December 2025 Newsletter
Looking back at 2025
HEALING KITS ARRIVED!
Do you remember that we asked our supporters to help fund Healing Kits that provide essential supplies to families to care for their child after surgery?
We are excited to announce that over 400 Healing Kits are now packed and being distributed to families with children who received SBH surgery.
These kits are filled with essential supplies that help caregivers confidently manage aftercare at home. They include catheters, a thermometer, basic hygiene items, a caregiver guide, and a blanket.
We thank everyone who donated to make these possible to help families start their child’s healing journey with the tools they need.
REMEMBERING OUR BOARD MEMBER AND PREVENTION CHAMPIONGODFREY OAKLEY
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our dear friend and board member, Dr. Godfrey Oakley. Godfrey, also known as the ‘Godfather of Spina Bifida’, was a true giant in the public health world and his legacy lives on in every child saved from spina bifida because of folic acid.
At ReachAnother, we were deeply honored to have Godfrey’s voice and vision shaping our mission in Ethiopia. His decades-long fight to make folic acid fortification a global standard changed the future for millions of mothers and babies around the world. To us, he was an expert on SBH prevention but also an inspiration, a mentor, and a passionate champion for our work with SBH children in Ethiopia.
Rest well, Godfrey. We will miss you. Your impact lives on in every healthy birth and in every corner of the world where your wisdom took root.
Looking back on a remarkable year
Looking back at 2025, and it compels us to pause the frantic pace and reflect on what we’ve achieved, the lives we’ve touched, the partnerships we’ve built and the dreams that came true. It’s been another monumental year at ReachAnother. Here are some of the many milestones we reached in 2025.
Our team led more SBH training sessions for health care professionals to help build multidisciplinary team for children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
Pediatric physiotherapy services started in all partner hospitals thanks to renovated spaces and delivery of child friendly tools.
1 million folic acid tablets were procured to give to moms to prevent recurring SBH pregnancies. Multiple information sessions for parents were conducted.
Partner hospitals in St. Peters, Zewditu, Ayder, Hawassa, and Jimma received advanced Leica neurosurgical microscopes as well as training on how to use them.
The microscopes allow for safer, more precise surgeries for children with neurological conditions such as neural tube defects. They help improve outcomes and expend access to specialized care. They are truly a game changer.
We inaugurated the first stand alone pediatric neurosurgery Center in Ethiopia. It is outfitted with the full spectrum of specialized neurosurgical equipment including a high resolution CT scanner, operating microscope, endoscopy system and pediatric ICU.
This extraordinary combination of tools not only brings the highest standard of pediatric care to Ethiopia but also positions the Center as the national referral site for the most urgent and complicated pediatric neurosurgical cases. It is bold leap forward in both access and quality of care.
