Attat Hospital is located in a rural area, 180 km southwest of Addis Ababa. The Medical Missionary Sisters (MMS) founded the hospital in 1970 and run it under the Diocese of Emdibir. As the next highest referral center for 43 major and minor health centers, it serves 1,000,000 people within a 100-kilometer catchment radius. The hospital has 97 beds for inpatients, plus 44 beds in the house for high-risk mothers and 11 beds for malnourished children. The bed occupancy rate is 100%.

Every day, more than 350 patients find their way to the hospital outpatient department.

Patient statistics 2023:

99.425             Outatients
  9.599             Inpatients
  8.700             Surgical procedures
  3.315             Deliveries

To reduce the high mother-child mortality rate, births must, by law, take place in medical facilities. This has led to a sharp increase in the number of births and in hospital costs.

Social workers at the hospital serve 24 women's groups with 1,326 women in 28 villages as part of a large health program. One aspect of this work is the provision of small, interest-free loans to support income-generating activities for the benefit of the family.

Due to the increasing number of patients, the hospital reached the limit of its capacity years ago. Renovation and expansion work was urgently needed.

Since 2007, thanks to donations and contributions from South Tyrol, the association World Doctors started the construction of a new outpatient building, waiting room, ward, surgery and maternity department. This has not only contributed to the improvement of patient care, but has enabled Attat to become a teaching hospital for midwifery students, nursing students, laboratory technicians, "health officers" and medical students.

To improve hygiene measures and dispose of infectious and septic waste, a gas incinerator was purchased and a contribution was made to optimize the waste separation concept in the hospital.

The following programs are particularly supported: Further training of doctors, "health officers" and medical staff, eye operations (cataract) by setting up an eye fund, dental treatment by training medical staff, sending specialist doctors and training local staff, treatment of children with severe burns by setting up a fund and training local doctors in transplantation techniques and wound care. Likewise, specialist camps in ultrasound are organized.

Several times a year, specialists from South Tyrol visit the hospital to pass on medical knowledge and practical training.

South Tyrolean craftsmen help several times a year with the installation of new equipment, with various repairs and they train the hospital's maintenance staff.

There have been major water problems in the area in recent years. The water level has dropped so much that one of the hospital's two deep wells has dried up and the second only supplies insufficient water. The city water often fails for several days. At the request of medical director Dr Rita Schiffer, the association has now decided to finance a 100-metre-deep borehole and the construction of a new deep well.

The help of World Doctors will continue to be needed to ensure and improve the medical services of the hospital.

Dr. Rita Schiffer, medical director of the hospital and missionary nurse, thanks for the valuable support from South Tyrol!

This project is about improving primary health care by building a clinic in Yegwe Gipe (Cheha Woreda) for a catchment area of 25,000 inhabitants.

The village is located in a rural area, 250 km southwest of Addis Ababa.

Construction was completed in spring 2022 and the clinic was able to start serving patients.

Ethiopia is one of the countries in the world with the highest maternal-infant mortality. The main causes are complications during childbirth, uterine rupture and severe bleeding. Over 20 percent of children are malnourished, and many of them die before they reach the age of five. The main causes are diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, malaria and AIDS.

The construction of this health station will bring medical help closer to the people. The nearest general reference hospital Attat is about 40 km away.

The San Marco Clinic includes five building units with outpatient clinics, delivery room, operating room, laboratory, pharmacy, bed department, a house for at-risk mothers and another two buildings for staff quarters and nurses' home.

Currently we are asking for donations to complete the electrical work in the buildings, the connection of a generator and the equipment with medical devices.

The clinic is a project of the Diocese of Emdibir, with which the Association has been collaborating for years.

Since 2007, the association has been supporting the Meganasse Clinic by purchasing medical equipment and medicines, as well as by deploying South Tyrolean doctors and nurses.

The clinic is located about 50 km from Attat Hospital, in the Gurage region and has a catchment area of 32,000 inhabitants. It has a first aid department, a laboratory and a mother and child department, which cares for women before, during and after childbirth.

The maternity ward was built in collaboration with the organization "Centro Aiuti per l'Africa - Bolzano". All major surgical procedures or patients with serious illnesses are transferred to Attat Hospital.

Since in the rural areas of Ethiopia there are no actual pharmacies, the dispensing of medicines is done in the sanitary facilities. In 2019, in collaboration with South Tyrolean pharmacy owners, the association was able to build a pharmacy within the Meganasse Clinic, which serves to dispense and store medicines.

Clean water is the basic prerequisite for health care. For many people in Africa, mainly women and children, it is only possible to fetch water from the nearest well by long and arduous walks.

The people in the Gurage region are mainly self-sufficient and live in simple grass huts in widely scattered villages.

The association has been financing various water projects in Gurage since 2012. A total of 114 wells, 119 km of water pipes and water reservoirs have been built for 45,830 people. But not only the access to clean drinking water itself is of enormous importance, also the handling of it and the hygiene to avoid diseases. Education on this subject is passed on to the population by trained women. These trainings are also part of the water project. The task of the population is to dig trenches for many kilometers of water pipes and to close them again after the pipes have been laid. The villagers build the protective fence around the well and a separate water committee is responsible for maintenance.

The project executing agency is the diocese of Emdibir, with which South Tyrolean Doctors for the World has established a very good partnership. Water projects will continue to be supported.

The call for help from the village school with 3,651 children, in which 100 children per class were crammed together, sitting five to a bench and sharing one teacher, moved us to build a new school.

Gubrie is a small village located about 10 km east of Attat Hospital. In cooperation with the diocese of Emdibir, the village community of Gubrie and thanks to the generous support of the Maro Foundation, the construction of the school could be started in 2010. It is called "Walburg School" after the name of its great patroness.

Four buildings were constructed for grades 1-8. Since there are very few secondary schools in the countryside, the association decided to increase the school grades from 9th to 12th grade at the request of the diocese and with the support of the Maro Foundation. In the spring of 2019, the secondary school was inaugurated with a ceremony. Likewise, the grounds were fenced and a well was drilled.

A kindergarten is currently being built on the same site to provide a good basis for the youngest children to attend school later on.

The project originally involved the renovation of an old village school with 900 children in the small village of Korquat, about 250 km south of Addis Ababa. The elementary school with grades 1 to 8 was founded in 1973 and originally consisted of four ground-level clay structures. On average, there were 80 children in each class.

When representatives of our association first visited the school in 2011, it was dilapidated and in a deplorable state. Some classrooms were already closed and could not be renovated. Other classrooms, however, could be made more stable again and were given a new look. In 2017, the school management asked the association to build additional premises. In the following years, in collaboration with the Col Alto Foundation and thanks to a generous bequest, two new buildings with eight classrooms were built.

In 2023, the association will make possible the construction of additional classrooms and an administrative building.

The village of Korquat is accessible only on foot. Hundreds of small tukuls (grass huts) are scattered across the landscape and form the village community. The people are self-sufficient and live in poor conditions from their agricultural produce. Only 7 km away is the Attat Hospital, which the Association World Doctors has supported for many years.

This project is about the improvement and expansion of a vocational school in rural Ethiopia.

Construction, metal and textile processing, computer apprenticeship and recently also electrical apprenticeship are the five specialties offered up to the 3rd level of education. In addition, the vocational school has a well-equipped carpentry workshop. This is not part of the training program. However, the income from the sale of the furniture produced covers part of the ongoing school expenses.

St. Anthony TVET College was founded in 2013 by the diocese in Emdibir in Gurage province, 191 km south of Addis Ababa. Construction of a metal workshop, library and dormitory for students from remote villages was completed in 2019. Financing was provided by the association in collaboration with the Autonomous Region Trentino Alto Adige and the Catholic Church (8 per mille fund). Partial financing was also provided by the 5 per mille fund.

The great demand for computer courses, the request of the local government to increase all the specialties to the 4th level and the introduction of the specialties for accounting and administration, required the expansion of the school and the construction of additional classrooms.

In collaboration with the Autonomous Region Trentino Alto Adige, two building blocks with a total of eight new classrooms were built. The expansion of the vocational school will help to provide vocational training to 370 students annually. This will not only lead to an improvement in their own living conditions, but will also promote economic and social development in the catchment area.

Due to the frequent power outages and the resulting interruptions of classes, it was necessary to renew the entire power supply system and purchase a generator as a backup.

Gubrie is a small village in Gurage and is located about 180 km south of Addis Ababa. The people are mostly self-sufficient and live in poor conditions from their agricultural products. Only 7 km away is the Attat Hospital, which South Tyrolean Doctors for the World has been supporting since 2009.

The elementary school of Gubrie is a state school and was built in 1967. The simple clay construction consists of six ground-level building units with 24 classrooms. At the request of the management, the association was able to finance the renovation of 10 classrooms in 2017. In 2022, due to high demand, two more blocks were realized with a total of 4 new classrooms. Now a total of 2,875 students attend school there in shifts (1,556 girls and 1,319 boys).

Gubrie is a small village in Gurage and is located about 180 km south of Addis Ababa. The people are mostly self-sufficient and live in poor conditions from their agricultural products. Only 7 km away is the Attat Hospital, which South Tyrolean Doctors for the World has been supporting since 2009.

The secondary school Abba Fransua was built in 1994 at the request of the local school board, the parents and the village community. The school is state-run, but has undergone great development through the Catholic Church and especially through the strong commitment of the Catholic priest Abba Fransua. His attitude and that of the Catholic Church was to promote the education of the population even in the countryside, because only through this can development take place. That is why the school was named after Abba Fransua. It is the largest school in the district.

The school consists of several ground-level building units, with a total of 21 classrooms. Currently, 2,798 students from 12 communities attend classes from 9th to 12th grade. The school also has 86 employees (teachers and administrators). The association has added two new blocks in 2022, each with 2 classes, to meet the great demand. Currently we are building a large school library so that especially young girls have the opportunity to invest in their educational and professional future in a protected space, far from the work in the house.

In 2017, the association enabled the construction of the San Marks elementary school in Nadene, Gurage, for over 150 children. Within a radius of 10 km, it is the only elementary school for children living in widely scattered huts in remote terrain. The Nuova Famiglia association had laid the cornerstone and built the foundation, World Doctors completed the project and inaugurated the two-story building in a ceremony in March 2019.

The government high school in Emdibir, founded by Abba Fransua in 1965, has made a request to the Association, through the Diocese, to build a library. This high school is currently attended by about 1,500 students and there are 91 employees (teachers and administration). In Ethiopia, the school library is not only used for continuing education but also as a place where they can do homework after school. In 2019, the library could be inaugurated and handed over to its intended purpose.

St. Joseph Primary School is located in Wolkite, Gurage Region and is one of 42 schools run by the Diocese of Emdibir.

The extension to a secondary school was started a few years ago, but could not be continued due to lack of funds. The World Doctors took over the work and completed the school with the construction of two floors. With the school year 2022/2023 the high school has started its activities.

Education is one of the basic prerequisites for the fight against poverty. Therefore, for the association, in addition to the establishment of medical structures, the construction of schools and vocational schools and kindergartens is one of the main activities of the World Doctors.

This project is located in the Wolayta region in the south of Ethiopia. There live 1.7 million inhabitants. Only a few children have the opportunity to attend high school and that is why this project was started. In Dubbo there was already an elementary and middle school (1st to 8th grade). The high school (9th to 12th grade) now completes the education cycle.

The high school consists of 18 classrooms, four laboratories (computer science, chemistry, biology, physics), a library and an auditorium Magna. It also enables young people from other schools to continue their education after high school, so that they can attend a vocational school or university after graduation. 1,200 students now attend the prestigious and highly sought-after school. Due to the high demand, four additional classrooms were built.

The project was realized in cooperation with Br. Aklillu Petros and Antonio Striuli. Funding was provided in large part by the Catholic Church (8 per mille fund), the Autonomous Region of Trentino Alto Adige, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and private benefactors.

Education is one of the basic prerequisites for fighting poverty in Ethiopia. Therefore, in addition to the establishment of medical structures, the construction of schools and vocational schools as well as kindergartens is one of the focal points of the activities of the association World Doctors.

This project is located in the Wolaita region in the south of Ethiopia. Approximately 2.5 million inhabitants live there. The majority of them live from agriculture. Soddo is the capital with 180,000 inhabitants. Our association had built the girls' school Abba Pascal 10 years ago, which gives 1,100 girls a very good education from the first to the eighth grade. The wish to be able to attend a high school of the same quality was very strong. Thanks to the support of the Catholic Church (8 per mille fund), the Trentino Alto Adige Region and the Maro Foundation, we decided to implement this great project in 4 phases.

The first phase was completed on time for the start of the new 2022/23 school year. Ten cashier's rooms, several offices, six laboratories, toilets and a large retaining wall were built. The second phase, was built in 2022-2023, and include the construction of additional four classes and an administration building. The third phase (2023 - 2024) saw the construction of the library, the Aula Magna and more restrooms. The final phase (2024 - 2025) will be the 4th phase with the realization of a cafeteria, a guard house and walk ways between the buildings.

The beneficiaries of the project are not only the 900 students who will attend this school, but also 24 teachers and 10 staff members will be employed. In addition, about 150 local workers and their families who will be hired for the construction work will also benefit. For 60 students who cannot afford the school fee, there will be an assistance fund.

Partner in this project is the Capuchin Order, contact persons are Br. Aklilu Petros, Br. Berhanu Woemago and Antonio Striuli (coordinator of the project, who lived many years in Ethiopia). With both of them, the association has successfully realized the following projects: Construction of the Abba Pascal Girls' School in Soddo, Construction of the High School in Dubbo, Construction of a Kindergarten in Shanto/Zaimene, Construction of a Mill for a Women's Cooperative in Soddo.

To finance this large project, we were able to rely on the valuable support of the Aut. Province of Bolzano, the Aut. Region of Trentino-Südtirol, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, and many private benefactors. Additional funding came from the 5x1000 fund.

In the village of Zaimene, in the municipality of Shanto, the association enabled the construction of a kindergarten for 150 children whose families belong to the socially ostracized Fuga tribe. They are considered lepers, are particularly poor, backward in their development and are shunned by the other tribes.

The village of Zaimene is 30 km from the town of Soddo and can be reached by a 16 km dirt road that branches off the main road. Since the Fuga tribe is not given land by the authorities to cultivate, they work as stonemasons or as potters and support their families by selling their handicraft products such as vases made of clay, tools and leather goods. The hygienic conditions of the population are very poor, the children look unhealthy and neglected. Very few of them attend school.

Thanks to the generous support of a retired kindergarten teacher from Val Badia and a contribution from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the association was able to build the kindergarten, consisting of 3 classrooms, an office, showers, toilets and a kitchen. The training of the kindergarten teachers was also made possible by this project.

In cooperation with the Diocese of Emdibir, World Doctors has built a social center consisting of a multi-purpose hall, a youth center, a guest house and several sports fields.

The village of Attat is located 180 km southwest of Addis Ababa in the Gurage region. The people live as self-supporters in widely scattered villages. For the inhabitants, especially for children, youth and women, there has been no possibility to engage in sports, music, handicrafts or reading. On the adjacent property there is the hospital Attat, which has been supported by World Doctors for many years. The parish of Attat is responsible for coordinating the social and sports activities. The administration and maintenance of the center is under the responsibility of the Diocese of Emdibir.

Multipurpose room and library

The building consists of a large and a small room to promote activities of young people and women: Training courses, seminars, choir singing, handicraft groups, music courses, youth meetings, theater, parish meetings, and much more. There is also the office of the administrator, the storage for sports equipment and musical instruments.

Sports fields

On a soccer field, volleyball court and a basketball court, children, youth and adults should have a place where they can practice and play sports together. Under the supervision and organization of the parish, trainings are held, tournaments are organized and games are played. With volunteers from South Tyrol, the association organizes the holding of summer camps for children of the area.

Youth Home

The Youth Home has 7 rooms on the 2nd floor, each with 4 bunk beds, and offers the possibility to rent them to students who are doing an internship at KH Attat. The income covers part of the running costs of the center. The rooms on the second floor are used as a library and a study room.

Guest House

The guest house provides accommodation for speakers, volunteers, craftsmen and for other employees of the hospital and the Attat Social Center.

A few years ago, the association built a social centre adjacent to Attat Hospital. This consists of a multifunctional building, a youth centre with a library, a guest house and a football, basketball and volleyball court. The social centre is under the management of the Emdibir diocese. The Attat parish is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the centre.

The activities at the social centre are varied. One of them is certainly the most popular: the Summercamp for children between the ages of 8 and 14. It was held for the fourth time in summer 2024, lasting four weeks and with eight volunteers from South Tyrol and just as many team leaders on site. 240 children enjoyed unforgettable days full of fun, carefree hours spent singing, dancing, playing and doing sports. All under the motto: ‘Family of Love’, a valuable message for the future!

Numerous suitcases full of sports equipment were brought to Ethiopia. Thank you to everyone who supported this project: the VSS, Italtrade, Raiffeisen Landesbank, South Tyrol's Catholic Youth (SKJ) as well as several sports clubs from South Tyrol and private sponsors.

Adjacent to the site of the Attat Hospital, the Association World Doctors has built a social center. This consists of a multifunctional building, a youth center with accommodation facilities, a guest house and a soccer, basketball and volleyball court. Small changing rooms and showers are also available. The social center is under the management of the Emdibir Diocese. The parish of Attat is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the center.

Due to the great success of the last two editions, in the summer of 2023 the summer camp was extended to 3 weeks with 2 groups of volunteers from South Tyrol. Singing, dancing, laughing, playing and doing sports for 240 Ethiopian children.... tears were shed even by the toughest boys when they said goodbye. As every year, the motto "Love Family" was brought home by the children as a precious message.

Numerous suitcases full of sports and play material were brought to Ethiopia, thanks to the support of the VSS (Association of Sports Clubs South Tyrol), the Italtrade company, the Raiffeisen Landesbank as well as several sports clubs from South Tyrol and private benefactors.

Adjacent to the site of the Attat Hospital, the Association World Doctors has built a social center. This consists of a multifunctional building, a youth center with accommodation facilities, a guest house and a soccer, basketball and volleyball court. Small changing rooms and showers are also available. The social center is under the management of the Emdibir Diocese. The Attat parish is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the center.

In the summer of 2022, the Attat Summer Camp was organized again after the Covid-related break. For 2 weeks 140 children were allowed to participate. Sports, games and fun, but also making new friends and bringing home the message of love under the motto: Love Family, filled the two weeks. Three volunteers from South Tyrol took care of the children together with the 6 team leaders on site.

Numerous suitcases full of sports and play material were brought to Ethiopia, thanks to the support of the VSS (Association of Sports Clubs South Tyrol), the company Italtrade, the Raiffeisen Landesbank as well as several sports clubs from South Tyrol and private benefactors.

Adjacent to the site of the Attat Hospital, the Association World Doctors has built a social center. This consists of a multifunctional building, a youth center with accommodation facilities, a guest house and a soccer, basketball and volleyball court. Small changing rooms and showers are also available. The social center is under the management of the Emdibir Diocese. The parish of Attat is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the center.

In the summer of 2019, the Attat Summer Camp was held for the first time with great success. 180 children and young people aged 10 - 14 years from all 26 parishes of the Diocese of Emdibir participated and were supervised by 3 volunteers from South Tyrol and 6 team leaders from Ethiopia. The days were filled with sports, games, dancing and singing, the joy of the children could be heard all the way to Attat Hospital.

Numerous suitcases full of sports and play material were brought to Ethiopia, thanks to the support of the VSS (Association of Sports Clubs South Tyrol), the company Italtrade, the Raiffeisen Landesbank as well as several sports clubs from South Tyrol and private benefactors.

Click here for the Summer Camp 2019 video

This women's project is located in Dakuna, 200 km south of Addis Ababa and is realized in cooperation with the Diocese of Emdibir. The construction of the center was financed by World Doctors and completed last year. The Diocese of Emdibir has handed over the management and the development of the activity of this center to Sr. Josephine and Sr. Lydia, two Kenyan sisters of the Order MCSPA (Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle) in the fall of 2022.

The aim of the project is to provide an income-generating opportunity for 80 girls and young mothers who have finished school but are unable to find work. The focus of the activity will be on various handicrafts. Divided into four groups, the women first receive training in making baskets, sleeping mats, shopping bags and other products for everyday use in Ethiopia. Afterwards, the women receive a small start-up grant to sell their products on the local markets. For the future it is also planned to produce attractive jewelry and handicraft products, which will also be offered for sale to foreign visitors. It is very important that women have the opportunity to contribute to the upkeep of the family and that they become independent and self-reliant. This is what we are working for as an association.

In rural Ethiopia, young girls cannot afford commercial sanitary napkins. Traditionally, women used cloth but many teenagers feel uncomfortable with this. They stay away from class during their period, which results in poor academic performance. To boost the self-esteem and academic success of young girls, Attat Hospital has decided to work with young seamstresses to sew washable sanitary napkins for middle and high school students in the surrounding area. Specifically, this involves 1,500 girls in Walburg Middle and High School, Abba Fransua Middle and High School in Gubrie, and the middle school in Korquat. Washable reusable sanitary napkins are also preferable for ecological reasons.

The aim of this project is to improve the hygienic conditions and continuous school attendance of young girls in the catchment area of Attat Hospital.

Likewise, mothers cannot afford disposable diapers for their babies. At Attat Hospital, over 3,500 children are born each year. Each mother receives two washable cloth diapers for her child after birth. Sewing is also done for two other hospitals in Gurage. For each diaper, the seamstresses receive a contribution to finance their own school attendance.

Young seamstresses have joined forces to produce these diapers and sanitary napkins on the premises of Attat Hospital. The aim of this project in collaboration with Attat Hospital is to improve hygiene conditions and infant care in the hospital's catchment area of 1 million people.

This project was realized in Ethiopia in the region of Gurage in cooperation with the diocese of Emdibir, the association World Doctors and the nine South Tyrolean dairy farms. Ideators were Robert Zampieri, then managing director of Mila Bergmilch Südtirol, and our association member Stefan Haller, managing director of the Algund alpine dairy. Originally, an organization called "Help for Life" had provided new equipment for the production of cheese. For years these stood unused and originally packed in storage, because the diocese was not familiar with cheese production.

The Diocese of Emdibir owns 24 hectares of land and has built a large barn with the support of Caritas Australia. Various forages are planted (corn, grass, alfalfa, sugar cane). Currently there are 44 dairy cows, 16 young cattle, 20 calves and 2 bulls. The daily milk production is about 300 liters. Yogurt, ricotta and butter are produced manually. The wish of the diocese was not only to sell milk but also to start cheese production. After some on-site visits by Stefan Haller, the construction of the cheese dairy was started in spring 2021 and it will be completed in 2022.

In addition to the 20 employees in the barn and on the farm, the cheese dairy currently gives work to three Ethiopians. Stefan Haller is on site 2 times a year to train the staff and give them the expertise for cheese production. It takes a lot of practice, time and experience to produce a good cheese that is suitable for sale on the local market. Under the name "Happy Cheese - Emdibir" the production and marketing of different types of cheese, butter and pasteurized milk has started.

In order to promote the development of Ethiopia, the support of women is of paramount importance. By building a structure with a mill and granary, bakery, cafeteria, kitchen and a multi-purpose hall, 45 women in Soddo in the Wolayta region are given the opportunity to feed their families independently and send their children to school.

In cooperation with the Hackhofer Bakery and other private donors, World Doctors made it possible to build a bakery, kitchen and cafeteria. The grinding of grain, the sale of "injera", the local flat bread to schools and local stores, of berberè and other spices, provides the women with a good source of income.

Development work is successful when people have the feeling that they can build a future in their own country.

The project is a collaboration with the Department for Migration within the Ethiopian Bishops' Conference. In the three dioceses of Soddo, Hosanna and Emdibir, people, especially young people, are educated about illegal and legal migration. The Catholic Church's network extends into schools, church services, parishes, youth, women's and agricultural groups. Wherever people come together, the risk of migration is made an issue.

Meetings are offered in which work perspectives in one's own country are discussed and seminars are held in which students learn how to write a simple business plan and reflect on expenses and income of their future activity.

Within the pilot project, young people can present their project ideas and take part in a call for proposals in order to receive a small seed money for the planned activity. The candidates are selected and the contributions are allocated according to precisely defined criteria. The project currently has a total duration of three years.

Mesay Mario of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Addis Ababa and Abuna Lukas, the Bishop of Emdibir, with whom the association has been working very successfully since 2009, are responsible for the project implementation.