About NEKEMTE BRANCH

Organization for Social Services, Health and Development (OSSHD), previously known by Organization for Social Services for AIDS (OSSA), is an indigenous non-profit making Civil Society Organization established in 1990. Religious Institutions Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical Church Mekane-Yesus, 7 th day Adventist and International Organizations such as Save the children-UK, Radbourne and Ministry of Health (MoH) and other volunteer persons organized OSSA (OSSHD) followed by the 1989 international conference on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.

Contact Information

Biography

Sr. Annimarie Weslow, a volunteer Deacon from the Mothrerhouse-Rotenburge, Germany was prominent in establishing Nekemte OSSA and contributed for the resources, time and commitment for structural and operational foundation of Nekemte branch office. As a result, tens of thousands of peoples life in western region were saved due to the deadly pandemic disease; HIV/AIDS through different campaigns and home to homed care and treatment modalities.

The organization trained and used thousand numbers of volunteers to serve PLHIVs and OVC who were bedridden, stigmatized and discriminated by the community and own family and self. In addition, the branch has played a crucial role in supporting HIV/AIDS care and treatment services in in the area over the past 29 years. It has been instrumental in reaching out to vulnerable populations, providing education and awareness about HIV/AIDS, stigma, discrimination and denials and facilitated access to care and treatment services.

The deployed OSSHD Volunteers moved from door to door (home based care program), provided the necessary care, treatment, counselling and psychological support and empowered PLHIVs and OVC to run healthy life and an early health seeking behaviours from health facilities without fear. Much were developed self-confidence and they became productive citizens.

Services

Some of our work the work being done at our branch.

Gelasa Kidanu Jalata (Reg N0.107) (Case-1)

Gelasa was 9 when he was enrolled in the project. The photo on the left was first taken when he joined the project on Feb, 2009. His parents were very sick and destitute and werent able to provide for Gelasa, his brother and sister at the time.

Gadise Siyum Benti (Case-2)

Gadise was one of the child under our care program since March 8,2010. Both of her parents were living with HIV. She remembers the struggles she faced after her mother passed away and She told us these, My mothers death was heart breaking during my young age, but my only hope was to make it in life.

Hawi Alemayehu Dheressa , Register Number:151

Hawi is one of the children in the higher education being helped by the project. She is 2 nd year University student . She is currently on vacation back home and we saw some remarkable initiative she took on her own and we wanted to share it. Mostly, when students get back from university to their homes, they find themselves with nothing to do but stay at home. But Hawi took the opportunity and started tutoring other children in the project to follow their dreams and start to shape their goals. She is putting in efforts into helping other kids in her area and they look at her as their role model. OSSHD appreciated her efforts and she vows to do the same till her graduation.

Community volunteers and social works

Plays great role in provision of social and psychological needs of children and their families in the program. The Project initiated to capacitate children in the program in life skill development to create self-awareness, self-esteem, self-sufficient and problem solving practices. This is mainly done by social workers and trained community volunteers during home visit and family gathering. The pictures shows the home visit made by community volunteers and life skill training conducted for the children and families under the program in Gimbi town.

Social Workers and Voluntaries

Have been helping the children with love and care. Families of the children receive the Social Workers warmly and consider them as a family. They make regular visits, check their health and academic progress and also monitor if the support given is being properly utilized. This has helped the children perform well academically, raise family connections and their social status. This service is being provided by our 4 social workers and 20 volunteers drawn from the community. Yemisirach and Yenesew, as seen on the picture is among the project social workers giving services to clients in their Home.

Economic empowerment of the families in the program

As known, OSSHD sponsorship program works on economic empowerment of the families in the program with intentions to make them self sufficient. With these point, Business skill training has been given to the families in the program and monthly financial saving is also being used as another method to help them engage in business activities and decrease their dependency on the support. Hawi is HIV positive and mother of 3 who is among the families being helped in the program for the last 8 years. Through the training she got from our social workers, she opened her own shop by the initial capital saved by the program. She said her business has grown, income has increased and she has started to provide for her families.