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Women Making a Difference

Worknesh Kereta, Ethiopia

Photo: Worknesh Kereta, who is referred to by many as "mother of the youth", has focused her efforts on serving those who most need services and support: women, youth, and people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.
Worknesh Kereta Source: Pathfinder International/Ethiopia

Adolescent and Youth Program Advisor
Pathfinder International/Ethiopia

A native of Ethiopia, Worknesh Kereta has been a dedicated and tireless educator and promoter of health in her country for more than 30 years. Trained first as a comprehensive nurse, Ms. Kereta has continually expanded her skills, earning a certificate in child nutrition, an advanced diploma in health science teaching methodology, a certificate in management science, and a BA in health care management. She has focused all of her efforts on serving those who most need services and support – women, youth, and people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

At Pathfinder International/Ethiopia, where she manages the Adolescent Reproductive Health Program, Ms. Kereta leads a challenging effort to bring youth-friendly reproductive health services to young Ethiopians in a traditional culture resistant to acknowledging young people's reproductive health needs. This comprehensive effort reaches both in- and out-of-school youth through peer educators, clubs and centers, and media outreach. She oversaw an assessment of more than 20 public health facilities in the four major regions of the country to determine their readiness to adopt youth-friendly services. Characteristically, she ensured that the assessment process itself was documented as a tool for future efforts. She went on to successfully establish 20 youth-friendly sites, four on university campuses, and all linked to youth centers and clubs. These sites become unique resources for young people to learn about reproductive health and receive needed services to prevent unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDS. Ms. Kereta brings a unique combination of passion and professionalism to every task, and in this instance, she has overcome cultural and social barriers to establish effective youth-friendly sites that are approved by authorities and embraced by the young people themselves.

Ms. Kereta has long recognized that the keys to development are information and education, at every level, and she prepares and executes her activities with the understanding that individuals as well as groups must be heard and talked to if they are to accept and adopt new behaviors. Though time and energy consuming, this approach has proven extremely effective for her, and much of its success is due entirely to her personal style and contagious commitment. She further established youth-friendly postabortion care services in six sites over the course of six months, deftly addressing the significant opposition such programs provoke.

Worknesh Kereta has touched the lives of hundreds of health care providers over the years through her effective training materials and sensitivity to the needs and abilities of her trainees. Prior to her work with Pathfinder International, she served as a team leader on HIV/AIDS Home and Community-Based Care for Family Health International, participating in program design, development, implementation, and monitoring and supervision. As the Regional Training Center founder and coordinator for the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Regional Government Health Bureau for eight years, she also served as trainer, assistant director and director of Awassa health professionals training school; she developed training materials for health professionals, as well as developed community and logistics mobilization programs. Consistently, her creativity has been enriched with passion and an intuitive understanding of how to create a learning environment.

Today, as Ms. Kereta tours the centers and sites she has so tirelessly built, many of the youth refer to her as "mother of the youth." She is a rare professional whose commitment allows no boundaries to taking on new challenges. If the problem needs to be addressed, Worknesh will bring her many talents to work on it. Her enthusiasm and determination promise many positive results in the coming years for the population of Ethiopia.

Story provided by Pathfinder International

>>> Read more stories from the Women Making a Difference in Global Health Series

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Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:38:34 -0500
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