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Dr. Kassahun Belachew participated in GG 1525173, Saving Babies Lives in Ethiopia, which developed a training of trainers program for doctors, nurses, and midwives in life-saving neonatal care at the University of Gondar Hospital in Gondar, Ethiopia. GG 1525173 was an amazing success, training over 70 instructors who in turn trained over 800 providers in techniques of neonatal resuscitation and post resuscitation care of seriously ill newborns.
Dr. Kassahun is now head of the Pediatric program at the JFD Memorial Regional Referral Hospital, Tappita City, Nimba County, Republic of Liberia. He plans to develop a similar training program in neonatal resuscitation and basic respiratory care of the newborn for medical providers in his new training hospital in Liberia. At the University of Gondar Hospital, he led an ongoing training program for 5 years, serving as Course Coordinator for the Global Grant and he is well-versed in all the didactic and administrative skills needed for such a program. However, he needs training equipment to initiate this desperately needed program. There are no funds available at the hospital to purchase the training equipment. This District Grant will provide training equipment for resuscitation and basic respiratory care of newborns to allow Dr. Kassahun to initiate a training program at the JFD Hospital in Liberia. The resuscitation equipment will be purchased through Laerdal Medical and shipped from the factory in China directly to Liberia. Respiratory supplies will be purchased in the US and hand carried by hospital staff traveling back and forth from US to Liberia.
Building on a previous successful Global Grant, this project represents a testament to the power of Vocational Training Team training of trainer programs through The Rotary Foundation and continues this important work in another under served area of the world.
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