Etiopia-Witten German Week 2018 in Mekelle - Ethiopia - from February 24th to March 3rd

A group of 31 members and supporters of the German Association for Aid to Ethiopia, Etiopia-Witten e.V., visit during this week the university town of Mekelle in the north of Ethiopia.

The group of 31 members includes:
• 12 Specialists (surgery, diabetology, gynecology, ENT, cardiology and pulmonology)
• 2 Specialist nurses (diabetology, pneumology)
• 1 Instructor for specialist nurses
• 2 Medical technicians
• 10 teachers, students and social educators
• 2 Fire Department - Specialists
• 1 Police officer in non-official capacity
• 1 Interpreter

As in previous years, the German Week is made possible by the tireless organization and coordination of ithe internist and chairman of Ethiopia-Witten, Ahmed Idris MD from Witten.

As in the previous year, this week doctors and nurses will visit the long-term co-supervised departments at the Ayder Referral Hospital of the University of Mekelle. There they will again advise and teach, to support the introduction of new diagnostic and treatment techniques.


The medical technicians will check defective medical devices with their Ethiopian colleagues and, if possible, train them to repair these devices.

Teachers, students and social workers will again visit the four rural elementary schools in the further surrounding of Mekelle, which have received new school buildings from donations of the association Etiopia-Witten together with the Society of the Foreign Tigrayans TDA and the University of Mekelle. A school building co-financed by donations from the Holzkamp Gesamtschule Witten will be inaugurated together with the local community.

The cooperation of the city of Witten with its twin city Mekelle is further deepened by the accompanying firefighters and a teacher active in Witten's city politics. The ambulance cars and the fire truck donated by the city of Witten will be maintained and, if necessary, additional Ethiopian ambulance car personnel and fire fighting staff will be trained.

The containers that have arrived in Mekelle, sent by Etiopia-Witten, with medical and school equipment will be unloaded together with the Ethiopian authorities.

The great hospitality of the Ethiopians will also give the opportunity to talk in the evenings in informal rounds and to visits to cultural attractions.

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