In Ethiopia, an estimated 3.9 million children have not received a single routine vaccine. These “zero-dose” children live with daily risk from diseases like measles, polio, and pneumonia—conditions that can be prevented with just a few drops or injections. Many of these children live in remote areas, while others have been cut off from health services due to conflict or displacement.
In the Tigray region, years of conflict severely disrupted basic health services, including routine immunisation. This is where we meet 3-year-old Philmon Haylome, from a small village in Hahayle district.
Philmon’s mother, Kisanet Teklay, remembers how the conflict changed everything.
“My child was born during the fighting. Health services had stopped. I thought once a child grew older, he could no longer be vaccinated,” she said. For three years, Philmon remained unprotected, making him vulnerable to diseases that continue to claim young lives.
That changed with the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) Project, implemented by Amref Health Africa, in partnership with Africa CDC and funded by the Mastercard Foundation.
Through an integrated digital headcount and mobile outreach campaign, trained health teams, including community health volunteers, travelled to remote and underserved communities, right to the homes of families like Philmon’s. When health workers reached Philmon’s village, they identified him as a zero-dose child and ensured he received three life-saving doses, protecting him against seven deadly vaccine-preventable diseases.
For Kisanet, the relief is immeasurable. “Today, my child is vaccinated. I am so happy. I no longer worry about him getting sick or paying for treatment,” she shared with a smile.
Philmon is one of more than 3,000 zero-dose children identified and vaccinated through the project in hard-to-reach areas of Ethiopia. But his story represents something bigger: hope returning, systems rebuilding, and children receiving a second chance at a healthy life.
During a recent SLL-supported campaign alone, over 40,000 children, including zero-dose and under-vaccinated children, received routine immunisations across four regions. This is part of SLL’s commitment to deliver more than two million child and adult vaccine doses nationwide.
With renewed confidence, Kisanet now dreams boldly for her son.
“I want him to grow up healthy and maybe become a doctor,” she says proudly.
Philmon’s journey shows that when communities are reached with compassion, innovation, and determination, no child needs to be left behind. Despite conflict and years of missed opportunities, protection is possible and futures can be rewritten.
Authors:
- Betebebu Mulugeta, Knowledge Management Coordinator for the SLL Phase II project, Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia
- Michael Tarekegn, Senior Project Manager for the SLL Phase II project, Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia
- Selam Luel, Technical Assistant, Saving Lives and Livelihoods project in Tigray Region, Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia