Hawassa Branch Office

Hawassa Office was opened in 1996 in Hawassa City Catholic Mission premises and then moved to Hawassa Health Care Station premises until 2010. He has been working until 2015 and due to the expansion of the health center into a hospital, the government has built the office next to the Catholic Mission headquarters in Manaheria sub-district, Piazza Kebele administration. OSSHD Hawassa Branch Served as the first philanthropic organization in the city by providing financial, medical, material, counseling services and educational tools to those affected by the HIV virus and children who lost their parents due to the virus.

Contact Information

Biography

In preventive work, OSSHD Hawassa branch has been working to make youths accessible by providing different trainings (Life skill, Peer Educator, Club Mgt,) to youths outside of school and establishing a youth club. Among the youth clubs that used to work at the level of clubs, Tamra Youth Club of Shashemene City, at Yirgalem Beza for All Youth Club have developed themselves and are currently working as organizations. OSSHD has been working in Hawassa city to train the leaders of the community to reduce the isolation and discrimination in the society by establishing a coalition of opportunities under the name Let's save the generation. Work has been done to enable those who are able to work by providing income generating training to people with the virus in their blood to submit a plan for their work by providing them with initial financial support. OSSHD Hawassa Branch with WORLD FOOD PROGRAM provided food support to those living with the virus.

Key Achievements of OSSHD Hawassa Branch

Over the past years, OSSHD has expanded its reach beyond university campuses, making meaningful impacts in local communities with the support of various international partners. With financial assistance from the VIVO project, OSSHD identified and supported orphans with severe needs by purchasing housing, allocating ongoing budgets, and hiring nannies to ensure their care and stability. In partnership with PACT Ethiopia, the organization established a free HIV testing center within the compound of its affiliated health center, improving community access to voluntary testing services. Additionally, through support from the CDC, OSSAHD set up a mobile HIV testing tent that operated in Hawassa and surrounding areas up to 150 km, delivering counseling, testing, and referrals to health facilities for those who tested positive. Furthermore, with funding from DSW, OSSHD opened a free telephone counseling line staffed by trained counselors, and promoted peer-to-peer engagement among young women by forming girls clubs and delivering peer education training. In the Shebedino and Boricha districts, the organization collaborated with PLAN Ethiopia to raise HIV prevention awareness and enhance the capacity of local health centers. Through the CORDAID project, OSSAHD empowered children and caregivers living with HIV by delivering income-generating skill training and linking them to savings associations to reduce their dependence on welfare. And also with support from USAID, OSSHD provided educational materials to thousands of children orphaned by HIV and offered HIV prevention training to community members. These diverse partnerships reflect OSSHDs strong commitment to improving health, education, and economic empowerment across Ethiopia. Finally over the past five years, OSSHD has played a vital role in supporting vulnerable groups through impactful health and education projects. From 2019 to 2022, it partnered with UNFPA and Hawassa University to assist disadvantaged female students and promote gender safety. OSSHD also delivered peer-to-peer reproductive health education and trained campus security on SGBV. From January 2022 to June 2024, with Global Fund support, it extended HIV prevention and testing services to AGYW, FSWs, and PWIDs.