News
Helping Jahad Access Essential Healthcare
In Assosa Zone, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Première Urgence Internationale is enhancing access to integrated lifesaving and life-sustaining services for people fleeing the conflict in Sudan and vulnerable host communities.
Publié le 24/07/2026 | Temps de lecture : 7 min
Sudanese refugee in Ethiopia, Jahad regains access to essential healthcare with the support of Première Urgence Internationale
Since April 2023, the conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 13 million people, with millions seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, including Ethiopia. The United Nations has described it as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Première Urgence Internationale is strengthening local health services so that Sudanese refugees and host communities can access essential healthcare, including maternal health services, nutrition support and primary healthcare. It is within this context that Jahad’s story unfolds.
Fleeing conflict in Sudan to rebuild her life
Jahad
At the health centre, Jahad received unexpected news.
“I wasn’t feeling well, so my aunt took me to the Horazahab Health Centre. That’s where I found out I was five weeks pregnant.”
Thanks to the free healthcare services available at the facility, she now receives regular antenatal care and ongoing support throughout her pregnancy. For Jahad, gaining timely access to quality healthcare marked the beginning of a new chapter.
A health centre restoring access to essential healthcare
The Horazahab Health Centre serves an area hosting more than 19,000 people who have fled the violence in Sudan. Première Urgence Internationale supports healthcare services for both Sudanese refugees and Ethiopian host communities.
Services provided include: free medical consultations, antenatal and postnatal care, skilled birth attendance, routine immunisation, malnutrition screening and treatment , health promotion and disease prevention activities, disease surveillance and referrals for patients requiring specialised care.
Rehabilitating a Health Centre to Strengthen Long-Term Access to Healthcare
Before Première Urgence Internationale’s intervention, people often had to travel nearly three hours to reach the hospital in Assosa. The Horazahab Health Centre faced severe shortages of medicines, medical equipment, healthcare staff and adequate infrastructure.
With the support of the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in Ethiopia, and in partnership with ACTED, Première Urgence Internationale has helped to:
- Rehabilitate the health centre
- Supply essential medicines, medical equipment and healthcare supplies
- Train healthcare professionals and community volunteers
- Support ambulance services for medical referrals
- Build an access ramp for people with reduced mobility
- Improve medical waste management
- Rehabilitate the entrance to the health centre
- Support, alongside local authorities and communities, the rehabilitation of the road leading to the facility
These improvements now enable the most vulnerable people to access quality healthcare in safer conditions and with dignity.
A story that reflects the impact of humanitarian action
Jahad’s story is shared by thousands of people forced to flee the conflict in Sudan. For many, access to healthcare is one of the first steps towards regaining stability and beginning to rebuild their lives.
For Jahad, receiving this care means she can now go through her pregnancy in far better conditions. For thousands of other women, children and families living near the Sudan–Ethiopia border, it represents far more than access to healthcare: it offers the opportunity to recover, rebuild and look towards the future after displacement.
Our Financial Support
