ICT for Reproductive Health: Ethiopia
Abstract
Ethiopian women are suffering from especially high rates of fertility, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. Those working in the field of reproductive health could benefit greatly from increased access to information that would allow them to improve health outcomes in their communities. Having the ICT skills to access up to date information, raise awareness, self-advocate, establish networks, and maintain communication is critical in reversing current trends in reproductive health.
ICT for Reproductive Health: Ethiopia works with the Institute of International Education’s “Leadership Development for Mobilizing Reproductive Health Program” to explore how information communication technology can support the work of Ethiopia’s leaders in reproductive health. The primary objectives of the project are to assess the level of local access to information communication technology (ICT), the extent to which reproductive leaders are currently using ICTs, and how ICTs can best empower them to achieve greater results in their work; in addition to providing ICT workshops and individual trainings.
Project Description
Over the summer months of 2009 I will be traveling to Ethiopia as a representative of UC Santa Cruz’s Global Information Internship Program (GIIP). I will intern with the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) local “Leadership Development for Mobilizing Reproductive Health” (LDM) program. The mission of the LDM program is to “…affect systemic changes that strengthen family planning and reproductive health policies and services, resulting in improved health outcomes for the most vulnerable populations”. This is achieved by investing in local people leading reproductive health efforts in five focus countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Leaders are gathered from multiple sectors; private, public, and civil society organizations. The leaders that LDM serves work in areas ranging from adolescent reproductive health and maternal health care, to HIV/AIDS and gender based violence.
LDM provides fellows with trainings on leadership development and reproductive health. I will partner with Cheryl Francisconi, IIE’s LDM Program Director, to offer fellow organizations workshops on computer skills that will assist participants in accessing the wealth of global information and in becoming effective leaders in today’s digital world. I will conduct ICT assessments and design and implement trainings.
In addition holding training sessions, I will gather information about Ethiopia’s technological environment. I will engage in exploratory research using participant observation, surveys, and interviews. This initial fieldwork will serve as a jumping off point for future projects involving GIIP and IIE’s LDM program. The data I gather will provide a foundation of knowledge that GIIP interns as well as LDM fellows can use to design effective ICT projects in Ethiopia.
ICT Topics to be Covered
· General computer use, the Internet, online and offline email, and web research.
· Microsoft Word, focusing on data merge, memos, & templates.
· Excel, focusing on budgets, database, & data analysis.
· Blogging as a comprehensive web presence.
· Social Media (Web 2.0) and mobile/text applications.
Background
Ethiopia’s Health Challenges
Women’s reproductive health in Ethiopia is being severely impacted by factors like high rates of fertility, maternal mortality, infant mortality, and HIV/AIDS. Ethiopia is among the five focus countries of the Institute of International Education’s “Leadership Development for Mobilizing Reproductive Health” program because it’s health challenges are especially vast. This becomes clear by looking at mortality as a key indicator of reproductive health. Ethiopia’s maternal mortality rate is higher than that of Africa as a whole, more than twice as high as the world rate, and 50 times higher than the rate of the United States. This trend continues for infant mortality. Ethiopia’s infant mortality rate is double the rate of the world as a whole, and more than 18 times the rate of developed nations like the United States. Ethiopian women give birth to an average of 6.14 children and 40% of girls begin birthing before age 19 (PPGG). They lack access to the contraceptive and family planning tools that would allow them to control the amount and spacing of their pregnancies. As a result, in 2006, 1 in 7 of women’s deaths were from pregnancy and abortion related causes. Half of women seeking abortions are under the age of 18 (PPGG).
HIV/AIDS is a big concern for Ethiopian reproductive health workers. 15-24 year olds experience the highest rates of infection and females are three times more likely than males to contract the virus. Female prevalence being so high during childbearing years has resulted in mother-to-child HIV transmission being the second highest number of new infections per year (PPGG, USAID). Also, Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of women and girls have undergone some form of FGM. This cultural practice is extremely harmful to women’s health. FGM correlates with higher rates of HIV infection and infant mortality. In the World Health Organization’s collaborative study, “Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Obstetric Outcome”, the immediate and long-term consequences of this practice are reported. Immediate consequences can include excessive bleeding, urinary tract infection, HIV infection, and death. The long-term consequences are possibly even more alarming, and often include chronic pain, persistent infections, cysts and abscesses, decreased sexual enjoyment, infertility, fistula, and dangers in childbirth. Studies show that women who have undergone FGM have higher rates of infant mortality and a high incidence of post-partum hemorrhaging. Hemorrhaging and fistula can be life-threatening complications for women without skilled birth attendants. Rural Ethiopian women have extremely low rates of births attended by skilled health personnel, even when compared to other rural African regions. The percent of births attended by skilled health personnel in rural areas is 2.6% in Ethiopia, compared to 34.5% in Kenya, and 27.1% in Nigeria. The nursing and midwifery personnel density per 10,000 population is only 2 in Ethiopia, compared to 12 in Kenya, and 17 in Nigeria. These figures illustrate Ethiopia’s urgent need to build the capacity and multiply the number of health workers.
Leadership abilities and access to health information are essential for leaders, particularly rural, in their efforts to mobilize their communities around reproductive health. The World Bank reported in 2005 that 60% of Ethiopian women approve of family planning (PPGG). The Institute of International Education’s LDM program works to provide leaders with the tools they need to bring medical information and health services to their communities. This collaborative ICT project will support these leaders with the ICT skills they need to do their work and increase the health outcomes of women.
Partners
Global Information Internship Program:
The Global Information Internship, GIIP, is a “digital-service-learning” program developed nine years ago at UC Santa Cruz. Its mission is to create a new generation of info-activists committed to advancing social justice, democratizing globalization, and building social entrepreneurship.”
Institute of International Education:
The Institute of International Education, IIE, is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing global leaders, facilitating cross-cultural educational exchange, and promoting academic freedom. IIE is based in New York. It was founded in 1919, making it one of the oldest and most experienced international exchange organizations of its kind.
