Ethiopiaid UK committed to end the neglect due to podoconiosis: £40K grant obtained

Ethiopiaid UK has continued its commitment to transform lives in Ethiopia. Starting with small grants and project implementation in small scale, Ethiopiaid UK and NaPAN partnership have grown to support the national podoconiosis elimination program.

NaPAN has recently received a grant of 40K GBP from Ethiopiaid UK to scale up the podoconiosis and treatment intervention in pod endemic districts of Keffa zone in the South West Ethiopia Peoples Region. The project will be implemented from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023. The proposed project seeks to train about 150 government health workers on Lymphoedema Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention (LMMDP), to reach 150 district officials and primary schools teachers through woreda level advocacy workshops. The project will be implemented in eight districts with two scenario. Four districts with relative higher disease burden are targeted for intensified intervention. The intensified intervention includes health workers training, quarterly supportive supervision, and provision of lymphedema registers and treatment supplies and mid-term project performance review meeting. The districts which will receive this intervention are Chena, Chita, Bitta and Gewata districts. The other is the non-intensified intervention only includes health workers training and quarter support supervision. The districts target for this intervention are Gimbo, Decha,Goba, and Shisho-inde.

The project will ensure LMMDP service access to about 4000 podo affected individuals in the target eight districts. However, the project will only procure and distribute treatment supplies (wash basin, skin ointment, soap and shoes) to about 200 podo affected individuals who could not afford to pay the annual Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) payment scheme in the intensified supported four districts.

Through this project a total of 11, 050 individuals (podo affected, government officials, teachers, and religious leaders) will be directly benefited. In addition, through the radio spot and billboard, about 700,000 community individuals will benefited indirectly.