Ethiopia: Our Impact

In the past two years,the number of clients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV tripled from 50,000 to 167,271 in Ethiopia; however, stigma associated with HIV & AIDS still presents major challenges for some people living with HIV to adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment. Buzunesh, a 30-year-old HIV positive woman, stopped treatment due to stigma she had experienced – which left her unemployed and homeless. Without care or treatment, Buzunesh became sick and bed-ridden, until community volunteers from the MSH implemented U.S.

In Ethiopia, 85 percent of the country’s 73.9 million people live in isolated rural areas, bringing significant challenges to HIV & AIDS testing and treatment programs. Yet despite these obstacles, the country has made significant strides. Within two years, the number of clients on active antiretroviral treatment tripled from 50,000 to 167,271.

As a long-standing implementer and advocate of maternal and child health services around the world, MSH is excited to participate in the second Women Deliver conference this week in Washington, DC. MSH has promoted equal access to health care for women by strengthening health systems for almost four decades. “MSH improves services that directly affect women— maternal and child health, family planning, HIV & AIDS—through the integration of those services, enabling more accessible and efficient care for entire communities.

Andualem Mohammed, SCMS advisor. Photo Credit: Margaret Hartley.MSH: Please tell me about your background and how you became interested in public health. I am from Ethiopia, and I joined Management Sciences for Health (MSH) as an employee seconded to a Missionaries of Charity orphanage for HIV-positive children, where I became the head of the pharmacy. But I wanted an opportunity to help millions of people instead of hundreds, so I joined the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) Project as Quantification and Supply Planning Advisor.MSH: What is your role at MSH?