Mizan Tepi University College of Medicine and Health Science
Mizan Tepi University College of Medicine and Health Sciences is a vital partner in our mission to tackle community health challenges in Southwest Ethiopia and the southern Gambella region. Our collaboration focuses on identifying urgent health issues, proposing effective solutions, and securing resources to implement sustainable projects.
Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we have committed to a shared framework for prioritizing community problems, generating innovative ideas, and preparing comprehensive research and project proposals. This partnership allows us to leverage each other’s strengths, ensuring that our initiatives are well-informed and impactful.
We actively support university faculty by providing access to scholarship and grant opportunities aimed at enhancing their academic and research capacities. By investing in their professional development, we aim to strengthen the overall quality of healthcare education in the region.
In addition, we are dedicated to fostering student engagement in community service through the establishment of student associations. These associations not only facilitate extracurricular activities but also enhance students’ leadership, communication, problem-solving, and innovation skills. Through organized events and outreach programs, students are encouraged to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, making a tangible difference in the communities we serve.
Together with Mizan Tepi University College of Medicine and Health Sciences, we are committed to creating a healthier future for the populations of Southwest Ethiopia and southern Gambella, ensuring that academic expertise translates into meaningful community impact.
Bahir Dar University
Since our foundation, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Community Service at Bahir Dar University has been a vital and long-standing partner. This collaboration has allowed us to implement challenging and impactful projects, including disease awareness campaigns, screening initiatives, blood donation drives, and COVID-19 emergency response efforts right from our early stages.
Many of our founders and senior management staff are proud graduates of the university's medical school, having served in the Ethiopian Medical Students Association-Bahir Dar branch during their studies. This background has provided them with invaluable academic and leadership skills amidst various challenges.
As one of Ethiopia's leading academic and research institutions, Bahir Dar University is deeply committed to advancing knowledge and fostering community development. Together, we have successfully executed numerous projects in and around Bahir Dar City, addressing critical local issues and significantly enhancing the well-being of the community.
Through this partnership, we hope to continue strengthening our efforts in improving public health outcomes and empowering the communities we serve.
Sememen Technology
Sememen Technology is a leading provider of innovative technology solutions in health, education, and non-profit sectors in Ethiopia. They specialize in creating custom technology solutions, such as websites, Electronic Health Records (EHR), data centers, and tailored operating systems, to tackle important challenges in these areas.
Understanding the difficulties faced by the health and education sectors in Ethiopia, Sememen Technology focuses on using technology to bring about positive change. Their goal is to make processes easier, improve access to information, and enhance the quality of services for communities.
As a valued partner, Sememen Technology supports the Community Boosting Organization with essential technology services, starting with the website you are currently visiting. We work together on projects that aim to solve community challenges through technology.
We are excited to collaborate with Sememen Technology to drive innovation and promote sustainable development. For more information about Sememen Technology, visit Sememen Technology.
Declaration of Oviedo
Our organization serves as the Ethiopian focal point for the Oviedo Declaration, committed to enhancing the approach to substance use through early drug prevention programs, community awareness campaigns, and support services. We facilitate collaborations with healthcare providers, educational institutions, and community organizations to develop a comprehensive framework that promotes healthy choices and reduces substance abuse in our communities.
The Oviedo Declaration is doing remarkable work by urging countries, health ministers, and international and local NGOs to focus on substance use prevention. Through our commitment to this initiative, we are delighted to be selected as the Ethiopian focal point for the declaration.
The Oviedo Declaration aims to reinforce and fully engage with the objectives of various political declarations and commitments while re-accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals through the following ten proposals:
- Budget Allocation: Call for countries to allocate at least 25% of their drug demand reduction strategy and policy budget to prevention by 2030.
- Comprehensive Prevention: Promote a prevention approach that targets all stages of development, emphasizing early intervention.
- Research and Evaluation: Foster research and evaluation efforts to avoid ineffective or counterproductive prevention strategies.
- Community-Centric Approach: Broaden the vision of prevention responses to focus not just on drugs, but on the individual and the community.
- Intersectional Approaches: Mainstream intersectional strategies in prevention for all at-risk populations.
- Multi-Stakeholder Systems: Strengthen multi-stakeholder prevention systems, documenting their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness on a global scale.
- Continuum of Care: Ensure universal coverage that provides a continuum of care for individuals.
- Focus on Low-Income Countries: Prioritize action and resources in low- and middle-income countries.
- Empower Prevention Professionals: Empower current and future generations of prevention professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to combat substance use.
- Monitoring and Assessment: Encourage countries, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization, and related organizations to assess the coverage, relevance, implementation, investment, and effectiveness of drug prevention policies. This should be done through ongoing surveillance and data reporting systems at international, regional, national, and local levels, in strong collaboration with civil society.
Through this partnership, we hope to strengthen our efforts in improving public health outcomes and empowering the communities we serve.
To read more about the Oviedo Declaration, please visit this link.
To review the African focal points, you can check this page.
Blood Bank
Blood is essential for life-saving medical care, whether for surgeries, childbirth, or emergencies. In Ethiopia, blood banks play a crucial role in ensuring a steady, safe blood supply. Through our partnership with Bahir Dar Blood Bank and others, the Community Boosting Organization (CBO) has mobilized volunteers, raised awareness, and facilitated blood donation drives to meet this critical need.
Blood banks are at the heart of healthcare, managing the safe collection, screening, and distribution of blood for patients in need. From road accident victims to mothers in labor, their work ensures that hospitals have the blood necessary for life-saving treatments.
CBO and blood banks have jointly led campaigns to educate communities about the importance of regular blood donations. Through these efforts, we've transformed hesitant communities into active participants, building a culture of giving and ensuring a continuous supply of blood.
Together, we’ve collected thousands of units of blood, helping save lives across Ethiopia. Our largest annual collection in history stands as a testament to the power of collaboration. Now, as we expand to regions like Mizan Aman, where blood banks are scarce, we’re working to establish new facilities that will further improve access to life-saving transfusions.
The partnership between CBO and blood banks is foundational to our mission. As we continue to expand and build blood donation services in underserved areas, we are committed to ensuring that every patient has access to the blood they need. Together, we will continue saving lives, one donation at a time.
Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital
Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital has been the birthplace, growth, and development hub for the Community Boosting Organization (CBO). In our early days, with the unwavering support of the hospital's management, we achieved significant milestones, including organizing celebrations for long-term patients during public holidays and launching the Social Duty Program, where we covered healthcare costs for patients unable to afford treatment.
Our flagship project, the Volunteer Health Professionals Service Support Project, also began within the walls of this hospital, thanks to the dedicated support from its leadership. Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, serving over 10 million people as a major referral center, has been instrumental in our collaborative efforts to improve healthcare access for the community.
Together, we have implemented impactful initiatives like the Social Duty Project, providing essential healthcare to underserved patients. From the very start, the hospital has been a top supporter of our mission in Bahir Dar, helping us make a lasting difference for both patients and the broader community. Through this partnership, we continue to strive toward enhancing health outcomes and improving the well-being of those we serve.
Mizan Aman City Health Department
Mizan Aman Health Department is our key strategic partner, playing a vital role in our projects across the Southwest Ethiopia region, particularly in Mizan Aman city and its surrounding towns. Their collaboration significantly enhances our efforts to improve healthcare access and deliver essential services to the communities we serve.
Our Community Boosting Organization and the Mizan Aman Health Department have formalized this partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the implementation of the Volunteer Health Professionals Service Support Project (VHPSSP) at health centers in Mizan Aman City, located in the Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ Region.
In addition to executing the VHPSSP, we are actively working on several other initiatives, including malaria prevention projects, the digitalization of health centers, and enhancing the overall quality of care in existing facilities.