Thanks to a generous donation of 2500 euro from Herburg Roses we have been able to buy some new hospital equipment. A Fine care machine enables us to run laboratory tests on fertility, hormones and vitamin D analysis, diabetic follow up and to detect infections (PCT and CRP). Besides the new machine we now have five extra wheelchairs and a digital blood pressure meter. On behalf of the hospital staff and all patients we sincerely thank Herburg Roses for this generous donation that helps us to improve the services of Sher hospital in the greater area of Ziway (Batu).

Women are the backbone of the economy is often said. Definitely in Ethiopia. Therefore, we were the proud sponsor and contributor of some meetings on Women Empowerment. In Adama we sponsored a meeting of 500 women working for the government in the East Showa Zone. Yezina Ayalew, PR officer at Sher Ethiopia spoke about the importance of the Women School of Leadership and the attention for reproductive health and family planning. During a meeting in Ziway, Ann Siminta, Compliance Manager at Sher Ethiopia spoke at the celebration event of International Womens Day organized by Fairtrade. In March we will start a program on women empowerment targeting 1500 female employees in our farms. Sher Ethiopia will continue working with the various stakeholders on women empowerment, gender inclusivity and consideration and care for workers with disability. A big thank you to all our female employees.

In Ethiopia there is a shortage of drinking water in many rural areas. Unfortunately, borehole water often contains too high a fluoride content. This can lead to skeletal and / or dental fluorosis, two chronic biogeochemical diseases.

Sher has provided clean drinking water for hundreds of families in the countryside near Ziway in recent months. In Bochessa and Worja Washgula, we extended the drinking water pipes at several locations and built tap points at various sites.

Ms. Halima Ahmed, mother of 8 children, living in the village of Bochessa, is one of the families that now has a water tap next to their house. She supervises the distribution of water to neighbors. Every day, members of the community can fill their jerry cans with clean water. Halima: “Before Sher provided clean and safe water, people in this area often got sick from drinking water from the lake. The tap at my house saves us the daily burden of walking 2 kilometers to get water. Now my kids can drink clean water and I have a job managing this community water tap.”

By making clean water available in disadvantaged areas, Sher helps local communities to develop.

After previous campaigns, another awareness campaign was conducted last week on the farms, in Ziway and in the surrounding villages. COVID-19 is and will remain a dangerous virus that people can protect themselves against with the right precautions. Posters, media coverage, brochures and the distribution of 12,000 mouth masks and disinfectants generated a lot of attention among employees and the local population. An initiative to which many employees and hospital staff have contributed in good cooperation with the local government. Please respect the rules and stay healthy!

Recently we have installed a new X-ray machine in the Sher hospital. Dutch Flower Foundation has donated  this device, worth more than $ 50,000.

We are of course very grateful for this. In the Sher hospital in Ziway (Ethiopia), which functions as a regional hospital, more than 100,000 patients are treated annually for a various reasons.

Doctor Demis (chief physician): “Unfortunately, there are many traffic accidents in Ethiopia and therefore the hospital deals with a lot of bone fractures. With the new X-ray machine, 15 to 20 people can be provided with a rapid diagnosis daily and an adequate treatment can be prescribed. After 8 months of waiting, we can now take these x-rays again in our own hospital. We are very pleased with that “.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dutch Flower Foundation on behalf of all employees of the Sher hospital for this generous donation.

In collaboration with the Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) we started to offer a, free of charge, cervical cancer screening to all our female employees between the age of 30-50 years. This is to protect our female workers from developing cancer and detect early stages of cancer that can be treated. It tests for a virus called high risk human papilloma virus (HPV). High risk HPV can cause cervical cells to become abnormal. Most cases of cervical cancer are linked to high risk HPV.

Our gender committee and peer educators create awareness among the employees regarding the importance of cervical cancer screening and the benefits. Afterwards, interested workers are registered for testing at the Sher Hospital. They are then given counselling and all necessary information by the medical team before they take the test in small groups to respect the COVID precautions. In the unfortunate case of a positive test, a treatment is offered by FGAE. The coming months we offer this screening to all our female employees aged between 30-50 years. We would like to thank our partner FGAE for their support and encourage all women to participate11

We are delighted that grade 12 students are welcome again at Sher lschool in Ziway from today. After the lockdown from March, schools in Ethiopia are finally allowed to reopen, starting with the students of grade 12 who can take their postponed exams on November 30. Naturally, we wish them every success in this. We expect the other students again from December 9th.

Learn about the adoption of IPM and wetlands systems on rose farm Sher Ethiopia Plc (Afriflora) near lake Ziway,Ethiopia, and the resulting positive impacts explained in a research study commissioned by IDH.

The study investigates the impacts and describes the business case for constructed wetlands and Integrated Pest Management practices to reduce risks towards workers and the environment.

Read the summary report here