Our Approach

Our team travels regularly to Ethiopia to engage with our local partner organisations, and to ensure that our funding is meaningful and effective. We connect with individuals and companies in Switzerland and beyond, adopting a meticulously strategic approach to both fundraising and project management. We are committed to monitoring, evaluation, and maintenance to ensure that our programs operate sustainably for years to come.

We have adopted a holistic approach: training midwives, empowering women to become role models, and ensuring safer, more dignified labour conditions by supplying light, power and other essential equipment to delivery rooms. Our goal is to empower women and girls via three complementary approaches: LEARN, LIGHT and LEAD.

Learn

Funding the training of midwives from poor rural areas to increase the number of skilled birth attendants in underserved areas. Education unlocks brighter futures, both for individuals and for entire communities.

Light

Providing sustainable, reliable light and power through solar technology in  health centres to support safe deliveries in rural areas of Ethiopia. This creates a measurable decrease in traumatic birth injuries and preventable deaths.

Lead

Encouraging positive behavioural change by creating conditions whereby mothers want to give birth at the nearest health centre. Our projects promote midwives as role models and leaders in their rural communities. The ripple effect of education and technology is incredibly powerful.

Learn

 
“When you educate a woman, you educate a community”
African proverb

 

GreenLamp improves the access to and quality of education and healthcare for women in rural Ethiopia by supporting the training of skilled and empathic young professional midwives through the following programs:

Midwifery Scholarships

To address the high maternal and infant mortality rates as well as long-term health problems in rural Ethiopia, GreenLamp funds the education of midwives at the Hamlin College of Midwives (HCM ) in Addis Ababa, and St. Luke College of Nursing and Midwifery in Wolisso. Their studies completed, each midwife works in a rural health center in her home region, supporting deliveries and antenatal and postnatal care, proving family planning, nutrition and hygiene information, and contributing to the prevention of harmful traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Through their engagement with the entire population, they act as role models for the communities they serve. 

Training in midwifery gives young women a professional qualification and a chance to earn their own wage, breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and encouraging others to aspire to the same.  Meet our midwives here

Pelvic Floor Breathing Techniques for Easier Birth

We coordinate workshops at HCM in Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT), a holistic approach of whole-person care, and fund the tuition of Hamlin physiotherapists to complete their Master of Physiotherapy in BBAT Methodology so they can lead the workshops themselves. Combined with our workshops in Nonviolent Communication with final year midwifery students at HCM, we are encouraging deeper connections through compassionate care, enabling mothers to feel at ease and comforted, facilitating a smoother birth process. 

Ongoing Training for Qualified Midwives in managing obstetric and neonatal emergencies

GreenLamp has a partnership with the Atsede Clinic funding Project STONE, which aims to improve the skill set of the midwives working in the SNNPR region of Ethiopia focusing on management of obstetric and neonatal emergencies. 

For an in-depth look into the environmental factors and needs of the local population, as well as our holistic approach, please see our concept paper

Inspired to help us improve the access to and quality of education and healthcare for women in rural Ethiopia?

Light

Greenlamp’s solar system initiative provides sustainable, clean power, improving safety and protecting patient dignity in rural delivery wards where there is no reliable power and light. We install solar systems at rural health centres where graduated midwives are deployed, providing power for surgical-quality lighting and charging of cell phones for emergency referrals, a foetal doppler, and solar fridges for storing vital medicine and vaccines. This enhances the midwives’ ability to provide safer birthing conditions, specifically preventing postpartum haemorrhage – the leading cause of maternal death worldwide – with the drug oxytocin, which needs to be kept in a cold chain.

The simple presence of the solar systems greatly encourages women to come to the health centres, resulting in an increase in safe deliveries, an increase in the the 4 prenatal visits as recommended by the World Health Organization, more families bringing their newborn in for a postnatal check-up and more women coming for family planning and reproductive health advice.

Working closely with the Hamlin College of Midwives, We Care Solar, and the Solar Energy Foundation, GreenLamp has funded, installed and maintains over 250 solar systems in Ethiopia, reaching over 1 million women of reproductive age.

Inspired to help us provide sustainable, clean power, improving safety and protecting patient dignity in rural delivery wards in rural Ethiopia?

Lead

Access to education and training gives women the skills and confidence to help and lead others in their community, creating a positive and far-reaching ripple effect. Once trained, the midwives not only assist women in labour, they also lead community outreach initiatives to advise on matters such as family planning, infant nutrition, and prevention of harmful traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which in turn give women greater control of their own futures and their children’s. GreenLamp supports midwives through the following programmes:

 

Hamlin Midwife Alumni Network (HMAN)

Stationed in rural, mostly ill-equipped health centres, the midwives are faced with difficulty putting their knowledge and skills to good use. Often, they are disconnected from fellow midwives and have limited-to-no possibility to grow. With the goal to empower the midwives and enable them to raise the quality of care, GreenLamp, together with Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (HFE), initiated HMAN in 2018. HMAN is a professional network and platform created for the Hamlin-graduated midwives – to support their professional development, personal growth, and motivation. 

Learn more

Social Media Platform

One of the first priorities after initiating HMAN was to identify and initiate a social media platform which would allow the midwives to stay connected after being deployed in the field. Today, there are six regional HMAN teams across Ethiopia and in each region there are 2-3 regional HMAN representatives. These representatives are doing a fantastic job in keeping all the Hamlin midwives in their region connected throughout the year, by telegram as well as small get-togethers.

 

Regional meetings and ownership

With the help of GreenLamp, the regional representatives organise one larger regional HMAN meeting per year. At these meetings the midwives share success stories, challenges encountered, and discuss needed improvements at the health centres. With lecturers and training facilitators joining the meetings, the midwives learn and grow professionally. At previous HMAN meetings, midwives have been trained in foetal doppler usage, introduced to cervical cancer screening and portable ultrasounds, received refresher courses on solar systems, and have had psychosocial support sessions (burnout and stress management)

The HMAN meetings are a key part of our work to encourage midwives to develop confidence and ability, both to lead in their local communities, and within their health profession. In only a few years, the midwives have taken ownership of HMAN and demonstrated incredible growth – working as a team and using their voice. 

 

Need based skills training

We  work closely with the HMAN teams to identify needs, including learning new skills, to continuously improve the care for pregnant women and their babies. GreenLamp is the catalyst for the needed change and upskilling, securing funding, providing support and guidance, and facilitating proposal-writing workshops for the midwives who are regional representatives as well as their midwife mentors. 

Postpartum sepsis is known to be a major contributor to maternal mortality in rural Ethiopia. Earlier this year, the East Oromia HMAN team identified a lack of knowledge and understanding for skills and processes set up to prevent postpartum infections at many of the health centers in their region. Taking action, the team submitted a training proposal to GreenLamp for Infection Prevention Training for their local health centres. A fantastic initiative which promotes teamwork and emphasises the strength of HMAN and the midwife’s voice! The training took place in September 2023 at the Jarso health center.

Confident leaders and role models

HMAN promotes a sustainable, long-term improvement of maternal care and the empowerment of young, rural, midwives. As confident leaders, midwives build the capabilities of themselves and their colleagues. As strong role models and professionals, their work results in healthy mothers and infants, impacting entire communities.

Fostering compassionate care at rural health centres
Annual training for the final year midwife students in Interpersonal and Leadership Skills in Nonviolent Communication, which encourages understanding of the needs of others, and fosters respectful dialogue and cooperation between the midwives, their patients and co-workers.​
Promoting Knowledge and Skills Transfer
A lecturer and student exchange program between the Hamlin College of Midwives in Ethiopia and the Zurich Midwifery College (ZHAW) in Switzerland. For example training in upright birthing positions by ZHAW students and lecturers in Ethiopia, as well as Hamlin students and lecturers attending international meetings in Switzerland.
Enhancing Women’s Healthcare through Dedicated Midwifery: The Impact of Simien Mountains Mobile Medical Services (SMMMS)

At the forefront of elevating women’s healthcare stands Sister Eden Tesfahun, a Hamlin BSc graduate midwife and the appointed mentor within the Simien Mountains Mobile Medical Services (SMMMS). With a commitment to excellence, Sister Eden employs the Midwifery Professional Scope of Service standards, delivering comprehensive Basic Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (BEmONC) training.

Sister Eden goes beyond the ordinary, providing crucial updates to her healthcare colleagues on long-acting, reversible family planning services, CXCA screening, breast cancer screening, and prevention and screening for obstetric fistula and pelvic organ prolapse. Her dedication extends to facilitating referrals, ensuring that women receive holistic and timely care.

A recent formal assessment of health centers reveals the effectiveness of established protocols, with staff adhering to prescribed standards of practice. An integral aspect of Sister Eden’s work involves encouraging patients to complete health center satisfaction questionnaires. The overwhelmingly positive feedback speaks volumes, as an astounding 100% of respondents express satisfaction with the services provided by the midwives. Sister Eden proudly notes, “This is the reason why we choose to come to the health center for antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care.”

The advent of a GreenLamp-funded Women’s Healthcare Coordinator has proven to be a game changer. This coordinator, responsible for mentoring, training, and supporting midwives at health centers and the SMMMS clinic in northern Ethiopia, embodies a transformative force. Sister Eden, in her role as a catalyst, has significantly improved essential medical care in remote villages nestled within the Simien Mountains of the Amhara Region. Her visionary efforts contribute to the establishment of “Health Centers of Excellence” in each district, ensuring sustainable advancements in women’s healthcare. Sister Eden’s impact is profound, marking a milestone in the journey toward comprehensive and accessible healthcare for women in this region.

For more details on the Nonviolent Communication concept visit www.cnvc.org

For an in-depth look into the environmental factors and needs of the local population, as well as our holistic approach, please see our concept paper

 

Inspired to help us provide access to education and training to give rural Ethiopian women the skills and confidence to help and lead others in their community?

Watch our short video to see the vital role midwives play in rural Ethiopia

Ferring Holistic Community Program

 

A Comprehensive Community Initiative: Integrating Learn, Light, and Lead.

In collaboration with Ferring Pharmaceuticals, GreenLamp proudly introduces our Holistic Community Programme, seamlessly amalgamating our three core pillars—Learn, Light, and Lead. This groundbreaking initiative is strategically centered on the Tembaro Special Woreda, located in the Southern Central Region of Ethiopia.

The program is multifaceted, encompassing:

Learn: Empowering the future of healthcare, the program initiates 5 BSc Midwifery Scholarships, fostering education and expertise among aspiring midwives.

Light: Illuminating progress, 5 advanced solar systems are implemented to provide sustainable lighting and power to an entire health centre, complete with a solar fridge for enhanced efficiency.

Lead: Guiding the way, a dedicated midwife mentor takes the helm, delivering essential training and unwavering support to local midwives. This leadership extends to outreach services, including ultrasounds, family planning, and health education.

Designed to impact a population exceeding 100,000 individuals, the program strategically bolsters six health centres with vital equipment and essential medications. Our implementation partner, Weema International, takes on the local management of the programme through its dedicated field office, ensuring a seamless and impactful execution on the ground.

This initiative exemplifies our commitment to holistic community development, where education, sustainable energy, and mentorship converge to create a lasting and transformative impact on the health and well-being of the community in the Tembaro Special Woreda.

Our Impact

Watch our video for an overview of all GreenLamp projects:

We need your support to continue our impact in rural Ethiopia. Please consider making a donation, thank you.

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Volunteer with Us

Volunteers are the lifeblood of GreenLamp, contributing their skills, time and networks to create a team that punches above its weight. If you have a specific area of expertise or skill-set that you think could benefit GreenLamp, we’d love to hear from you. We especially appreciate volunteers providing surge capacity around our events where we need all hands on deck.

Become a Member

Members are the ‘rocks’ of our community, they motivate us, support us, generate new ideas, and help us to advance our goals and make a greater impact. If you want to meet like-minded people, get to know us and the multi-faceted work we do through our exclusive Membership Circle events, then please sign-up and join us.

 

Volunteer with Us

Volunteers are the lifeblood of GreenLamp, contributing their skills, time and networks to create a team that punches above its weight. If you have a specific area of expertise or skill-set that you think could benefit GreenLamp, we’d love to hear from you. We especially appreciate volunteers providing surge capacity around our events where we need all hands on deck.