Hospital Support

When CCCI first entered Ethiopia, the mission was to find a base hospital in-county from which to run operations, and to which CCCI could offer support. While visiting one of the government hospitals, located in Wollaitta, Soddo, we were fortunate enough to meet Dr Kelemu Desta, the then director of the hospital. Dr Kelemu, born in Soddo and educated in England, chose to return to his home land rather than remain in a developed country and a lucrative position in order to care for the needy of his own country. His heart was and is for the children of Ethiopia; and so CCCI found our in-country representative and home hospital.

In recent years, a new private hospital has been built under the direction of both Dr Kelemu, and Dr Harold Adolf (missionary doctor and son of the founder of the original SIM hospital, which was taken over by the government during the 1971 military junta). Soddo Christian Hospital opened its doors in the Spring of 2004, and is now home to 4 surgeons with 3 operating rooms and even a nursing school whose graduates are able to staff the halls as well as work in other hospitals around the nation.

It is here that CCCI sends specialty teams to perform operations on waiting individuals, and many of the Ethiopian children who come to the States for surgery are located through the hospital or Dr Kelemu directly.