When a coalition of committed partners joined forces to reach Ethiopia's most remote villages, they didn't just bring vaccines they brought hope to communities that had been forgotten for years and demonstrated how collaborative action can bridge critical equity gaps in immunization coverage.
Through GAVI's Alliance commitment to reaching zero-dose children and the strategic support of funding management partners Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and Manniondaniel, the groundwork was laid for a transformative intervention through RISE project strengthened health systems to reach ZD children.
EOC-DICAC's through community-based implementation capacity aiming to reach isolated populations a multi-stakeholder partnership was formed to address this equity challenge.
Mariam Ware, a mother of two from Mismo village in Garbrare Kebele, Burji Zone, represents the transformation happening across these remote communities. Living with her husband as subsistence farmers, Mariam had watched helplessly as both her daughters—2-years-old Bereket Samuel and her one and half year sister; suffered from continuous coughing and repeated illnesses.
Neither of them had ever received routine immunization services before the mobile team's arrival. "My children often fell sick. They struggled with repeated coughs. For me as a mother, watching them suffering was heartbreaking," Mariam shared, her voice heavy with the memory of those difficult times. read more
When the partnership's mobile team reached Mariam's family during the immunization campaign, everything was changed. Both daughters received their vaccines for the first time in their lives.
"I cannot express how grateful I am. Both of my children have now received their vaccines. I didn't fully understand the importance of vaccination before, but now I am aware of how crucial it is to vaccinate children for their health." said Mariam.
Today, Mariam advocates passionately for continued immunization services in her community, understanding that building a healthier community is the cornerstone for a nation.
The impact of this initiative extends beyond individual families to entire communities. A community volunteer in Mismo captured this broader transformation: "Our community left vulnerable to diseases. What the woreda and EOC-DICAC team have done gives us skill and motivation to work on our community health care."
These volunteers, now trained and empowered, serve as ongoing guardians of their communities' health, ensuring that the momentum of this campaign continues long after the mobile team has moved on.
Mariam's plea resonates beyond her own village: she calls for these immunization services to continue without interruption. Her words echo the voices of mothers across remote areas of Ethiopia who have experienced what's possible when committed partners refuse to let geography determine a child's access to health service.
This is what happens when the forgotten are finally remembered— when isolated communities discover they matter, when mothers' fears transform into hope, and when children receive the protection, they deserve.
This journey showed that partnership and persistence can turn isolation into inclusion. Reaching the unreached was only possible because many hands worked together. True change came when communities became part of the solution.
Local health volunteers were trained, mothers were informed, and families took ownership of protecting their children.
To sustain this progress, partners must keep mobile outreach alive, strengthen local health systems, and invest in communities who continue to champion immunization. In these three remote kebeles, hope has replaced fear, protection has replaced vulnerability, and communities once forgotten now knowing they are valued. This is the power of persistent partnership and the promise of what's possible when we refuse to leave anyone behind.
This case story is shared to inspire continued investment in equity-focused immunization strategies and to demonstrate the transformative impact possible when funding partners, management organizations, implementing agencies, government health systems, and communities unite around a common goal: ensuring every child, everywhere, receives the vaccines they need to thrive.
In refugee and IDP camps, youth face mental health challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and addiction. These individuals have often experienced traumatic events; lack of education and job opportunities, leading to feelings of depression and hopelessness, which can contribute to mental health issues.
Sports help to build stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities. It is not only an excellent way to stay physically fit; it also provides significant psychological benefits. It helps to improve your mood and moderate stress. It has benefits for conflict-affected communities in promoting physical and mental health, social integration, cohesion, education, and development.
Considering the challenges facing young people and the need to contribute to the protection of conflict-affected people through sport, former football player Semon Negusu volunteers to coach youth living in the China IDP site (one of the EOTC DICAC intervention areas), Deber Berhan Town. He began his work by having a deep conversation with the youth who are vulnerable to addiction and mental health issues and convincing them to engage in sports activities. Then he organized two teams (under 16 and 17 years old). He coaches each team three days a week.
In partnership with different humanitarian organizations, EOTC-DICAC is implementing an emergency response project in Debre Berhan town targeting IDPs. Therefore, protection; as one of the thematic areas of the project implemented with NCA,” WASH, SGBV, and Protection Response for Conflict-Affected Communities in Amhara Region," recently EOTC DICAC provided sports material to strengthen the football team organized by Semon.
Playing football helped the group members in many different ways. “Some of the football team members were vulnerable to addiction; some of them were depressed, but now they are happy and hopeful about their future; I have seen some improvements in their communication and their social lives," says Semon.
Through initiating and supporting community-based discussions and training for religious leaders, DICAC brought a positive change and improved the lives of men and women in Gorgo Woreda, Amhara regional State, North Shoa.
EOTC-DICAC has an intervention in North Shoa, financed by NCA, which aims to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities through three different thematic areas, CR-WaSH, Faith Based Climate Action, and GBV Interventions. Under GBV intervention, awareness creation training and community conversations are undertaking to create a free GBV community.
Faith actors take the golden share for successful positive community engagement throughout the project implementation. Engaging faith actors in community conversation groups helps to transform dominant social norms to protect women and girls.
Aba Tamere T/tsadik is one of the leading priests and members of the community conversation group who advocate the relevance of sharing responsibility in the household, encouraging men to take care of their wives, and teaching prevention of GBV & early marriage integrating it with the theological aspect.
Aba Tamere is taken as a role model and participates in several discussions to share his experience with the community. Apart from teaching the community, Aba. Tamere helps his wife with house chores and taking care of their family.
"…Your wife is a gift from God; she is the apple of your eyes; hurting her is like hurting, your eyes. I don't do anything without consulting my wife. She is always my priority…" Says, Aba Tamere T/tsadik.
Depending on these positive public engagements, the community has improving awareness, minimizing the prevalence of Gender Based Violence & early child marriage, and FGM.
Safi Abdu, 45 years old, a mother of 7 children (three girls), is a resident Mulata Kebele at Mudi sub watershed. As she is the direct beneficiary of the project, she takes part in the construction of physical structure and benefit from the payment for the work done as per the norm set by DryDev and the woreda. Her farm land (0.5 ha) which is found at the down catchment of the watershed she usually faced flood, eroded the top soil and her farm land formed gully and commenced to deteriorate from time to time, decreased the yield product that it provides for the family. But as action point the watershed committee gave priority the upper catchment of her and her neighbor’s farm to be rehabilitated via physical and biological intervention in 2016; hence Safi’s 0.5 ha of farmland top soil, which is found at the downstream of the watershed commenced to be rehabilitated.
Moreover, the DryDev program accessed her improved wheat basic seed called Qeqeba in 2016 sowing season with practical and theoretical agronomic practice training. Then with this integrated intervention her wheat product was increased by 90% (the production on her 0.25 ha increased from 5qt/0.25 ha to 9qt/0.25 ha). In addition her sorghum production increased by 40% (from 3 qt/0.25 ha to 5qt/0.25ha). As per the interview with her the food gap decreased from 7 months per the year to 3.5 months per year.
Wheat is the major crop grown by farmers in the vast areas of Jarso woreda in general and by the majority of farmers in the intervention sub watersheds. Although farmers know that local varieties are constrained by low level of productivity, majority of the framers in the project kebeles do not have access to improved varieties of wheat seed. Taking this into account Jarso DryDev accessed improved wheat seed varieties to needy farmers in 2016 and 2017. The project has proved that this has brought a positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of the beneficiaries because these improved seed varieties are believed to provide high yield, drought resistant and disease tolerant.
Hence, the project in collaboration with the woreda agriculture office selected target farmers based on the selection criteria set before the commencement of the intervention and accessed 200 quintals of improved wheat seed named Qeqeba/in 2016/ and Hidasse/in 2017/ for 740 farmers (130 women).
Rashid Ahemed, aged 38 with a family of 9 children (5 girls) is one of the target farmers in Mulata Kebele, Mudi sub-watershed. In 2016 Rashid accessed 50 kg improved seed named Qeqeba from the DryDev program for his 0.5 ha of land. He used to apply local variety during previous years.Rashid took theoretical and practical training from DryDev, includes spacing, weed and pest control mechanisms, appropriate & effective time to conduct weeding, what to do if any epidemic happens to his crop and post harvest management. Hence, as a result his production increased by more than 120%, previously he used to produce 10 quintal /with commercial fertilizer/ but in 2017 he produced 22 quintals of wheat /with commercial fertilizer/.
Abduwahab Umar Shakir, who is living in Gursum district, Obeley sub-watershed in Oda oromiya kebele, is a peasant with low income of less than 1 dollar per day. He has six children; 3 sons and 3 daughters. During the inception period of the DryDev project in Gursum district, he has been accessed 3 goats/doe. During the time the woreda administration selected 198 farmers to access 594 female goats (doeing)by the DryDev project and Abduwahab Umar Shakir was among those farmers.
When he received these 3 doeing he promised to offer the offspring of the goats to his neighbors who are vulnerable called “mirror beneficiary” which the woreda arranged to have more beneficiaries from the same resource.
As per the Kebele development agents follow the performance/ reproduction, the health situation of the goats that were reached to the target farmers and Abudwahab was also kept his promise to revolve the offspring to his mirror target farmer, he revolved 2 off-spring goats his neighbor. After two years the goats reproduced to 10, and currently he has 8 goats. Since the breed that was reached to the farmers, Ogaden goat breed known for their milk. Hence, the milk that he gets from the goats is found to be very important for the daily consumption of the family especially for children. Moreover, Abduwahab Umar is an active participant in many activities of the DryDev project interventions like in soil and water conservation in area closure in sub-sub watershed called Elalemi Tiqa.