard-to-reach area where instability and insecurity compromise service delivery, including healthcare. Thanks to ECHO funding, we work daily to provide free care to pregnant women and children under five, while also offering medical and psychosocial support to women victims of violence, in close collaboration with the local NGO OFAHRD. Activities also include infrastructure rehabilitation, strengthening the emergency referral system, nutritional screenings, and vaccination campaigns.

This effort aims to strengthen peripheral health services while also improving the management capacity of the Bocaranga referral hospital, currently the only fully operational health facility in the district and under heavy pressure due to high demand for care.

Peripheral hospitals and health centers are a fundamental part of a health system that seeks to reach everyone. It is precisely in the most isolated and hard-to-reach areas, however, that healthcare needs are greatest and resources often insufficient. To meet this challenge, in collaboration with the Central African Ministry of Health, CUAMM is implementing a Performance-Based Financing (PBF) intervention, funded by the European Union, involving 59 health facilities across three districts: Bangassou, Ouango-Gambo, and Bossangoa. The goal is to encourage the use of essential health services, improve quality standards, and reduce costs for the population, while also helping to reduce inequalities and ensure quality care for the most marginalized communities.