13th May, 2011
Webitu's story
Webitu Metu is a Health Extension worker in South Omo, Ethiopia. She provides basic health care to people in her community. Health Extension workers are vital in reducing maternal and child mortality in particularly rural areas
''People used to come to my house when they were sick. We didn’t have any kind of health centre. But I had no proper equipment, no medicine or supplies. I had to examine pregnant women on the floor, right next to the pots and pans of the cooking area. It wasn’t very hygienic to say the least.
The thing that bothered me most though was that many people didn’t come; they just didn’t know I was there to help them. But with a community of over 5,000 people, and malaria a big problem here, I knew that many people could be ill and not seeking help. This made me very upset, because I couldn’t help. But AMREF built a new health centre, and trained me for a year, so now I feel much more able to provide a range of health services, and I’m so pleased that I have a proper room with equipment, an examination table, and most importantly, medicine. The community leaders actively encourage the community to seek help and now I have a line of people, mostly women, requiring checkups, medicine or vaccinations on a daily basis. When I come to centre each morning it fills me with happiness that I am able to support so many people now.’’
Read more about AMREF's work in South Omo, Ethiopia
Find out more about AMREF's work training health workers across Africa