June 2026 Newsletter
A Season of Momentum for ReachAnother
May and June were full months for the ReachAnother team and our Ethiopian partners. From a successful and joyful fundraising event in Addis Ababa, to national neurosurgical meetings to the delivery of advanced equipment and continued focus on aftercare, these past few months demonstrate how ReachAnother is building a stronger system of care for children with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and other neurological conditions in Ethiopia. Let’s take a look!
Prevention update
a growing global movement for fortification
In May 2023, Member States at the World Health Assembly adopted an important resolution calling for accelerated action on safe and effective food fortification.
A new report from GAIN, Nourishing Progress, looks at the progress made since that resolution and highlights the growing global momentum behind fortification as a powerful way to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, including folic acid-preventable spina bifida and other neural tube defects.
This work is close to ReachAnother’s heart. For years, members of our team have attended World Health Assembly meetings and worked alongside international partners advocating for stronger fortification policies. Ethiopia has become an important example of what is possible, with mandatory fortification of wheat flour already approved and continued work underway to advance folic acid fortification in salt.
There is still much to do, but this global effort is moving in the right direction, and ReachAnother is proud to help carry it forward in Ethiopia.
THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH FAMILIES IN ETHIOPIA
This spring, our ReachAnother communities in the US and in Ethiopia came together in incredible ways to support children and their caregivers.
Many of you honored moms through our Mother’s Day campaign, shared messages of hope through our Sponsor a Flag initiative, and supported ReachAnother & Alliance for Birth Defects’ first-ever Gala in Addis Ababa.
It is a beautiful thing to see people in different parts of the world connected by the desire to help children in need.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who donated in support of our mission to prevent and treat neural tube defects, in full partnership with and sustained by Ethiopians, so that every child affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus has the chance to grow and thrive.
At reachanother, progress takes many forms
Sometimes progress looks like a room full of neurosurgeons sharing knowledge.
Mid May ReachAnother took part in the 8th Annual Society of Ethiopian Neurosurgical Surgery Professionals meeting, which brought together more than 100 neurosurgeons from across Ethiopia, along with guest speakers from around the world.
It was wonderful to see so many people in one room who care deeply about the future of neurosurgery in Ethiopia.
Sometimes it looks like a mother learning how to care for her child after surgery.
We had the chance to visit the pediatric physiotherapy center at St. Peter’s Hospital, which ReachAnother helped renovate more than a year ago.
There, we witnessed one of the most important parts of our aftercare program: multidisciplinary clinics where children come back for follow-up care and caregivers learn how to support their child’s recovery at home.
Sometimes progress looks like time spent together in person to share expertise, ask hard questions, and strengthen care for children.
In May, members of our U.S. team spent two weeks in Ethiopia for our annual visit.
Our teams work together across oceans and time zones through email, video calls, and long-distance planning, but being together is different. We had time to visit hospitals, celebrate milestones, meet with partners, ask questions, talk honestly about what is still needed, and see the work up close through the children and families at the heart of it.
We always come home inspired and with a clearer sense of what is working, where support is needed most, and how we can keep moving forward together to build a better world for underserved children.
And sometimes it looks like new equipment arriving at a hospital where children urgently need specialized care.
This spring marked another exciting milestone as the remaining 3 Leica operating microscopes were officially handed over to regional partner hospitals, giving neurosurgical teams the tools they need to perform complex surgeries closer to where children live.
We also recently delivered 3 Mayfield head clamps, which are an essential piece of equipment used to safely stabilize a child’s head during surgery.
“This equipment not only improves patient outcomes, it also delivers meaningful input to our neurosurgery residents’ training. Thank you.”
— Dr. Sami, Ayder Hospital
STRENGTHENING CARE THROUGH TRAININGS
A training photo may not seem like much at first but it represents milestones and is a critical step in building multidisciplinary care teams. Over the last 3 years, we have provided multiple training sessions to our eight partner hospitals. In June 2026, we completed one at Zewditu’s Pediatric Neurosurgery Center for 25 newly recruited nurses.
This kind of training gives nurses the knowledge they need from their very first day caring for patients. So while it may look like “just” a training photo, it is an essential step in building a strong team that will serve children and families for years to come.
