Our mission is to improve the health quality of life of pediatric populations in the Ethiopian health care system through medication assistance. The idea for this project started with a discussion we had with medical school students in Ethiopia. The students informed us of many children who would be discharged from hospitals without proper medications because of the financial constraints of their parents. We heard stories of parents having to sell most of their possessions to purchase medications for their children and of those denied treatment because of refugee status. Our research into the problem further unveiled the widespread prevalence of medication unaffordability in the pediatric population in Ethiopia. Children of low-income, uninsured, unemployed, disabled, or refugee parents are more likely to be denied proper medications because of a lack of money. 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where our health initiative will have its beginnings, has had major problems like poor medicine supply, insufficient health care facilities and staff, low health investment, and unaffordability of drugs. While most pediatric patients in Addis Ababa are sent home without proper medications, others attempt to cover their medication costs out-of-pocket. According to WHO, almost 40% of the Ethiopian healthcare expenditure and 90% of medicine cost is covered by out-of-pocket payments, and that low-income families are more likely to have high out-of-pocket payments for medications. Health inequities, such as this, eventually lead to a considerable drain on the finances of low-income families and therefore lead to their falling below the poverty line. Children whose families cannot afford medications for their illness, moreover, become exposed to disease agents that can increase the overall disease burden and mortality rate.

Keeping this in mind, our group decided to launch a charity organization that will help underserved pediatric populations in Ethiopia with medication coverage assistance. Our plan includes full medication coverage, co-payment coverage, and nutrition assistance . We hope that our efforts will reduce morbidity (i.e reduce symptoms, improve health-related quality of life, increase functional status, and decrease the rate of hospitalization) and empower children and families to rise above the poverty line.