It has now been twenty years since Edna began training nurses, midwives, and other
future health professionals, both at her Hospital and (since 2010) at the Edna Adan University,
which held its Seventh Annual Commencement on October 11, 2021. In a colorful ceremony
attended by Somaliland President Musa Bihi, 341 students—70% of them women—received
degrees or certificates in Midwifery (108), Nursing (89, including 33 BSc degrees), Laboratory
Science, Dental Surgery and Dental Technology, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Nutrition. You
may view excerpts of the graduation, including Edna’s inspiring remarks, at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKW4HmXjmE
Some of the 3000+ health professionals who have received training at the Hospital and
University over the years since 2001 have gone on to receive higher degrees or to work at
hospitals or clinics elsewhere in Africa and around the world. The majority, to Edna’s great
satisfaction, have helped staff new hospitals or community health centers throughout Somaliland.
Edna’s graduates are directing courses in nursing and midwifery on branch campuses in Berbera
and Gabiley, and have contributed to the recent launching of a new medical complex in Erigavo,
in far-off eastern Somaliland. The latter was built with assistance from the doTerra Foundation,
which recently honored Edna at its U.S. headquarters in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
These ongoing developments are all the more remarkable in light of the challenges posed by
COVID, which has not spared Somaliland nor the staff and students at the Hospital. Edna
recently wrote to say that her team is on alert for any evidence of the new omicron variant in her
country, and hopes that it will prove to be less cruel than previous mutations of the coronavirus.
Edna remains extremely grateful to Friends as a source of support for her ongoing initiatives
in specialized medical training and research. Your recent donations have enabled the Hospital to
acquire new laboratory equipment, to pay an epidemiologist to train staff in data collection and
analysis of newborn illnesses, and to fund a longitudinal study on the effects of FGM practices
on maternal health, one of Edna’s lifelong concerns. Her goal is to make the Edna Hospital—
already the main referral hospital in Somaliland—a leading regional center for research on infant
and maternal health in the Horn of Africa.
This season, Friends target is to continue its support for the training of health workers to staff
the Hospital’s three branch campuses, and for the series of Refresher Training courses for
secondary school STEM teachers and University staff who must prepare the coming generation
of Somaliland health professionals. As always, on behalf of Edna and her team, we thank you for your
ongoing generosity and send you warm holiday greetings along with best wishes for a safe, healthy, and
Happy New Year.
Dr. Lee Cassanelli
President, Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital
Please Donate
Thank you for your donation in support of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital.
Please make checks payable to:
Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital
95 Montgomery Street, Black Rock, CT 06605-3305
If you wish to donate by credit card, you may do so via either of the following:
PAYPAL: [email protected]
NETWORK FOR GOOD: nfggive.com and type in ‘Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital’
Providing your email address will expedite acknowledgement of your tax deductible gift.
Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital is a US-based 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization which makes annual grants to the hospital based on needs and maintains an endowment to ensure that the hospital
can fulfill its mission for generations to come.
\For additional information, contact Patricia Eggert:
[email protected]