Just one more step toward a Self-Sustaining Burka Faya Clinic!

Just one more step toward a Self-Sustaining Burka Faya Clinic!

The Burka Faya Health Center in Sashemene, Ethiopia, officially opened in December 2024. From the start, the goal was clear: to provide quality health care while becoming financially self-sufficient. (See the project). That goal has not yet been achieved. The health center currently needs approximately €20.000 in additional donor funds each year to cover its operating costs. By investing in free patient transportation and a second pharmacy, we aim to bring more patients to the health center while simultaneously creating an additional, sustainable source of income.

The challenge
The Burka Faya Health Center is located on the main road from Addis Ababa heading south. Due to the rapid growth of Sashemene, the health center is now relatively far away for some residents. Older adults, pregnant women, mothers with children, and people with limited mobility, in particular, may have difficulty reaching it. Transportation costs can also be a barrier.

This affects both access to healthcare and the financial sustainability of the health center. Revenue comes primarily from payments for medical care and the sale of medications. If fewer patients visit the clinic, revenue will decline as well.

At the same time, the existing pharmacy demonstrates that there are opportunities: sales of medications and health products are going well and are already helping to cover costs. That is why we do not want to continue making up for the annual deficit

Two investments, one goal

1. Free patient transportation
We want to purchase an electric bajaj, an Ethiopian-style tuk-tuk, to transport patients free of charge from various neighborhoods and surrounding areas to the Burka Faya Health Center. The vehicle will bear the health center’s name and logo and will be used primarily for patient transport, but can also be used for medical or other emergencies if necessary.

By removing the transportation barrier, more people will have access to the health center. We expect this to increase the number of patients and, consequently, revenue from consultations, treatments, and the pharmacy.

Required investment: $17.000, including the bajaj, registration, charging facilities, driver, insurance, maintenance, and the first year of operation.

2. A second pharmacy
The existing pharmacy is a major source of revenue for the Burka Faya Health Center. That is why we want to open a second pharmacy on the other side of Sashemene.

The pharmacy will be located in a rented space of approximately 40 – 60 m² in an easily accessible and high-traffic location. It will offer reliable and affordable medications and health products, purchased from legal and accredited suppliers. The product range includes commonly used medications and health products, as well as items such as bandages, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, and products for mothers and children. Professional advice on medication use will also be provided.

The pharmacy also has an important financial goal: to build a healthy business that can generate profits and make a sustained contribution to the health center. The initial target is a monthly revenue of approximately $1.700 – $2.300, with an emphasis on a healthy net profit and efficient inventory turnover.

Sustainable impact
The two investments reinforce each other. The patient transportation service improves access to healthcare and is expected to bring more people to the health center. The second pharmacy boosts revenue by expanding an activity that already contributes positively to the health center.

Together, the investments should contribute to:

• better access to medical care for people in Sashemene and the surrounding areas;
• fewer transportation barriers for vulnerable patients;
• more patients using the Burka Faya Health Center;
• better access to reliable medications and health products;
• an additional source of recurring revenue;
• reduced dependence on annual donations;
• a healthier and more sustainable health center.

In this way, Burka Faya can gradually become less dependent on donor funds and work toward long-term financial self-sufficiency.

From donor support to financial independence
The Burka Faya Health Center is already providing health care to the people of Sashemene. The pharmacy is up and running, the staff is on the job, and the foundation for a sustainable health center has been laid. Now there is just one important step left: financial independence.

With an investment of $57.000, we can implement two concrete solutions that will help the health center generate more of its own revenue. We don’t want to continue covering the annual deficit; instead, we want to invest in a future in which Burka Faya can increasingly cover its own operating costs.

Your contribution will therefore not only help finance a vehicle or a pharmacy. It will help Burka Faya continue to provide quality healthcare while becoming less and less dependent on donations.

Help the Burka Faya Health Center become financially sound and self-sufficient.