The challenge:

• Burns are regarded 3rd - 4th most common reason for emergency admission among children in the 3rd world
•  Women and children are the main victims
•  Most accidents happen due to ground level cooking and careless use of petroleum products

Most households use open fire (wood, charcoal, kerosene/paraffin)  for cooking and heating.  Poor housing facilities, non protected fireplaces and crowded households are all adding to the hazard of burn injuries.

Most patients inflicted with burns have no access to modern burn facilities. The only option at hand for the majority of patients is poorly equipped institutions  with limited resources (clinics, health centers and hospitals) . The mortality rate is high due to infection and lack of surgical know-how.  Those that survive will often develop post burn deformities and handicap due to scar contractures.  Children with handicap and various sorts of  deformities have limited - if any - fair possibilities for a proper social and educational development

Basic principles for proper, modern burn management  includes the following:

•  Well trained professionals
•  Proper nutrition
•  Regular wound care
•  Timely planned surgical interventions & skin grafts
•  Physical therapy & rehabilitation

These principles are life saving and are of greatest importance to prevent tragic deformities and handicap.

Main objectives of the Foundation:

The main objective is to focus on the tremendous need to provide basic and modern clinical care for children with burns  as well as to run burn prevention activities.  

A 15 - 20 bed pediatric burn center is under planning.  This project will be constructed within the compound of a new, modern teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, Myungsung Christian Medical Centre.  This burn center will collaborate closely with the other burns unit at Yekatit 12 Hospital on the following issues:

•  Patient care - acute as well as chronic burns
•  Teaching of nurses and doctors
•  Burn prevention activities
•  Extend burn services to provincial hospitals
•  Rehabilitation center for burns
•  Extend burn services to neighboring countries

The first phase of the project is the establishment of a 15 - 20 bed pediatric burn center including 2 operating theatres, offices and teaching facilities. The project will recruit about 45 national staff including Ethiopian plastic surgeons and other well qualified personnel.

The Foundation currently supports a Masters program for Ethiopian theatre nurse, Sr Negat Woldehawariat, at University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  After completing her Masters Degree, Sr Negat will become a resource person for the Pediatric Burn Centre as well as for Yekatit 12 Hospital Burn Unit. Sr Negat will play an important role in the Foundations efforts to support the development of a formal training program in Theatre Nursing for Ethiopia, an education that does not exist in the country.

Economy

Construction expenses of the Paediatric Burn Centre has been calculated to NOK 7 million (USD 1.4 mill)

Total running budget for 20 pediatric beds has been estimated to NOK 100.000 (USD20.000) per bed/year.