ChildFund works to improve the health of mothers and young children by delivering essential health education, ensuring access to life-saving services and promoting proper Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices. Our efforts focus on reducing preventable deaths and improving health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.

• Educating Mothers
  Community health workers provide practical education to new and expectant mothers on antenatal care, nutrition, immunizations, and safe delivery, helping them make informed health decisions.
• Linking and Referral to Services
  We connect mothers and children with local health services, including birth attendants, immunization programs, and nutrition support, ensuring access to essential care throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
• Promotion of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices
  We educate caregivers on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and introducing nutrient-rich complementary foods thereafter can significantly improve child nutrition and reduce malnutrition rates.

ChildFund addresses malnutrition by promoting optimal infant and young child feeding practices, training and equipping community health workers to deliver essential nutrition services, and linking families to local health care systems in drought prone and conflict-affected communities, and even in urban centres. Our nutrition initiatives are often integrated with early childhood development programs, drawing on the health and nutrition pillars of the Nurturing Care Framework to give children the best possible start in life.

Poor sanitation and limited access to safe drinking water are major contributors to malnutrition and stunting in children. In many communities in Ethiopia, especially those affected by drought and conflict, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure leads to the spread of preventable diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid—key causes of illness and child mortality.

ChildFund is helping to improve public health by increasing access to clean water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities. In areas impacted by conflict, we are actively engaged in rebuilding damaged WASH infrastructure to restore safe learning environments and community health systems. Working with our local partner organizations, we also support local water and sanitation committees to manage water sources and educate families and children on safe hygiene practices.

• WASH Project in Oromia Region: This project addressed the lack of potable water in this region through restoring damaged boreholes and public water fountains, providing structure maintenance and promoting public health information on environmental sanitation. This led to improved access to safe water for the communities and public health awareness and hygiene promotion for more than 64,932 people affected by drought. Learn More

In Ethiopia, many young people face barriers to accessing reproductive health services due to stigma, lack of information, and limited youth-friendly facilities. This increases their risk of early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and harmful practices like early marriage.
ChildFund works with local partners to improve access to confidential, youth-friendly reproductive health services in schools and communities. We support health facilities to offer non-judgmental care and train peer educators to share accurate information with their peers.
Through open dialogue with youth, parents, and community leaders, we aim to reduce stigma, promote informed choices, and ensure young people—especially girls—can protect their health and plan for their futures.
ChildFund has constructed a total of 20 youth-friendly reproductive health centres that provide services to an estimated 1,500,000 youth in 5 regions of Amhara, Addis Ababa, Central Ethiopia, Southern Ethiopia and Oromia.