Akaki-Kaliti has a very high population density due to the influx of people from rural areas and neighbouring towns.

Most households are headed by women, without resources and without access to basic services such as water or electricity. In addition, low purchasing power makes it inaccessible to purchase food or medical care. There are few municipal services in the community, including a lack of sewage, toilets and municipal showers.

The Foundation is starting a project, financed by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, with the aim of containing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in this district of Addis Ababa, with a highly vulnerable population.

To achieve this objective, the local health infrastructure of the St. Gabriel Catholic Health Center (SGCHC), which offers free or very low cost health services to the population, will be strengthened by providing EPI and training.

Programmed activities include training sessions for the prevention, rapid detection and control and management of COVID-19 cases among health workers and support staff.

The purchase, supply and distribution of EPIs, masks and hand sanitizers to health workers and vulnerable patients during the project’s implementation period such as those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, HIV and tuberculosis or among pregnant women is also envisaged.

Finally, awareness campaigns on prevention, identification and procedure against COVID-19 will be carried out with the support of graphic materials (leaflets and posters) and through awareness sessions for the population near the San Gabriel Health Center.