Dear friends of ETH,
In early 2018, we started Empower Through Health with the belief that everyone is equally valuable and deserves a fair chance to determine their own destinies. Over the past year we’ve taken big steps to realize this goal, but this is only the beginning.
We believe that everyone should have basic tools to enable their quest for a dignified and purposeful life. Many people do not have the agency to determine their own path. Hardworking and honest people are beaten down by circumstances, like lack of medical care, lack of education, and lack of opportunities.
It is this belief that drives ETH’s mission to improve healthcare in Uganda and create sustainable models that can be replicated around the world.
Before we opened a health center in Mpunde, a village in eastern Uganda, mothers had to walk for a full day to the nearest medical center, often only to find out that the center had run out of medicine. This meant that the children would frequently go without care for easily treatable diseases like worms and parasites, resulting in their prolonged suffering or even death. And that was on top of the wasted money and time spent on the fruitless trip.
With the opening of the Mpunde Health Center, we are proud that we have been able to improve the livelihood of 20,000 people in Mpunde and the surrounding Buyende District that previously did not have access to medical care.
We also had an exciting 2018 in our research efforts. Baseline research conducted by ETH has led to Washington University School of Medicine taking the initiative for conducting a research project, which has included the provision of $56,000 of medical supplies to the regional referral hospital and will include the capacity-building of the first endoscopy services outside of the two major cities of Uganda. Additionally, a study initiated by members of ETH has shown that training motorcycle taxis in first aid is a high-yield method to save lives, as they see many accidents. We are looking to scale this program with help from physicians at Washington University School of Medicine. On behalf of ETH, I would thank you all from the bottom of my heart for supporting our work to improve the lives of those in a forgotten corner of the world. Thanks to the material support, time given, and money donated, you have helped turn ETH from an idea to a reality in 2018. In 2019, I look forward to what we will continue to build together and the lives we will continue to improve in Uganda.
Thank you, Jae Lee
CEO and Co-Founder
Empower Through Health