Health

In the health pillar, The Pharo Foundation implements programmes that aim to increase the access to and quality of health care, focusing on health infrastructure improvement, human capacity development, and public health interventions. The Pharo Foundation recognises health as a key aspect of human and economic development and is working to increase access and quality of health care in Africa.

In Ethiopia, The Pharo Foundation’s health care initiatives in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State (BGRS) include intervening in health and sanitation gaps in three districts by designing tailored social and behavioural change communication tools to encourage positive practices in the community. The interventions include community conversations to create awareness of health and sanitation issues and training. To accelerate access and sustained use of latrines coupled with good hygienic practices, the Foundation is also working with sanitation enterprises (unemployed youths) to produce slabs and distribute them among the target population.

Additionally, Pharo’s health programmes involve providing capacity building to health care providers in the districts to increase their awareness of various issues. In Assosa town, the Foundation also established and supported the construction of a public ablution block at the bus station area serving thousands of people. The Foundation also renovated two public health centres in Homosha and Menge districts immensely improving health care services for approximately 31,000 people.

In June 2022, the Foundation launched and commenced operations of its Pharo Diagnostic Centre in Assosa, a premier medical facility and the first of its kind in Assosa, and in the BGRS. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and highly trained personnel which enable us to offer numerous tests many of which are not offered in any other facility in the region.

Other initiatives by the Foundation to improve healthcare services in BGRS include constructing an intensive care unit (ICU) and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Assosa General Hospital in 2019. In the past, Pharo helped establish 3 NICUs in the greater BGRS. Since the inauguration of the ICU and NICU, the mortality rates have tremendously reduced and the units have saved hundreds of lives.

In Somaliland, the Foundation helped train the first group of operating theatre nurses in the country and ensured they were placed in the right jobs.