Israeli humanitarian NGOs make a difference in Ethiopia

The Pears Foundation has signed a £1.75m agreement with Israeli NGO NALA to launch a new five-year programme in Ethiopia designed to safeguard decades of progress in the fight against trachoma.

The initiative comes amid a widening global funding gap following the shutdown of several major U.S. international aid programmes which has put significant pressure on Ethiopia’s healthcare system. With the goal of elimination finally within reach, withdrawal of support could risk a devastating resurgence of the disease. As a result, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health approached NALA directly for assistance in communities vulnerable to renewed outbreaks.

Under the new agreement, the Pears Foundation will support NALA’s work over the next five years through a community-based prevention model combining school and community outreach, hygiene and behaviour-change programmes, rehabilitation of water and sanitation infrastructure and other methods designed to facilitate long term effectiveness.

Michal Bruck, CEO of NALA, said “NALA and the Pears Foundation have had a long standing partnership since our inception almost 15 years ago. Beyond the material support that they provide, they’re an incredible partner in terms of guidance and mentorship which is so important. This partnership is special because it comes from a clear need that was highlighted by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health who asked us to help create a cost effective, sustainable model and within less than a week the Pears Foundation agreed to work with us on it. Trachoma was a problem here in Israel, in Jerusalem where I grew up, and by the early 20th century it was a leading cause of blindness among children. We were able to eliminate it here so it’s incredible to now support another country to do the same thing. I first went to Ethiopia as a volunteer 26 years ago and there’s something about the Ethiopian culture that feels like you’re in a sister country. A lot of the culture is akin to the Jewish culture whether it’s the language or the customs so it feels like partnering with a cousin or a brother when you’re working in Ethiopia”.

NALA’s new initiative is the latest chapter in a deep rooted tradition of Israeli support in Ethiopia with Ethiopian Jewry being one of the oldest Jewish communities in the diaspora. Since Israel’s independence, Israeli and Jewish groups have provided welfare to the Beta Israel community through grassroots movements and educational outreach. Activists spent years lobbying for the rights of Ethiopian Jews to emigrate to Israel which was formally recognised in 1975 by the Israeli Rabbinate and has since seen approximately 100,000 Ethiopian Jews emigrate to Israel.

NALA is one of several Israeli NGOs and charities dedicated to helping communities in Ethiopia. Another NGO, Operation Ethiopia, began when Israeli ophthalmologist Professor Morris Hartstein travelled with his wife and four children to Ethiopia’s Gondar region in 2014 to volunteer at a summer camp for the Jewish community. Although Professor Hartstein had not planned to practice medicine during the trip, word quickly spread that he was a doctor and hundreds of people gathered seeking eye examinations. With no medical equipment or medication available, he examined patients late into the evening using only a torch.

The Hartstein family returned to Ethiopia repeatedly, establishing mobile eyecare clinics and surgical missions in remote villages extending their outreach beyond the Jewish community. In 2022 they established Operation Ethiopia which runs several medical missions per year to Ethiopia bringing Israeli volunteers, including ophthalmologists, to provide hands-on eyecare to masses of people living in poverty. To date, they have treated more than 17,000 people and restored sight to more than 4,000 cataract patients.

Professor Morris Hartstein, Founder and Director of Operation Ethiopia, said, “From the minute we went to Ethiopia, met the Jewish community and heard how much they dreamt of coming to Israel we were deeply moved and wanted to do all that we could to help them in achieving that dream whilst providing eye care and any other care that we were able to provide. There’s a deep connection between Ethiopia and Israel, an overlap in identity. When we go there, people are so excited to hear that we come from Israel, we’re welcomed so warmly. I’m so proud to be part of that two way relationship and to provide eye care for both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in Ethiopia.”

As well as physical care, Israeli based NGOs are helping with conditions such as autism. A study conducted in Addis Ababa’s largest public teaching hospitals revealed that 71% of pediatric residents received no formal training in autism and less than half were aware that autism can be diagnosed in early childhood. To help combat this, activist-led Israeli NGO Eye to Eye provides webinars and on-the-ground clinical training to ensure long lasting knowledge and a sustainable local infrastructure.

Renana Geldman Tavens, Founding Director of Eye to Eye, said, “I believe the unique connection between Israel and Ethiopia is rooted in a shared history that goes back to the biblical days of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and the contemporary legacy of ‘Beta Israel’ which has created an enduring sense of mutual responsibility. Today, this bond is also driven by the 160,000 Ethiopian-Israelis who serve as a vital cultural bridge for NGOs such as Eye to Eye, helping to deliver sensitive and impactful care. This relationship is further energised by a strong culture of volunteering within young Israelis who combine exploration with social action, maintaining a constant and vibrant grassroots presence on the ground.”

Einat Fogel-Levin, Director of Public Policy and External Relations at the Society for International Development Israel, said, “Israeli humanitarian and medical organisations are increasingly bringing not only aid but professional expertise, innovation and long-term public health to developing countries. The work being carried out in Ethiopia shows how relatively small Israeli organisations can create significant impact through medical expertise, local partnerships and innovative approaches to blindness prevention. Jewish and international philanthropic support is also helping these initiatives expand far beyond what small NGOs could normally achieve.”