Forty eight thousand dollars worth of neonatal equipment delivered March 14, 2012 to Yekatit 12 Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This latest donation is part of an ongoing project to build a world class neonatal service at one of the premiere government run hospitals in Ethiopia. This is an addition to equipment donated by IFA only two months ago costing close to seventeen thousand dollars. In the last 5 years, International Fund for Africa has donated and supported the neonatal service at Yekatit 12 hospital to a tune of over 200,000 dollars worth of medical equipments, uniforms, computers, projectors, etc.

The hospital is in the final stages of building a 4 story building next to the pediatric department of the hospital and one floor will be occupied by the neonatal division. Most of the equipment they will be using will have been donated by IFA.

On March 7th, IFA President Anteneh Roba delivered a talk at Lund University for university students. He followed this talk with a similar address to the general public at Malmo University on March 9, as part of their Critical Animal Studies course. Both topics of discussion centered on the problems facing human and non-human animals and Africa, specifically addressing the causes of animal suffering in Africa, and the challenges facing non-human African animals in the 21st Century.

On March 8, 2012, ambassadors from Cuba, Brazil, Liberia, Rwanda, Botswana and Mozambique gathered at Yekatit 12 Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to learn from the hospital's practice in the field of neonatology. Yekatit 12 has been recognized as a "best practice facility" due to the hard work of Dr. Mulualem and her staff, combined with IFA's donations and support. The institution now serves as a model for other hospitals in a multitude of countries attempting to improve medical care for infants. These ambassadors, along with IFA COO and co-founder Seble Nebiyeloul, M. H. A., met with Yekatit medical staff on International Women's Day in the hopes that their countries can mirror Ethiopia's success in lowering its infant mortality rate.

On February 24, 2012, IFA awarded two Ethiopian medical researchers with an award that highlights the commitment of medical professionals to the medical issues facing Ethiopia in the 21st century. For the fifth consecutive year, IFA's awards were featured at the annual Medical Association Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Each recipient was given a $1,000 financial award in recognition of their work.

Dr. Hope R. Ferdowsian, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at George Washington University, and board member of IFA spoke at the 48th annual Ethiopian Medical Association Conference on February 24, 2012. The two-day conference was held on February 23 and 24 at the UNECA conference center in Addis Ababa. Dr. Ferdowsian's address on the "Prevention Aspects of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases" mirrored the theme of this year's conference, "Non Communicable Diseases."

The people and nations of Africa face many challenges brought about by severe poverty. Today, roughly half of Africans live in absolute poverty. Despite once having been a net exporter of food, the continent has become a net importer as the number of undernourished people in Africa has risen to 200 million. Africa is the only continent where poverty is expected to increase in the next decade.

International Fund for Africa (IFA), in conjunction with the Addis Ababa Health Bureau, has undertaken to upgrade the city's neonatal hospital services to provide more much-needed care. IFA's initial efforts have recently provided new equipment and supplies to Yekatit 12 Hospital and Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

IFA is working with non-governmental organizations and local governments in Ethiopia on finding ways to spay and neuter homeless dogs in and around the cities of Addis Ababa and Jimma a city located in south western Ethiopia; provide vaccinations for rabies, parvovirus, and other diseases; educate the public on how to better care for dogs; and promote foster care and adoption programs.

The International Fund for Africa (IFA) is actively engaged in promoting compassion for animals in Ethiopia by helping to establish small-animal curricula at Ethiopian Veterinary Schools. We are also working to support, in collaboration with other Ethiopian and International animal protection societies, the creation of the country’s first-ever animal welfare law.

Africa the world's second largest continent with a population of approximately one billion, is the world's poorest and most under developed continent. One–third of its population are malnourished; half live on $1 per day, and 80% live on less that $2 per day.