UNOPS, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation sign €7.6 mln project agreement to improve health conditions in Ethiopia

The UNOPS and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation signed a €7.6 million agreement to support multi-sectoral interventions aimed at improving health conditions in Afar and SSNP Regions in Ethiopia.

The project will support the Government of Ethiopia to strengthen the health systems and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable population through ensuring access to quality healthcare services and nutrition for school-going children.

The three-year project will improve the uptake and quality of healthcare service delivery for more than 62,000 beneficiaries. The project will also improve the quality and uptake of education in primary schools through improved nutrition and hygiene services benefiting around 2,000 children. 

The multi-sectoral intervention project will be implemented in Chifra and Hamer woreda in the Afar and SNNP regions respectively.

Inclusion is also at the heart of the project which will ensure that all infrastructure constructed/rehabilitated are gender sensitive and disability friendly to cater to the needs of people living with disabilities (PLWDS)and the target population. 

The communities in Waama and Demeka areas are in need of basic social services and facilities. Students are learning in overcrowded classrooms without proper ventilation, space, and furniture or outside under trees. The absence of clean, potable water supply, toilets, and energy has created an intertwined problem that significantly affects the day-to-day teaching and learning process forcing students to miss class and/or drop out. Moreover, the health service delivery lacks the required facilities, equipment, and health professionals. Services such as maternal and child health face serious problems due to unfavourable conditions. The lack of comprehensive service delivery has limited the health-seeking behavior of the community in both areas.