Chala Sadi is a health educator and communication expert in the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, where he designs social, and behavior change strategies and helps set national guidelines. Chala began his midwife career in 2004 at Nedjo Hospital in West Oromia. Later, he joined the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs, working to increase the number of institutional deliveries among the refugee population. His background includes more than 15 years promoting sexual and reproductive health and family planning in humanitarian settings and development programs. Chala prepares national guidelines for menstrual health and hygiene, and water, sanitation and hygiene programs. He earned a master’s degree in project planning management from Debre Markos University, a bachelor’s degree in health education and Promotion from Jimma University and a midwifery degree from Addis Ababa University.
Applied Project Title: Promoting Awareness and Use of Family Planning to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality in Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s high maternal mortality rate of 401 per 100,000 lives births impacts individuals, families, and society. Major causes include inaccessible services, low-skilled health care delivery, and limited use of family planning. Increasing contraceptive coverage can reduce maternal and child death rates by up to 40%. This project explored ways to improve awareness of, and access to, family planning methods to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate and lower maternal mortality. Specifically, the plan calls for the development and deployment of culturally sensitive messages to be communicated via radio and social media to address knowledge gaps and decrease unwanted pregnancies and their associated complications.