At the Nirak Health Center in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, Gebrehiwot Getahun and his team worked hard to serve their community. The circumstances were not easy; arid land, environmental degradation, and ongoing humanitarian challenges all brought health challenges to families in the area. Throughout this, the Nirak Health Center was a safe place people could turn to for support.
Gebrehiwot Getahun, Head of Abergele Woreda Health Office
That support came to an abrupt stop when conflict forced Gebrehiwot and other health workers to flee the center. What they returned to was a building in ruins.
“When we came back after the war ended, the health center was deserted,” Gebrehiwot recalls. “No medicine, no equipment, not even chairs. We had the knowledge to treat patients, but without a functioning facility, we couldn’t help.”
A facility that once served over 20,000 people had become an empty shell.
Under these conditions, even basic and treatable illnesses became life-threatening. Malnourished children had nowhere to receive therapeutic care, and mothers faced dangerous complications during childbirth without safe delivery rooms. Health workers were present and anxious to help, but without infrastructure, medicine, and equipment, they could do little.
“That was the time we lost hope,” Gebrehiwot says. “We were unable to help even our own colleagues, let alone the wider community. As a health professional and a leader, that was the most difficult time of my life.”
The crisis revealed a critical truth: trained personnel alone cannot create functional health systems. They depend on infrastructure, equipment, and medicines to save lives.
Action Against Hunger intervened. With funding from the European Union, the stabilization center, pharmacy, and delivery rooms were rebuilt and equipped. Medical furniture was installed. Essential medicines became consistently available and free for those unable to afford them.
A restored Nirak Health Center
Nirak Health Center was restored to full functionality. Today, it is a thriving hub for recovery. Children with severe malnutrition receive proper treatment, and mothers give birth in safe, clean environments. Patients receive timely diagnosis and care.
“Now we can actually treat patients,” says Gebrehiwot. “It gives me great satisfaction to see malnourished children recover and return home healthy.”
Supporting the People Behind the Care
Our support for the Nirak Heath Center was more than equipment and infrastructure. Action Against Hunger offered psychosocial support to help healthcare workers cope with the trauma of conflict. They also received training to strengthen their clinical skills.
“When I was a fresh graduate, I didn’t know how to manage cases in the stabilization center,” says Areki Tassew, a Child Health and Nutrition Expert at Nirak Health Center. “The training gave me the skills and confidence to treat severely malnourished children properly.”
Another critical improvement addressed a practical but life-threatening challenge for recovery: ensuring caregivers could stay at the health center long enough for children to complete treatment. Action Against Hunger’s food support now enables families to remain throughout the full course of care.
“In the past, we struggled to provide food for caregivers,” Areki explains. “Sometimes I brought food from home because I knew the child might die if we sent them away.”
Areki Tassew teaches mothers how to grow vegetables in their home gardens.
Today, that burden has eased. Caregivers can stay, children can recover, and health workers can provide care without having to face impossible constraints.
The Power of a Rehabilitated Health Center
The impact of this intervention has extended beyond the walls of the health center. Through regular screening campaigns, health workers visit communities directly to assess children for malnutrition. Cases are identified early, meaning children can be referred for treatment before their condition becomes critical.
“The screening campaigns helped us reach communities we would otherwise miss,” says Woldeabe Gebre, head of Nirak Health Center.
Woldeabe Gebre, Head of Nirak Health Center.
The transformation of Nirak Health Center shows that when health facilities are restored, health workers can get back to doing what they do best: treating patients, saving lives, and bringing hope back to their communities.
Nirak Health Center is one of the eight damaged health centers and health posts in Abergele and Tsagib Woredas that were rehabilitated in 2025 and 2026 with support from the European Union. All are now fully functional and serving the community at full capacity, reaching over 60,000 people. Over 100 health workers have received training to increase their skillset and capacity. The program has also supported local families to grow nutritious food at home, helping prevent malnutrition before it begins.
