Meet Edna
Edna Adan could have enjoyed the comfortable life of a retired World Health Organization official. But when she returned to her native Somaliland after a high-powered career, she found the newly independent country in disarray, its health care system destroyed by the civil war with Somalia. So she sold her beloved Mercedes and her washing machine and used the funds to help build the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital. Today she is saving countless lives in a country with one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world.
According to UNICEF, in 2012 a woman in Somaliland had a 1 in 12 chance of dying in childbirth. Now those odds are improving, thanks in part to Adan and her dedicated staff. Her dream is to train 1,000 midwives to save lives in rural communities across the country.
Connecther’s project Train 1000 Midwives is helping Adan to achieve that dream. We support the hospital’s nurse-midwife program, where students learn how to provide prenatal care, treat eclampsia and other difficult births, and encourage mothers to immunize their children and consider family planning.
1. Edna Ambulance 2. Edna Adan in Prague 3. Cleft lip surgery patients 4. Edna Adan with graduating Nurses 5. Edna with USA Nursing Students 6. Edna Hospital Somaliland.
The Edna Adan Hospital has grown into a major referral institution. It treats obstetrical, surgical, medical and pediatric cases from across the Horn of Africa. In addition to services relating to maternal and infant health, the hospital has diagnostic laboratory facilities, an emergency blood bank, and provides diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, including testing for HIV/AIDS. The hospital makes its facilities available for medical research, studies, and counseling, with particular attention to the health problems caused by female genital mutilation (FGM). It works closely with the Somaliland Family Health Association.
If you want to support Edna’s dream, you can donate here to Train 1000 Midwives. It’s an investment that pays healthy dividends.
Click here to learn more about Edna Adan Hospital | Click here to support Edna’s dream.
