Engera

Africa’s population is the youngest globally, which makes investment in children’s health and education essential. School meals are one of the simplest and most effective ways to support that.

Since 2024, we’ve been supporting school meals at Galeya Rogdha, and the difference it’s made is clear. Teachers say children are more present in class, more settled, and able to focus without drifting off. Attendance is more consistent, and more families are enrolling their children because they know there will be a nutritious meal at school.

Alongside this, more than 80 of the 315 children started the school year moderately malnourished. Thanks to regular school meals, all of them are now in the normal range.

At the end of last year, we also began co‑funding school meals at Zizencho, providing meals three days a week. Like Galeya, the food is prepared with local ingredients wherever possible, which means the programme supports not only children in school but also the farmers who grow it.

On the International Day of the African Child, a reminder of the difference something as simple as a school meal can make.

This is the Gurage Zone, a beautiful part of rural Ethiopia. Highlands, green fields, wide skies and communities that have lived here for generations. People have farmed this land, built on it and cared for it long before anyone talked about sustainability.

On World Environment Day, we want to remind people that the communities most affected by environmental change are often not the ones who caused it.

In Gurage, the health of the land and the health of the people are inseparable. When the rain patterns change, crops are affected. And when water sources are low, the clinics feel it straight away because they can’t keep things as clean as they need to.

It’s impossible to separate environmental issues from everyday life here — or from healthcare itself.

That’s part of why we’ve focused on solar-powered clinics, and why access to water matters so much in the work ahead.

Happy World Environment Day from the highlands of Ethiopia.

In rural Ethiopia, reaching healthcare can mean hours of walking. We support 7 health facilities in the Gurage Zone and South West Shoa, working in partnership with the Ethiopian Catholic Church to strengthen access to skilled care closer to home.
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Nelle zone rurali dell’Etiopia, raggiungere un centro sanitario può significare camminare per ore. Per questo sosteniamo 7 strutture sanitarie nella Gurage Zone e nel South West Shoa, collaborando con la Chiesa Cattolica Etiope per portare cure mediche qualificate più vicino alle famiglie.

Working in rural health centers in Ethiopia is demanding. Staff manage long days with limited resources, and opportunities for skills development are limited. Most accredited training is still based in larger towns, which makes completing Continuing Education Units difficult for rural health workers who need them to maintain their licenses.

This week, trainers from Welkite University’s CPD Center travelled to Emdibir and ran accredited sessions for 26 health workers from the centers we support. Holding the training close to the centers meant participants could join without long travel or leaving their facilities short‑staffed.

The first modules covered diabetes, hypertension and asthma, all of which are becoming more common in the area. Upcoming sessions will focus on infectious diseases and antimicrobial use.

We will continue sharing updates as the programme progresses.

Lavorare nei centri sanitari rurali in Etiopia è impegnativo. Il personale affronta giornate lunghe con risorse limitate e ha poche opportunità di aggiornare le proprie competenze. Gran parte della formazione accreditata si svolge ancora nelle città più grandi, il che rende difficile per gli operatori sanitari delle aree rurali completare i Continuing Education Units necessari per mantenere la licenza.

Questa settimana i formatori del CPD Center dell’Università di Welkite si sono recati a Emdibir e hanno svolto sessioni accreditate per 26 operatori dei centri che sosteniamo. Offrire la formazione vicino alle strutture ha permesso ai partecipanti di prendere parte senza lunghi spostamenti e senza lasciare i servizi sotto organico.

I primi moduli hanno riguardato diabete, ipertensione e asma, condizioni sempre più diffuse nella zona. I prossimi incontri saranno dedicati alle malattie infettive e all’uso degli antimicrobici.

Continueremo a condividere aggiornamenti mentre il programma va avanti.

Ecco Salam Guluma e il suo nuovo arrivato. Salam vive vicino a Zizencho e ha fatto nascere qui tutti e quattro i suoi figli.

Zizencho è aperto da oltre 15 anni ed è diventato il cuore della comunità. È stato il primissimo progetto sostenuto da Engera, ma sono le persone che ci lavorano ad averlo trasformato in ciò che è oggi. Il fatto che Salam continui a tornare per la salute sua e della sua famiglia mostra quanta fiducia abbia nel team e nelle cure che riceve.

Speriamo che tutti i suoi figli crescano sapendo che questo è un luogo su cui potranno sempre contare.

Benvenuto al mondo, piccolino!

Here is Salam Guluma with her newborn. Salam lives near Zizencho and has given birth to all four of her children here.

The Zizencho Health Centre has been open for more than 15 years and has become the heart of the community. It was Engera’s very first project, but it is the people who work there who have made it what it is today. The fact that Salam continues to return for her own health and that of her family shows just how much trust she has in the team and in the care she receives.

We hope all her children grow up knowing that this is a place they can always rely on.

Welcome to the world, little one!

Le schede per il referendum sulla giustizia del 22-23 marzo 2026 sono arrivate all’Ospedale di Attat, nella zona rurale del Gurage in Etiopia, dove due medici italiani stanno trascorrendo tre mesi di lavoro a servizio della comunità locale.

Anche in un contesto remoto, tra giornate cliniche intense e servizi limitati, sarà possibile partecipare al voto nazionale. Ora che la busta è arrivata, sarà possibile compilare la scheda e rispedirla nei tempi previsti per gli italiani temporaneamente all’estero.

È un piccolo ma significativo promemoria: lavorare all’estero, anche in un ospedale rurale, non significa rinunciare alla possibilità di prendere parte a un momento cruciale della nostra democrazia