The highest good
Many families in Ethiopia do not have health insurance. If they get sick, they cannot afford medical treatment. Then the only thing left is to believe in traditional healers. And going to church: Drinking holy water is the only treatment available for many sick people in Ethiopia.
There is now also a simple health insurance policy for particularly poor families in Ethiopia: “Community Based Health Insurance”. The contributions are only around ten francs per year. Nevertheless, many families find it difficult to pay the contributions. They have to spend all of their income on rent and food.
That's why we cover the premiums for particularly poor families. This is just one of many of our initiatives. During their home visits to villages and urban slums, our employees inform people how they can practice health prevention. In the city of Debre Berhan, we produce radio reports that talk about health care, such as hygiene in slums where there is no sewage system.
In the countryside we ensure that cooking is no longer done over open fires. The smoke from the fires, which are fueled with cow dung, dry leaves and corn stalks due to a lack of firewood, is dangerous. Many Ethiopian women and their small children suffer from respiratory diseases. That's why we make sure that the families receive kits: the concrete elements can be put together to form low-smoke stoves.
