Like many countries, Somaliland has recently experienced a resurgence of the COVID-19
virus, most likely one of the new more virulent variants. While the nation’s proactive measures
had kept Somalilanders relatively safe in 2020, only a tiny fraction of its 5 million inhabitants
had managed to get vaccinations. Now, the new surge of cases has forced schools and
universities, including the Edna Hospital University, to shut down again. Edna’s appeal for
100,000 vaccines to protect the ‘treasures of the country’—the dedicated cadre of educators,
researchers, and scientific leaders whose knowledge and expertise are essential for training the
next generation—is still waiting for a concerted global response. Her recent appeal can be found
here: http://www.jamamusse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Covid-Vaccinations-Appeal.pdf
Meanwhile, Friends has been working to support the Hospital’s epidemiological research
team, and has just provided funds for an intensive Training and Refresher program for 30
secondary school teachers in Hargeisa. Even as local schools remain closed, Edna University
faculty will lead special classes with full safety protocols to assist teachers in updating their
courses in Life Sciences, Math, Physics and English. The upgrades in these core subjects will
ultimately benefit more than 10,000 high school students overall; and those 400 or so students
who enter the Edna University each year to pursue careers in the health sciences will be better
prepared for their college curriculum. It is a small step in Somaliland’s efforts to upgrade basic
science education, but Edna is hoping that this pilot program will serve as a model for improving
STEM instruction across the country even after the pandemic subsides.
Despite the current crisis, from Nov ’20 to Mar ’21 the Hospital saw more than 2500
patients, delivered 848 babies (of which 51 sadly were stillborn), conducted some 3000 pre- and
post-natal consultations, and performed more than 11,000 laboratory tests. Dr. Amal Farah Adan
and her team continued its series of training courses for nurses and midwives at the Berbera
Regional Hospital, including one on ‘Helping babies breathe’ which included sessions on
COVID ‘infection protection control’, for 70 participating practitioners.
With help from Friends and its partner charities, the Edna University Hospital continues its
work to meet the challenges of delivering health care in a country with limited resources and vast
distances to cover. (For more details on those challenges, we urge our readers to consult the
Somaliland Health and Demographic Survey 2020 which is readily available on line.) As we do
every year at this time, we ask our many friends to consider a donation in the name of a mother
or father—living or deceased—who would wish to join Edna’s lifelong mission to make quality
health care available to every parent and child in her country, and beyond.
On behalf of Edna, her team, and the many families they serve, Friends thanks you sincerely.
Dr. Lee Cassanelli, President of the Board, Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital