A Bath-based charity is calling on the community to help rebuild a vital maternity clinic in rural Ethiopia, after a devastating fire left local mothers giving birth in temporary tents.
Ethiopiaid has launched an urgent Christmas Appeal to raise £83,000 to rebuild the Atsede Clinic, which was completely destroyed earlier this year when a neighbour’s cooking fire spread to the building. The clinic, located in the Gurage region south-west of Addis Ababa, had provided a safe space for thousands of women to give birth since opening in 2018.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Anna Lord, CEO of Ethiopiaid. “Women are now giving birth in makeshift tents with mud floors and thin walls. These are no conditions to bring a baby into the world. With the support of the Bath community, we can rebuild a safe, permanent clinic where mothers and newborns are protected.”
The new clinic will be built from concrete blocks to make it stronger and more resilient. Funds raised will also support Ethiopiaid’s Midwives on the Move outreach programme, ensuring women in remote areas continue to receive care while the clinic is rebuilt.
Co-founder and British midwife Indie McDowell, who helped establish the clinic with local partner Atsede Kidane, said, “We’ve been sad and frustrated, but we’re also deeply grateful that no one was hurt. Our dream now is to rebuild properly — a permanent clinic where mothers feel safe again. We would be so grateful for any support.”
Ethiopia remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, but thanks to community-led clinics like Atsede, maternal deaths have fallen and trust in skilled care has grown.
Anna added, “Every mother deserves a safe place to welcome new life. This Christmas, we’re asking for donations from kind members of the public to help us rebuild — not just the clinic walls, but the hope and confidence of mothers who depend on it.”
Donations to the Christmas Appeal can be made online at www.ethiopiaid.org.uk or by calling 01225 476 385.
