Renovating and Expanding Health Services in Aleta Wondo Woreda

Kidist Letete, a 30-year-old healthcare professional from Sidama Region’s Aleta Wondo Woreda, serves at Wicho Health Center. Married and a mother of two, Kidist began her career as a Laboratory Unit Head before being promoted to Health Extension Program (HEP) Focal Person following her participation in the second round of High Impact Leadership (HIL) training under the MaMeLa/AMREF IHSS Program. Her promotion reflected her growing confidence, initiative, and unwavering commitment to improving health service delivery in her community.

When Kidist first joined the capacity building program, she shared that her greatest challenge as a healthcare worker was the lack of leadership support. Her aspiration was simple yet powerful, “to lead others with trust and integrity.” Through the MaMeLa program, she participated in mentorship sessions, women’s forums, peer-to-peer learning platforms, and the High Impact Leadership training. These experiences built her confidence and strengthened her leadership and problem-solving skills. The continuous coaching, team encouragement, and mentorship from MaMeLa facilitators played a crucial role in guiding her to turn challenges into opportunities for impact.

Soon after her promotion, Kidist identified a pressing issue in her catchment area: one of the health posts was nearly collapsing, rendering it unsafe and unusable for health extension workers (HEWs). Recognizing the urgency, she consulted with her mentors and the Primary Health Care Unit (PHCU) Head, then developed a renovation plan. Demonstrating strong initiative and community mobilization skills, she reached out to a local coffee company, which agreed to fund the renovation project. Although the exact financial contributions were not recorded, the renovation is now complete. The restored health post now offers a safe, fully functional workspace for HEWs and provides the surrounding community with improved access to essential health services.

Building on this success, Kidist took her leadership and initiative a step further. With the support and encouragement of her mentors and team, she approached the City Administration to request permission to establish an additional health post at the City Administration Office. Her proposal was approved, and she organized a motivated team to bring this vision to life. Today, the newly established health post provides all the essential services of a standard health post and acts as an additional service point to strengthen the health system and expand coverage in the area. This achievement not only improved healthcare access but also demonstrated how local initiative and empowered leadership can drive system-level change.

Taking her leadership impact even further, Kidist identified another critical gap which is inadequate refrigeration for storing medicines and vaccines in local health facilities. She reached out to JSI to explain the situation and advocate for support. In response to her request, JSI donated three refrigerators: one for Wicho Health Center, one for the newly established health post at the city administration office, and another for a third health facility in the woreda. This contribution has already improved the quality and reliability of medicine and vaccine storage, significantly enhancing service delivery for the surrounding population.

Kidist credits the MaMeLa mentorship, coaching, and leadership training for helping her recognize her potential and develop the skills and confidence to lead transformative change. She emphasizes that the encouragement, teamwork, and consistent follow-up from MaMeLa facilitators and mentors were key motivators in her success. The experience also strengthened her collaboration with colleagues, woreda leaders, and community partners showing how collective leadership can create sustainable progress.

As Kidist puts it, this is only the beginning. Inspired by the impact of these initiatives, she plans to continue expanding her efforts to other health centers and posts within the woreda to further improve the quality of care and strengthen the local health system.

Kidist’s story is a shining example of how empowered women leaders, supported through mentorship, teamwork, and practical leadership development, can mobilize resources, engage partners, and transform health systems from within. Her journey demonstrates the power of investing in women’s leadership and turning individual growth into collective community impact.