August 2025 Newsletter
RAIN or SHINE, OuR WORK CARRIES ON
While many of us are soaking up summer sun, taking vacations, and enjoying long warm evenings, our colleagues in Addis Ababa remind us that July and August feel very different in Ethiopia. At over 7,700 feet in elevation, Addis is cold, gray, and drenched in heavy rains this time of year. Streets flood, the skies stay overcast, and the mood can feel a bit like winter blues.
And yet, rain or shine, our Ethiopia-based team keeps showing up with infectious enthusiasm and dedication! Because no matter the season, children born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus still need life-saving surgery, ongoing care, and a future full of possibilities. That’s the thread that ties us together across continents and climates. Keep reading for updates on our programs and projects!
Recent Highlights From Ethiopia
Parent Forum on Prevention
Together with families and partners, we highlighted the power of food fortification and folic acid supplementation. The message was clear: prevention is possible—and when families have the knowledge and tools they need, everything changes.
Parent Forum on Prevention
Together with families and partners, we highlighted the power of food fortification and folic acid supplementation. The message was clear: prevention is possible—and when families have the knowledge and tools they need, everything changes.
Parent Forum on Prevention
Together with families and partners, we highlighted the power of food fortification and folic acid supplementation. The message was clear: prevention is possible—and when families have the knowledge and tools they need, everything changes.
Parent Forum on Prevention
Together with families and partners, we highlighted the power of food fortification and folic acid supplementation. The message was clear: prevention is possible—and when families have the knowledge and tools they need, everything changes.
Meet marbella
Marbella is a bright and lively one-year-old little girl who underwent spina bifida repair surgery as a newborn.
Currently, Marbella is on clean intermittent catheterization and receives ongoing follow-up through our aftercare program, where a coordinator monitors her follow up via phone and multidisciplinary team clinic visits. She also participates in physical therapy to enhance her mobility.
Through the collective efforts of her medical team and her loving family, Marbella has reached all her developmental milestones and she is thriving. She communicates confidently and walks independently, a testament to her resilience and the power of early intervention and family-centered care.
Building Ethiopia's First Pediatric Neurosurgery Specialty
One of ReachAnother’s most important goal is now within reach: establishing Ethiopia’s first-ever pediatric neurosurgery specialty and fellowship training program.
Why Does This Matter?
Because specialized care is the difference between survival and a lifetime of opportunity for children born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
Until now, Ethiopian neurosurgeons had to train broadly across all ages and conditions. But children are not just “small adults”, they need doctors trained specifically in their unique neurosurgical needs. That’s why ReachAnother is working hand-in-hand with Ethiopian leaders to make thie specialty a reality.
Two of Ethiopia’s rising neurosurgeons, Dr. Yordanos Ashagre and Dr. Kibruyisfa Zewdiw, are currently completing one-year pediatric neurosurgery fellowships in Canada and the U.S. They will return with advanced skills and global experience to launch Ethiopia’s first accredited fellowship program which will train the next generation of pediatric neurosurgeons in Ethiopia.
