Category: Homenews

25 years of care and training

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

St. Luke’s Hospital in Wolisso marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating a quarter of a century dedicated to providing care for the most vulnerable and training the next generation of health professionals through its attached nursing and midwifery school.

In December 2000, both the hospital and the nursing and midwifery school became fully operational, launching a collaboration that would transform access to healthcare across the South West Shoa Zone, a region of around 1.24 million people.

To mark this milestone during the Jubilee Year, Doctors with Africa CUAMM held a commemorative ceremony attended by notable guests, including Mons. Giuseppe Andrea Salvatore Baturi – Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), Lukas Teshome Fikre – Bishop of Endebe, Don Dante Carraro – Director General of Medici con l’Africa Cuamm, along with representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and regional health authorities from Oromia.

“We are delighted to celebrate 25 years of St. Luke’s Hospital, a milestone made possible thanks to the community, the Church, and the generosity of many supporters. Today we celebrate, but above all, we reaffirm our commitment to serving the most vulnerable, especially mothers and newborns, to further reduce maternal and infant mortality,” said Don Dante Carraro – CUAMM Director General during the ceremony.

The hospital’s construction was made possible through the joint efforts of the Oromia Regional Office for Emergency Prevention and Management, the Oromia Health Bureau, and the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It was conceived as a response to a severe lack of healthcare services: in the 350-km stretch between Addis Ababa and Jimma, no hospitals or qualified training institutions existed at the time.

“This hospital is like life itself,” said Mons. Baturi – President of the Episcopal Conference of Italt (CEI). “We helped it come to life, and now we want to continue helping it grow. We thank all those involved in its management. Our faith calls us to share charity with the community, building a new world where children can be born safely and women and young people can grow up healthy.”

From the outset, the project was ambitious: for the first time, local authorities were asked to consider a public-private non-profit partnership with the Ethiopian Catholic Church. Another unique aspect is Ethiopia’s religious geography, which makes St. Luke’s a notable point for ecumenical growth, fostering dialogue, respect, patience, and collaboration for the common good.

“St. Luke’s will continue to be rooted in the health system, providing care for those most in need in a climate of peace, justice, and hope. Updating the school will improve student skills and competencies, with professional exchanges both within Ethiopia and abroad. We aim for quality, equity, and sustainable health financing to advance universal health coverage. The future will be the ‘new face’ of the hospital: the next 25 years begin today!” said Bishop Lukas Teshome Fikre.

From the very beginning, CUAMM has supported the hospital and school with the dual aim of strengthening health systems and training local professionals, fostering strong Italy-Ethiopia cooperation. Over the years, this exchange has included programs for medical students and residents. Since 2002, 342 students have participated in the SISM program, and 86 residents have completed six-month placements at St. Luke’s.

From its early years, St. Luke’s Hospital has been recognized for its focus on maternal and child health and community medicine. Today, the hospital is a regional referral center, with 163 beds, an emergency department, medical and surgical wards, and a maternity ward performing over 3,000 births annually. Doctors with Africa CUAMM continues to work alongside the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, focusing on the management of diocesan health facilities and staff training.

In 25 years of dedicated service, St. Luke’s Hospital has recorded: 250,000 admissions, 1.6 million outpatient visits, 70,000 births, 160,000 prenatal visits, 255,000 vaccinations, and 67,000 major surgeries.

Equally essential is the role of the nursing and midwifery college, which has consistently trained competent health professionals. To date, over 906 students have graduated: 452 from the regular nursing program, 202 from the upgraded nursing program (from Nursing Assistant to Diploma, supported by the Oromia Health Bureau), and 252 midwives.

 

Addressing the Needs of Refugees in Gambella

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Present in the Gambella region since 2017, Doctors with Africa CUAMM combines health system strengthening and resilience-building interventions with emergency response. Our goal is to improve accessibility, equity, and quality of healthcare services for all—ensuring no one is left behind.

We work on two complementary fronts: within host communities and inside refugee camps.

Support to Host Communities

In host communities, we are implementing a disability-sensitive health system strengthening program as part of a three-year project carried out in collaboration with the Gambella Regional Health Bureau. Many disabilities prevalent in the region can be prevented or treated when timely access to care is available.

To date, we support nine health facilities (2 hospitals and 7 health centers) focusing on the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of physical/motor, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

Key components of this strategy include: strengthening reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services; promoting demand and uptake of health services among people with disabilities; expanding eye care and rehabilitation services; refurbishing and upgrading hospital infrastructures; ensuring the availability of essential consumables and medicines; training health staff to deliver high-quality, inclusive healthcare; mobilizing communities to identify, refer, and support individuals with disabilities.

Support to Refugees in Camps

In 2018, as the South Sudanese crisis escalated, CUAMM began supporting the provision of quality, comprehensive, and gender-responsive healthcare in refugee camps, in collaboration with government authorities.

Currently, we work in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp, managing 1 Health Center and 2 Health Posts. Over the past year, we also supported the rehabilitation of the Tierkidi Health Center.

The Refugee Crisis and CUAMM’s Emergency Response

Following renewed conflict in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, a significant influx of refugees entered the Gambella region, placing enormous pressure on an already fragile health system. Thousands were left without access to protection, medical care, adequate shelter, or safe water.

In July 2025, CUAMM conducted a rapid needs assessment among new arrivals and affected host communities. The assessment revealed severe service gaps, including: lack of primary healthcare services in Moun, Matar, and Luakdong/Tormorok; weak referral mechanisms; limited nutrition coverage; disrupted immunization services; poor WASH conditions, increasing disease outbreaks; overcrowded shelters, food insecurity, and heightened risks of gender-based violence.

To respond to this emergency, we mobilized internal emergency funds to launch an immediate lifesaving intervention addressing the most critical gaps through Mobile Health and Nutrition Team (MHNT) aiming at delivering lifesaving services in the most affected areas.

Ethiopia currently hosts over 1.1 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations globally. Many families live in makeshift shelters with inadequate sanitation, insufficient nutrition, and limited access to healthcare—conditions that dramatically increase the risk of disease and mortality. The south sudanese refugee crisis is compounding the fragile system in the border region of Gambella. Doctors with Africa CUAMM remains committed to ensuring adeguate care where it is needed most and to building sustainable long-term solutions thanks to the collaboration with the Ethiopian Humanitarian Fund.

Renewing our commitment to Ukraine

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This week in Kyiv, Ukraine, we took part in the event organized by the Italian Cooperation on the occasion of the Italian Cooperation Day with the aim of bringing together partners, agencies, and civil society organizations working on the front line to support the civilian population. It was a moment for dialogue and knowledge sharing, a platform to amplify results and good practices.

The CUAMM team on the ground participated in the meeting alongside partners, NGOs, and local organizations, presenting CUAMM’s work in the country, sharing the results achieved over the past three years, and reaffirming its commitment moving forward.

For the past three years, CUAMM has been working in the country with a twofold objective: assisting civilians and strengthening the health system severely affected by the conflict. Over the past year, we have done so through the RISE project, funded by the Italian Cooperation and implemented in collaboration with Caritas Italiana, Caritas Drohobych (SDD), Volonterskiy Rukh Bukovyny (VRB), CUAMM UK, and Caritas Moldova. The intervention focused on providing emergency health assistance to vulnerable communities, including internally displaced people, refugees, and host communities in Ukraine and Moldova.

The main activities included: distribution of emergency medical kits, psychosocial support events, training in mental health, life support, and neonatology, and distribution of food kits and essential items.

This is a commitment we are ready to carry forward. Thanks to the renewed support from the Italian Cooperation, in the coming months we will be implementing SHIELD Project –  Strengthening Health and Protection for Vulnerable Communities in Conflict-affected Sumska and Kharkivska in collaboration with CESVI and two local partners – an intervention that combines health and protection. At the center of our work are four main activities located in the oblasts of Kharkiv and Sumy, near the border area: distribution of medical supplies, structural rehabilitation interventions, delivery of emergency kits and capacity building activities for health professionals in collaboration with UNFPA.

RISE Project, figures from the project

In Ukraine
• 8,359 outpatient consultations
• 11 emergency kit deliveries to the areas of Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Vasylkiv, and Sumy, ensuring response within 72 hours from notification of the request—as required by WHO’s Rapid Response Mechanism
• 1,270 people reached through psychosocial support events
• 2,179 people involved in the Vasylkiv Summer Camp
• 448 people trained in mental health topics and Basic Life Support
• 4,288 people who received food kits and essential items
• 1,865 people who received winter protection kits
• 865 children who received nutritional kits and essential items

In Moldova
• 1,493 outpatient consultations
• 764 people reached through psychosocial support events
• 100 health professionals trained in neonatal care
• 4,775 people who received essential items

Doctors with Africa CUAMM has been active in Ukraine since the start of the humanitarian crisis in March 2022. Since then, we have reached more than 40,594 people and supported over 29 health facilities with medicines, consumables, biomedical equipment, and logistical support materials.

 

Nurturing Hope in Bossangoa

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The classroom is crowded at the Bossangoa School of Nursing and Midwifery. In the institute, which we began building just a year ago with the support of many, classes have just started. Thirty students, both male and female, are now entering their educational journey to become healthcare workers: among them, future birth attendants and professional midwives.

It is a unique opportunity and an important achievement in Bossangoa district, an area that until now had no opportunities at all for people eager to study, as explained by Meanendji Gaston, student at the school.

“Until last year there was nothing here. Today, with this institute, we have the chance to study without having to travel to the capital, Bangui. We will be trained here, in our own region, and one day we will be able to help the women in this area.”

At the heart of this major project, carried out in collaboration with the Central African government and the Ministry of Health, lies a clear objective: contributing to the reduction of maternal mortality.

“With the decentralization of training for qualified healthcare personnel, the Ministry of Health together with Cuamm worked to establish this institute, which already welcomes students from the region. It is precisely through the training of new healthcare professionals that we intend to help reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity in the country,” stated Madame Aline Zaofin, Director of the Bossangoa school of nursing and midwifery.

The lack of adequately trained healthcare workers is indeed one of the most critical challenges faced by the Central African health system—which currently has only 5 professional health workers for every 10,000 inhabitants. This number falls far short of WHO recommendations, which state that a population needs at least 50 health workers per 10,000 inhabitants to ensure adequate care.

Opening of the academic year at Bossangoa school of nursing and midwifery.
Opening of the academic year at Bossangoa school of nursing and midwifery.

The construction of the school and the launch of a formal education program recognized by the Ministry is part of a broader initiative strongly supported by Cuamm, which has been active at the Bossangoa hospital since 2023 to support maternal and child health services.

“Our presence here has a simple and clear goal,” explains Dr. Enzo Pisani. “We want to reduce maternal mortality. To do so, we must intervene on four levels: community, transport, hospital, and training.”

Today, we are working in an integrated and continuous way across all four levels—from the communities to the hospital. We intervene in the villages to recognize delivery complications in advance; we have created an emergency referral system which, thanks to an ambulance and motorcycle taxis, ensures rapid transportation to the hospital; and we are strengthening the hospital’s capacity to manage cases on arrival.

“The whole system relies on the ability of healthcare workers, and this is why training is the fourth level on which immediate action is needed,” Pisani continues. “Strengthening the skills of local staff and training new professionals is essential to achieving our goal.”

The renovation of the maternity ward at the Bossangoa hospital, recently launched, is also a key step in the project. The renewed space—improved in both structure and equipment—will ensure minimum quality standards for obstetric emergency care and will also serve as a practical training environment for students.

“I am truly happy to begin this course of study,” said Bialle Eloge – student in Bossangoa. “I can’t wait to strengthen my theoretical and practical skills so that I can really help my community.”

“This facility means a lot to us. It allows us to stay in the district and pursue studies that we otherwise could only undertake by moving to the capital. Now we have an alternative. Here we have everything: we can attend classes, live on campus, and access all the necessary services, including dormitories and a cafeteria. This will help us students and our families,” said student Gazaworo José Christian.

The Bossangoa institute of midwifery and nursing is the first and only education center outside the capital, Bangui. It is located more than 300 kilometers away—distance that, until now, has been a source of exclusion and marginalization for many young people eager to build a better future for themselves and their communities.

“I am truly happy to see this institute operating today. We built it with a strong spirit of collaboration that reflects the government’s commitment to investing in training and decentralization, offering growth opportunities even outside the capital. A few years from now, this will allow us to have well-trained healthcare professionals right here in the Bossangoa district,” said Mgaissona Nestor – Regional Director of Higher Education.

The Central African Republic (CAR) ranks among the five countries with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world, according to the latest report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Life expectancy at birth is 56 years (2024), the neonatal mortality rate is 39 per 1,000 newborns, infant mortality 103 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality 835 per 100,000 live births—the second highest in the world.

Today, with the start of courses for these 34 young people, hope is growing for an entire community. We are committed to nurturing this hope by continuing to support their training and ensuring the best possible study conditions, so that tomorrow they can join us in the ambitious and urgent goal of eliminating maternal mortality in the country.

 

Amhara bringing care to displaced persons and host communities

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Nearly 22,000 people live in Debre Berhan, North Shewa Zone in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Internally displaced people (IDPs) located in three camps: China, Woynshet, and Bakelo Camp, and mostly coming from Wollega, Oromia region. Besides camp residents, there are thousands of IDPs hosted in the communities whose living conditions still need crucial attention.
Moreover, the conflict and insecurity in the region compromise access to basic health services even for the host communities, with recurrent service interruption, stock-outs of medicines and lack of essential nutritional supplements, among others.

In order to cope with this situation, CUAMM together with Cifa has implemented the project “Promoting protection and access to health and nutrition services for internally displaced people and vulnerable communities in emergency situations”, funded by the Italian Cooperation.

It is precisely thanks to this intervention that Medina Yesuf and her family’s life has improved.
She is 26 years-old woman, who was displaced from East Wellega due to internal conflict and now she’s living with her husband and child in China Camp IDP site.

She firstly got in touch with CUAMM, after undergoing a surgery for an extra pulmonary TB case in Debre Berhan Hospital and she received TB medications and follow-up treatment through CUAMM’s mobile health and nutrition team (MHNT).

‹‹Thank you Allah; I am near to finishing my medication now. My husband was also tested for TB because he was sick. But he is fine››, Medina said.

The Mobile Health and Nutrition Team (MHNT) maintained continuous operations, delivering essential health services to 21,258 beneficiaries across IDP camps and host communities. The team, composed of a Health Officer, Nurse, and Midwife, was strengthened by the recruitment of a Pharmacist, enhancing service efficiency.

Despite receiving her own treatment, Medina remained deeply concerned about her son’s deteriorating health. Born with a small swelling on his back, the lump gradually enlarged and began to leak fluid. Therefore, when he turned ten months, Medina sought help from the CUAMM MHNT Clinic at China Camp. The medical team first referred him to Debre Berhan Hospital and then to Hakim Gizaw Hospital, which recommended further examination in Addis Ababa before surgery could be performed. However, due to the costs she couldn’t afford, Medina returned to the IDP camp, hoping that someone might help her child receive the care he urgently needed.

The project also supported referral services and healthcare reimbursements for childbirth assistance, facilitating access for vulnerable populations.
There were a total of 435 referrals.

‹‹At that time, Cifa was providing financial assistance to the most vulnerable groups in China camp, and I was selected as a beneficiary through the CUAMM medical team. I was given 10.000 birr and I was able to take my son to Addis Ababa for critical examination››, Medina continued.

Following the assessment, she returned to Hakim Gizaw Hospital, where her child successfully underwent surgery.

‹‹They take good care of us. If it weren’t for the CUAMM medical team, my son would have died›› – Medina concluded.

Today, Medina and her son regularly visit the CUAMM MHNT clinic, where they continue receiving essential follow-up care and treatment after their surgeries.

Throughout the project, 47.170 people accessed to health and nutrition services, including dedicated mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) services. Among other services, outpatient consultations, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, nutritional and NCD screenings, mental health support, GBV case management, emergency referrals, and health education sessions.

Only in the period the end of May and September, OPD medical consultations were 5,941, 51 antenatal care visits, 891 children and 330 pregnant and lactating women underwent nutritional screening, some of them identified with moderate and severe acute malnutrition.
In addition, 290 women received family planning services (272 short-acting, 14 long-acting, and 4 emergency contraceptives); 2,673 individuals screened for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Procurement activities ensured the availability of micronutrients, therapeutic and supplementary foods, medical equipment, raising awareness materials among others, to support mobile clinics and health facilities.

Training and capacity building were an integral part of the project, significantly improving knowledge and skills among healthcare workers and community members. 150 training sessions were carried out. Technical assistance and supportive supervision were provided to improve data collection, reporting accuracy, and overall health service delivery. The project facilitated coordination and review meetings with stakeholders to assess progress, share best practices, and plan for continued improvements.

Additionally, the project supported an integrated vaccination and cholera prevention campaign in collaboration with local health authorities.

Ensuring quality care and making health and nutrition services more accessible and sustainable. This remains at the heart of Cuamm’s commitment, always and especially in the most fragile areas such as Debre Berhan.

 

PRIDE AND SENSE OF BELONGING TANZANIA ANNUAL MEETING

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“It was truly moving to meet each other in person.” This is how Elia Msigala, Senior Accountant from Iringa, begins as he describes the CUAMM Tanzania Annual Meeting, held in Dodoma on 11–12 November 2025.


“Before, we only knew each other by name,” he continues, “but meeting in person made a real difference and strengthened our mutual cooperation within the organisation. We discussed both our current situation and our expectations, with optimism and commitment, looking toward a promising and prosperous future.”

Annual staff meetings are a cornerstone of CUAMM’s operational approach in Tanzania and hold particular importance for an organisation whose staff members work across different regions and projects. Team members from Iringa, Shinyanga, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar gathered to reflect, align, and move forward with renewed energy toward shared goals. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, experiences, best practices, and lessons learned across various projects — a key element of CUAMM’s working method.

The first day focused on activities led by the Dodoma office, particularly those under the “Diverse Food System” project, which addresses issues related to malnutrition and early childhood development. Participants visited the Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital, where they observed CUAMM’s support to the malnutrition unit and explored the new Early Childhood Development Corner — a space designed to stimulate cognitive and neuromotor development in malnourished children.

The second day was dedicated to the formal staff meeting, coordinated by Country Manager Riccardo Buson and Country Administrator Ilaria Di Nunzio. The programme included interactive sessions aimed at increasing awareness of ongoing initiatives in the country, highlighting challenges encountered, and celebrating the significant progress achieved. It also created opportunities for staff members to connect, fostering collaboration and the development of new projects.

“This meeting allowed me to catch up on current and future projects,” explained paediatrician Martina Borellini, “not only in my region but across the whole country. It helped me see the people I work with every day from a new perspective and in a different context.”

The meeting concluded with a session on mental health awareness led by Paul Ndemanisho — psychologist, mental health expert, and trainer in corporate well-being. His session emphasised the essential link between mental health and overall well-being, offering valuable insights to strengthen personal resilience and improve the quality of services delivered to the Tanzanian population.

Health amid food energy and life

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Today, together with our project partners Salesianos de Dom Bosco and ENE, we took part in the inauguration ceremony of Food, Energy & Life (FE&L) organized by Eni and hosted at Palácio de Ferro in Luanda.

FE&L is the photographic exhibition that portrays an Angola in transition, between culinary traditions and new cooking methods introduced through the Eni for Clean Cooking programme. It is a journey through Angolan society and the ongoing changes that will guide thousands of people toward cleaner and healthier habits.

The exhibition was inaugurated by a highly institutional event attended by the Italian Ambassador to Angola, Marco Ricci; the Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo; the Secretary of State for Health, Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa; and the Secretary of State for the Environment, Yuri Valter de Sousa Santos.

It was an opportunity to discuss the programme, which aims to reduce household pollution and associated health risks, while also contributing to the reduction of biomass emissions. Today, over 80% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to safe and efficient cooking systems. According to the World Health Organization, household air pollution causes around 3.2 million premature deaths every year, particularly among women and children, while the International Energy Agency estimates that collecting biomass for cooking contributes to the loss of 1.3 million hectares of forest annually.

“This initiative aligns perfectly with the national strategic plan and supports our long-term strategy to ensure the well-being of the population, combat poverty and guarantee the human right to food and access to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food,” said the Secretary of State for Health, Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa.

As Doctors with Africa CUAMM, we are working on the front lines in the northern province of Uige. At the centre of our efforts are nutrition, hygiene and health, along with an innovative and effective approach: Social and Behavioural Change.

“People want to learn, exchange ideas and be heard. Community activities often last up to three hours, and people stay with us, actively participating. Their involvement reminds us every day why this intervention matters. What we offer is not just awareness-raising activities, but spaces for dialogue where we debunk myths, cultural beliefs and long-established perceptions,” said Nurcia Chiwisa – CUAMM Project Manager and nutritionist.

Through awareness campaigns on food and basic hygiene, the initiative makes it possible to work on nutrition and on preventing health risks linked to inefficient combustion, thus promoting the well-being of families, especially the most vulnerable. As part of the Eni for Clean Cooking programme, implemented in Uige province in collaboration with the Salesianos de Dom Bosco, we have already reached more than 236,000 people through the distribution of over 47,000 improved cookstoves.

“As Doctors with Africa CUAMM, we are very pleased to be part of this large programme, Eni for Clean Cooking. Ten years after our last activities in Uíge province, we have returned with an innovative project in which health — the core of our mission — intersects with fundamental themes such as women’s empowerment, environmental protection and access to energy. It is a truly integrated approach, fully reflecting the CUAMM style and our way of working: close to communities, alongside health authorities and committed to sustainable solutions that can drive development,” said Joaquim Tomas – CUAMM Country Representative in Angola.

 

 

Born at 28 Weeks: The Baby Who Defied the Odds in Tanzania

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A tiny wren. If we were to depict it, give it shape, it would have Baraka’s long eyes and his round mouth.
Bakara was born at the Tosamaganga hospital in Tanzania. A 28-week preterm baby, “the kind you’re never sure your best efforts will be enough for,” confesses Giulia Guerrini – JPO in pediatrics.

“Below 800 g we know very well that premature babies have very low chances of survival,” says Martina Borellini, CUAMM doctor and head of the Tosamaganga NICU. “Here, at the hospital, we have never taken the ending for granted. In fact, it had never happened before that we were able to discharge a patient born under 800 g.”

Tosamaganga hospital is a secondary-level center, a large facility with a well-equipped neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Three incubators for the most critical patients, a step-down unit for less severe cases, and two spaces for kangaroo care, the skin-to-skin therapy for mothers and babies. In this NICU, about 700 admissions are recorded each year—an enormous number that reflects widespread health issue. The incidence of preterm births in sub-Saharan Africa is in fact roughly double that of Italy. Geography, unfortunately, also affects mortality: data show that over 90% of extremely premature babies (under 28 weeks) born in low-income countries die within the first days of life, whereas in high-income countries the mortality rate is below 10% (WHO, 2023).

Contributing factors include nutritional, environmental, infectious, and genetic conditions, but another important aspect to highlight is access to prenatal care.

“The literature shows us that if a woman carefully and consistently follows her monitoring appointments throughout pregnancy, and if she is followed by a professional midwife who knows her medical history, the risk of preterm birth can be greatly reduced,” says Martina Borellini.

Damalis, Bakara’s mother, faced many risks. Five pregnancies, five hopes, five expectations that for her had ended in five losses. Damalis has a uterine malformation that had never allowed her to carry a pregnancy to term.

“A bicornuate uterus is a condition unfortunately associated with a very high likelihood of obstetric complications, first among them miscarriage. Because of the shape of the uterus, it is difficult for the fetus to grow and develop fully,” explains Giulia Guerrini.

Despite fears and risks little Bakara left Tosamaganga hospital more than two months after birth, —a period marked by careful medical care and extraordinary dedication by his mother.

“It’s hard to say what made the difference,” says Martina Borellini. “Cases like Bakara’s are extremely rare. Probably a combination of factors: the baby’s gestational age, the fact that he was born in a well-equipped hospital, and the early start of kangaroo care from his very first moments of life.”

An unexpected and astonishing ending. A happy ending that, on World Prematurity Day, reminds us all of the importance of promoting access to healthcare and guaranteeing quality care before, during, and after childbirth for the well-being of mothers and children.

Reversing diabetes diagnosis not a death sentence

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“I was 45 when I received the diagnosis.
I remember the shock so vividly—it felt as though my whole world was collapsing, as if life as I knew it would never be the same. I prayed, and I cried. Then I faced reality, asked questions, and tried to understand how I could live with diabetes. Today, I want everyone to know that prevention truly saves lives, and that with diseases like diabetes, traditional medicine is not the answer.”

Rodolfo is an adult man whose life changed dramatically after his type 2 diabetes diagnosis—a diagnosis that ultimately saved him, but also cost him a leg and forced him to abandon his work in construction. Now, in Beira, Mozambique, he dedicates his time to helping others “so that no one has to face the diagnosis with the fear I felt a year ago,” he says.

Roughly 830 million people around the world live with diabetes, most of them in low- and middle-income countries. More than half receive no treatment at all.

In the WHO Africa Region, over 24 million adults aged 20 to 79 live with diabetes—a number expected to more than double to 60 million by 2050. Nearly half remain undiagnosed, silently facing escalating risks of severe complications, disability, and premature death. Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves, with profound consequences for individuals, families, and communities (WHO, 2025).

If this trend is not reversed, it will overwhelm health systems, strain national economies, and erode hard-won development gains. While a diagnosis is no longer a life sentence and living with diabetes is increasingly possible, access to care and the ability to manage a chronic condition remain major challenges in the settings where we work.

In Mozambique, with financial support from the Italian Cooperation and in partnership with ACAP Sant’Egidio and AIFO, CUAMM is working across the provinces of Sofala, Zambézia and Maputo to reduce morbidity, mortality, and disability linked to non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. By supporting both hospitals and primary health centres—and maintaining a strong presence within communities—we strive to reduce risk factors, improve access to quality health services, and strengthen disease surveillance.

For World Diabetes Day, we engaged communities and local authorities in these three provinces, as well as in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where an official ceremony was held in the city of Pemba with institutional representatives in attendance. On this occasion, CUAMM in partnership with UNFPA participated in a health fair offering essential services to the population.

Training future health professionals An Innovative Health Project in Sierra Leone

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An innovative project in Sierra Leone aims to fill a major gap in the national health system: the training of qualified professionals essential for ensuring quality care. The S.K.I.L.L.E.D. project, promoted by Doctors with Africa CUAMM in collaboration with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, involves the University of Makeni (UniMak)—one of the country’s most respected institutions—and the University of Bologna as direct partners, along with the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Connaught Hospital, Saint Mary’s Home of Charity, and the Joseph Berton Technical and Vocational Institute. A joint effort to pave the way for long-lasting training model that aims to bring concrete change.

“For the country, this direct collaboration between universities, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Labour is a major innovation, with the goal of developing an offer that responds to the demand for specialized health-sector profiles,” explains Maria Valla, CUAMM’s Project Manager. “We have done this in other countries before, but here it represents a significant step because it allows us to build solid skills that are nationally recognized.”

The University of Bologna will contribute to the creation of a degree program for biomedical technicians—a professional figure that currently does not exist at all in Sierra Leone, where the maintenance of medical equipment is often entrusted to technicians without specific training.

“The goal,” Maria explains, “is to create a program that combines engineering and medical knowledge, and that can be replicated in other universities as well.”

The project has been designed and developed in collaboration with the national Ministry of Health to identify the most urgent professional gaps. It includes six training programs, some of which are the first and only one available in the country: Radiology Technician and Autoclave Technician, specializing in the sterilization of surgical instruments.

In addition, existing programs will be strengthened including laboratory technicians, health data analysts (to improve digitalization), physiotherapists, and community health officers—an intermediate role between doctor and nurse.

Over the next three years, an overall number of 240 students will benefit from the courses. To ensure fair access to the program, scholarships will be offered to young disadvantaged candidates.

In October, Professor Stefano Severi from the University of Bologna visited the University of Makeni to study the individual curricula in detail and better understand the needs the project aims to address.

“The interest shown by our academic partners, particularly Professor Severi from the University of Bologna, has been remarkable,” Maria concludes. “They understood the urgency of responding to the real needs of the health system and UniMak’s determination to contribute to meaningful change.”