My name is Haymanot Tadesse. I work as a community health educator at the Glenn C. Olsen Memorial Primary Hospital in West Enbor Kebele. I studied Clinical Nursing at university and passed the national exam to become a certified health extension worker. Health extension workers reached more than 42,000 families in the rural communities near the Glenn C. Olsen Memorial Primary Hospital in 2024, educating people about basic healthcare and sanitation.
Water and electricity are both limited in this area, and the shortage of clean water in particular makes it much harder to prevent illness. Two years ago, we faced a cholera outbreak that affected many families in our neighborhood. That experience reminded us just how critical basic sanitation and hygiene are to protecting lives.
As part of my role, I go door to door to raise awareness about disease prevention, clean water and sanitation practices, and family nutrition. We’re working closely with the community and the district administration to help households draw water from nearby wells. We’ve also supported families in building and upgrading their pit latrines, including adding toilet seats, which has improved both dignity and hygiene.
Today, only 38 out of 700 households in our community still lack proper toilets. While we have more work to do, this progress has been encouraging.
Our next goal is to support more families in building safe sanitation facilities and learning how to maintain them. With continued support from the government, through midwives, immunization services, oral rehydration salts, and technical guidance, we are building healthier, more resilient households.
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