ReachAnother Foundation

03/03/2026

🌍 March 3rd is World Birth Defects Day

Today we join the global community in recognizing World Birth Defects Day and standing alongside families in Ethiopia and around the world who are impacted by birth defects. At ReachAnother Foundation, this day is a reminder that awareness must lead to action — stronger health systems, earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and prevention where possible.

We believe every child deserves not just a healthy start, but access to the care and support they need to thrive. 💙

Together, we can reduce stigma, expand understanding, and build a future where birth defects are prevented when possible and treated with compassion and quality care.

02/28/2026

Catch up with our February 2026 Newsletter! 💙

From the new pediatric neurosurgery Center of Excellence at Zewditu Memorial Hospital to Healing Kits reaching families and big momentum in prevention efforts, 2025 is already a year of building. Read more here: https://loom.ly/xWe7jug

Read the full update and see the impact you’re helping make possible. ✨

02/26/2026

A first for Bahir Dar!

Our team recently traveled to Bahir Dar to provide ultrasound training.

Ultrasound is such an important tool in pediatric care because it gives hospital teams a powerful bedside tool to evaluate children quickly and support better treatment decisions.

02/18/2026

Have you ever wondered what aftercare for neural tube defects looks like in Ethiopia? This short video shows what happens after surgery for children born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in Ethiopia and how ReachAnother is helping build aftercare programs that help families get the follow-up care, supplies, and support they need to keep moving forward.❤️

02/12/2026

Nothing beats getting everyone in the same room!👏

Last week, our SBH Coordinators came together for our bi-annual program evaluation. They shared what they are seeing on the ground, traded ideas, and mapped the next improvements in spina bifida and hydrocephalus care. Lots of learning, lots of problem-solving, and a lot of joy, too.🤩

02/06/2026

Born in Bahir Dar, Barkote was diagnosed with hydrocephalus as an infant and first treated with a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. But it was the endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus cauterization (ETV/CPC) that marked a turning point in his recovery. 🧠✨

Today, Barkote is thriving. He’s in second grade and demonstrates outstanding academic performance. 📚🌟 He continues to receive follow-up care through the multidisciplinary clinic at Gondar University Hospital, one of our Center of Excellence partners. 🏥🤝

Barkote’s journey reflects the power of timely surgical intervention, family support, and sustained investment in Ethiopia’s pediatric neurosurgery capacity. Every child deserves this chance. 💙

02/03/2026

Last week, we were honored to welcome Rotary International International President, Francesco Arezzo, to Ethiopia to visit our Rotary/ReachAnother spina bifida high-risk prevention project at Zewditu Memorial Hospital. 🤝🏥

This partnership has grown over 11 years, led by Rotary clubs in Ethiopia and the U.S., in partnership with Ethiopian hospital teams and our own ReachAnother team. Together, we’ve enrolled 6,000+ high-risk mothers, delivered 1.8 million folic acid tablets, supported 84+ healthy births, funded 170+ surgeries, trained 500+ health workers, and reached 750,000+ people with prevention messages.

01/27/2026

One of the biggest shifts we’ve pushed for is expanding access to ETV/CPC (a shunt-free option for some children with hydrocephalus). 🧠✨
In 2025, 165 children received ETV surgeries across our network of partner hospitals.

It’s a quiet kind of progress that we are incredibly proud of. 💙

New skills are being used consistently, in real cases, by local teams, week after week.

01/23/2026

We all need a little good news! 🌍✨

Ethiopia is officially moving from research to rollout of double-fortified salt (iodine + folic acid), a global first designed to reduce neural tube defects. The trial results are out, the roadmap is in motion, and the push toward national standards has begun. 🧂➡️

For ReachAnother, this moment feels deeply personal. We’ve been in the conversation about fortification for years, with steady advocacy, steady partner and a steady belief that prevention can reach every household. Seeing national leadership move this forward is a reminder that staying the course matters. 💙

Read more here: https://loom.ly/fbYY4Xc

Image source: Nutrition International

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA – Today, senior government leaders, technical experts and key partners convened for a high-level national dissemination to accelerate the introduction of double-fortified salt with iodine and folic acid (DFS-IoFA) across Ethiopia. “Today marks a historic step in Ethiopia’...

01/20/2026

We’re reposting this because it captures something we’ve experienced firsthand: when Rotary and ReachAnother commit for the long haul, real progress follows.

Our partnership with The Rotary Club of North Atlanta (and our Rotary friends in Addis Ababa) has been thoughtful, steady, and genuinely productive. It's the kind of collaboration where everyone shows up, listens, learns, and keeps moving the work forward. Our ReachAnother team was even in Atlanta in October and had the chance to join a club meeting in person, which made the partnership feel even more tangible.

The post below is a clear, reader-friendly summary of our High-Risk Prevention project. If you have a minute, scroll down and read. It explains why high-dose folic acid matters for mothers at the highest risk, and what it can mean for families in Ethiopia.

01/11/2026

Surgery can save a child’s life.

But what happens next? Can they go to school? Make friends? Walk on their own? Stay healthy?

We’re working toward a future where the answer is always “yes.” Right now, we’re still laying the foundation: building hospital teams, training parents, creating systems that didn’t exist before.

Our mission is clear: survival and thriving. That’s why we work to make sure every child born with spina bifida or hydrocephalus has access to treatment, aftercare, and a future with dignity and possibility.