Ethiopia is one of the most populous countries in Africa (nearly 92 million inhabitants); however, it lacks the minimum number of health professionals required to cover the health needs of its population, particularly for pregnant women and children.

According to the WHO, 23 health professionals per 10 000 inhabitants are needed to ensure basic and effective medical assistance. However, in Ethiopia there is only 1 doctor per 20 000 inhabitants and 1 midwife per 10 000 inhabitants. Thousands of children and pregnant women are thus deprived of an effective health service that can save their lives.

Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates at 470 per 100,000 and 104 per 1,000 respectively. Under the framework objectives of the Life for Africa programme, Matres Mundi and the Ethiopian Catholic University of Saint Thomas d'Aquin (ECUSTA) have entered into a partnership in order to establish the first health and training institution of the Life for Africa programme on the University's campus.

This facility will contribute to the improvement of maternal and child health in sub-Saharan Africa through the continuous training of health personnel and the provision of maternal and pediatric welfare services. The first phase of this project involves the construction and equipping of the infrastructure. AMADE Mondiale, where access to health care and more specifically the fight against maternal and infant mortality is an integral part of its intervention strategy, is contributing to the equipping of the hospital.

Under the framework objectives of the Life for Africa programme, Matres Mundi and the Ethiopian Catholic University of Saint Thomas d'Aquin (ECUSTA) undertook the construction of an International School of Perinatal Medicine in Addis Ababa on the University's campus, composed of one hospital (a nursery center) and a school.

This institution aims to contribute to the improvement of maternal and child health through the continuous training of health personnel.