Welcome to
CareEpilepsy Ethiopia
ኬርኤፕለፕሲ ኢትዮጵያ

Our vision is to see people affected by epilepsy and associated disabilities receive the quality medical care they need, and the public respect, fairness and understanding they deserve so that they can live a healthy productive life, free from discrimination and stigma, and have opportunity to realise their full potential.

ራዕያችን የሚጥል ህመም እና በተያያዥ የአካል ጉዳት የተጎዱ ሰዎች የሚፈልጉትን ጥራት ያለው የህክምና እንክብካቤ ሲያገኙ ማየት እና የሚገባቸውን የህዝብ አክብሮት ፣ ፍትሃዊነት እና መረዳትን ከአድሎአዊነት እና መገለል የፀዳ ጤናማ ምርታማ ኑሮ እንዲኖሩ ነው፡፡

 

About CareEpilepsy Ethiopia 

About CareEpilepsy Ethiopia

CareEpilepsy, founded in 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a unique organization dedicated to improve the quality of life of people with epilepsy. CareEpilepsy Ethiopia aims to improve the quality of life for people with epilepsy in Ethiopia. The organization aims to change perceptions about epilepsy, creating a more inclusive and informed society that supports and empowers those affected by the condition. As a small, grassroots initiative, CareEpilepsy stands as a beacon of hope for people affected by epilepsy, offering support, awareness, and advocacy where it is needed the most.

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የኬርኤፕለፕሲ ኢትዮጵያ ታሪካዊ ዳራ

የሚጥል ህመም ያለባቸው ሰዎች ከሚገጥሟቸው ተግዳሮቶች መካከል በዋናነት፡- ከህመሙ እና ተያያዥነት ካላቸው የጎንዮሽ ጉዳቶች ጋር መኖር፣ ጥራት ያለውና የማያቋርጥ የሕክምና አቅርቦት አለመኖር፣ የመድኃኒት ዋጋ ንረት እና የአቅርቦት ውስንነት፣ እንዲሁም መገለልና መድልዎ ናቸው፡ ኬርኤፕለፕሲ ኢትዮጵያ ከላይ የተጠቀሱትን ችግሮች ለመቅረፍ እንዲሁም የሚጥል ህመም ያለባቸው ሰዎች ጤናማ፣ አምራች፣ ከመገለልና መድሎ ነፃ ሆነው ማየት የሚል ራዕይ ይዞ የሚጥል ህመምን ትኩረት አድርጎ በኢትዮጵያ በጥቅምት ወር 2008 ዓ.ም የተቋቋመየመጀመሪያው መንግስታዊ ያልሆነ ድርጅት ነው፡፡

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saving lives and changing perceptions

Saving the Lives of Children with Epilepsy: Ensuring Access to Appropriate Care

Children with epilepsy possess unique requirements and encounter distinctive obstacles. Ensuring access to care is not only a fundamental right for every child with epilepsy but should also encompass availability to healthcare providers capable of delivering appropriate epilepsy management.

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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Our sustainable and eco-friendly social enterprise is dedicated to using recycled materials, such as paper and plastic, for our craftwork. Additionally, we utilize biodegradable sheep wool, ensuring a minimal environmental footprint. In addition to providing economic opportunities, we also prioritize environmental education. Through our project, we teach our patients about the significance of caring for our environment. Together, we strive to create a positive impact on both livelihoods and the world we live in.

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EPILEPSY MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Integrating epilepsy management into primary healthcare is crucial to reduce the treatment gap. Effective training programs for nonspecialist healthcare providers are essential in achieving this goal.

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PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT EPILEPSY

Donate to support our mission of raising awareness about epilepsy and its cultural, social, and economic impact. By doing so, you can contribute to enhancing the quality of life for our patients and improving their psychosocial health outcomes. Join us in making a difference in the lives of those affected by epilepsy.

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Testimonials

 Tigist says "I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 14, after a long struggle to get a proper diagnosis. My parents were afraid of the stigma and wanted to hide my condition, leaving me feeling lonely and misunderstood. Then I found CareEpilepsy Ethiopia, and they changed everything. They opened doors for me to enjoy life and pursue work, becoming my chosen family. Thank you for being there and showing me that I'm not alone in this journey." 

Tigist: Patient

 As a mother of a child with epilepsy, my life revolves around his needs. Every thought and action is dedicated to his wellbeing. When access to quality epilepsy services is limited, it hinders my child's ability to reach his full potential due to frequent seizures. That's why I've become a passionate advocate for epilepsy through my involvement with CareEpilepsy Ethiopia. It is my mission to fight for better support and services for individuals with epilepsy, ensuring that no child's potential is hindered by this condition. 

Yetnebersh: Mother of a son with epilepsy

 Despite the ongoing challenges of managing my seizures and the difficulties that come with living with epilepsy, CareEpilepsy Ethiopia has provided me with invaluable support and a renewed sense of hope. Through their care and assistance, I am able to better take care of myself and envision a brighter future ahead. 

Muna: Epilepsy Patient

 Thanks to the craftwork training I received from CareEpilepsy Ethiopia, I have acquired valuable skills that have not only boosted my self-esteem but also instilled in me a newfound sense of self-confidence. The opportunity to showcase and sell my creations has not only allowed me to generate income but also encouraged me to save money for the future. This training has truly been a life-changing opportunity for me. 

Mesert Getachew: Epilepsy Patient

 Eyerus said, "At first I went into denial: my son seemed so perfect, he glowed with good health, was energetic and happy. Then he started having seizures and the seizures began increasing in frequency and I went into a panic. It was too much to deal with the stigma that I faced becuase of my child having epilepsy. I was in such a state of anxiety and it was impossible to find any information about epiepsy." Thank you CareEpilepsy for making it easy for me to understand epilepsy and to know that my child is not possessed by evil spirit. You have supported me in the last five years and walked the talk with me." 

Eyerus: Mother of a child with epilepsy
  

Gallery

Operational Team

Enat Yewnetu

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Abiy Asrat

Administrative and Finance Manager

Sr Meron Shimelis

Community Outreach Nurse

Meron Worku

Office Administrator

Birhane Habte

Office Assistant

Kibrom Sahele

Patient Representative

Bemnet Daniel

Volunteer Coordinator

Ruth Daniel

Volunteer Coordinator

Video Gallery

About The National Epilepsy Week

The National Epilepsy Week is a yearly unique event organized by CareEpilepsy Ethiopia to acknowledge and highlight the psychosocial, economic and healthcare challenges faced by people with epilepsy, their families and carers. This program will also give the opportunity to sponsors, partners and stakeholders to make a difference for people with epilepsy.

Objectives of the 2023 National Epilepsy Week Event

What makes this year more special is the program will:
  • be a hybrid that combines a "live" in-person event with a "virtual" online component.
  • pilot a telemedicine service to increasing access to epilepsy specialist doctors
  • increase nurses, midwives and health officers capacity to treat epilepsy by providing a two day clinical training and support.
  • raise awareness on human rights violations which are widespread among people with epilepsy, including being denied treatment, education, and employment.

Target Group
This event's target group are people with epilepsy, their families, clinical staff (nurses, health officer, midwives), youth leaders, policymakers, religious leaders and the community in general of all ages.

Duration
One week, 13th - 18th February 2023.

The Program

The 8th National Epilepsy Week in 2023 will comprise a series of activities, including:

Date DayActivity/ProgrammeTarget Audience Venue
 
10th FebruaryFridayPRESS CONFERENCEThe community in generalEthiopian Public Health Institute
13th February MondayWORKSHOP - Community Conversation Multi-disciplinary conference
  • IBE as guest speaker (Zoom & Video)
  • Media
Policymakers and Media PersonnelEthiopian Public Health Institute
14th FebruaryTuesdayCLINICAL TRAINING on ‘Basics of Epilepsy’ Day 1Health officers, midwives, and nurses.Ethiopian Public Health Institute
15th FebruaryWednesdayCLINICAL TRAINING on ‘Basics of Epilepsy’ Day 2Health officers, midwives, and nurses.Ethiopian Public Health Institute
16th FebruaryThursday
  • COMMUNITY EDUCATION - Teaching in schools
  • TELEMEDICINE CLINIC PM
Students and Teachers
Patients and their families 		*1
17th February
 		Friday
  • EDUCATION AT HEALTH CENTER
  • Clinic PM
The community in general*2
18th FebruarySaturday
  • COMMUNITY EDUCATION
  • Street campaign
The community in general*3

*1 – We will be teaching in 5 public schools within the four sub-cities , *2 – We will be teaching in 5 health centers within the ten sub-cities, *3 – We will be doing public education on one selected street.

All the above activities are geared towards sensitizing the community, reducing stigma and working with stakeholders to ensure epilepsy patients can access adequate epilepsy care and treatment as well as education and employment.

We use multiple media outlets, such as:
  • Press conference.
  • Interviews on Radio and TV shows (aim to gain international interviews).
  • Design and publication of print media.
  • Earned (articles placed in news outlets).
  • Social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, blogs, etc.).
Trying to overcome deep-rooted traditions, prejudices and misconceptions is always an uphill battle. Nevertheless, CareEpilepsy Ethiopia believes that the key to overcoming deep-rooted cultural practices, norms and religious interpretations of numerous aspects of Epilepsy lies in raising awareness and having access to AEDs.  It is high time to FOCUS on epilepsy and care for this community of people!  Without FOCUS and a strong voice, epilepsy is neglected compared to other diseases notwithstanding so many patients in Ethiopia are severely impacted by the disease. We believe in a stigma free future for epilepsy. We are the only organization that works across every area of epilepsy: clinical care, prevention, advocacy, information and support.