Tiberah Tsehai, TsehaiNY Staff
Published September 23, 2009

“If we set an example for what can be, then others will follow.”
-Dr. Ebba Ebba, Pediatrician, Founder, Gemini Healthcare Group

Children in Ethiopia face harsh realities. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), each year out of 2.8 million births, 118,000 newborns will die.  A staggering 500,000 Ethiopian children won’t live to see their 5th birthday - 72% of those deaths occurring from preventable diseases. Of those that survive, only 36% of children attend primary or secondary school. Combined with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, many children are being left orphaned and in danger of exploitation.

A Doctor With A Mission Dr. Ebba Ebba, a pediatrician in private practice from Jacksonville, Alabama, is hoping to change the dire circumstances surrounding Ethiopian children. Three years ago Dr. Ebba started Gemini Healthcare Group, a not-for-profit healthcare foundation. The first project, which is currently in progress, is to build Ethiopia’s first children’s hospital - Addis Children’s Hospital. One might wonder why Dr. Ebba, who received a Medical Degree from Howard University College of Medicine and a Masters Degree in Public Health from the George Washington University School of Public Health, is undergoing such a laborious task. Dr. Ebba can simply choose to keep his private practice and live comfortably. However, that would not have challenged him and would have been contrary to the lessons instilled in him.

Dr. Ebba, who is building the first children's hospital in Ethiopia, holds a newborn shortly after delivery.

Dr. Ebba grew up in Ethiopia and had a sheltered childhood. He was surrounded by family, friends, and a close-knit community. His father was his earliest inspiration. Dr. Ebba recalls watching his father - known to share his wealth with those who were less fortunate - with “admiration and curiosity.” Years later Dr. Ebba still feels the impact that his father has left on him. “I realize the value of him reaching out to others.” Both his parents taught him early on that “we have a purpose not only to provide for ourselves and family but to others also.” For Dr. Ebba, the best way he could do that was by practicing medicine. “If we can prevent illnesses and poverty maybe we can give the children an opportunity to receive an education. How else will they take over?”

In high school Dr. Ebba was fascinated with and excelled in History and Math. At that time, his career goal was to become an Engineer or a History teacher. He finished high school in Ethiopia and came to New York in 1981. During college
Dr. Ebba stumbled upon the study of the sciences and pre-medicine by sheer accident. “However, I had very good support and mentoring from my professors at City College of New York that prepared me well for a career in medicine. Even though my interest in History was relegated to a hobby status, my desire to teach was getting primed.” He enjoyed tutoring Chemistry and Biology to underclassmen as well as General Educational Development (GED) classes. Dr. Ebba, whose hobbies include playing soccer and mentoring, believes that a person can make a big impact in any community if they take a young child and give them advice and direction.

Now a father of three, Dr. Ebba saw pediatrics as an intellectual challenge and therefore chose to study it. “I have the need and the desire to teach, and also to help kids and young adults so medicine was the perfect medium.” He describes being a pediatrician as a “rewarding” profession that also has its challenges such as dealing with the illnesses of a nonverbal child and social economic factors like parents who are divorced. As a pediatrician he has observed that while parents are not good patients, when it comes to their kids, they take extra precaution. He sees parents who may not necessarily take good care of themselves bring their children to see him. “I feel like I can make a difference with kids who have hope of getting better. Kids are non judgmental when you intervene and the pain goes away, they give you hugs.”