In Ethiopia, people in remote regions may walk 150 kilometres to their nearest hospital. Local clinics also exist in some areas, but they are often too poorly equipped, and too run down, to give reliable care.
Meanwhile, in the UK, many health facilities are routinely upgraded as medical establishments reach for new technologies or replace equipment as a matter of course. As a rule, the superseded equipment has been kept operational and, if properly checked, can bring significant help to people in need, even if not the latest model available on the UK medical scene. When, therefore, Global Hand received an offer with a wide range of medical items, we were delighted to see them go to a partner group with expertise to check them out and see them meet medical need in Ethiopia.
Albania is the 4th poorest country in Europe. The Dibra region is among the poorest regions of Albania. People living in Dibra, Northern Albania, are the ones left behind. Here, unemployment is high, people are migrating in search of jobs and healthcare is scarce. “Pediatricians say it is difficult for them to provide the right diagnosis because they can’t do the right examination. They said that they only have stethoscope and their knowledge and that’s all.”
Dibra is one of the poorest areas in the Albania. Incomes are so low for families that most of them are only surviving. Emigration is sometimes a solution, but this creates its own difficulties for the family or even for the community. Agriculture is one of the remaining sources of income, but farmers often can’t sell their produce (because of the geographical location, road infrastructure, etc). Many families receive social assistance, but say the amount must stretch so far that even a sack of flour is too much to afford.
