አትሮን | Atron

For listeners trying to understand why preventable childbirth injuries still happen in Ethiopia, this episode turns maternal health statistics into a human story.

Biniyam Abebe follows the research of Dr. Tibeb Zena Debele and Dr. Dawit Gebeyehu Mekonen to examine obstetric fistula in Ethiopia, the barriers women face in reaching timely care, and why some mothers remain invisible even inside an expanded health system.

You’ll hear how prolonged and obstructed labour can lead to lifelong injury, why free treatment still goes unused, and how stigma, disability, distance, and facility design shape who gets seen by the system… and who does not.

The episode also explores practical solutions already within reach: training health extension workers to identify fistula, adapting maternal health services for mothers with disabilities, improving referral pathways, and involving families earlier in decisions to seek care.

This is not only a story about what is broken. It is a story about what Ethiopia already has - and the decisions needed to make that system reach every mother.

#Mothernalhealth #Ethiopia #Seifuonebs #DejafTV #Teddyafro #donkeytube

Timestamps:

0:00 - Opening

2:25 - Act 1: The Invisible Wound

6:21 - Act 2: Above The Dead, Below The Standing

9:31 - Act 3: The Three Delays

14:19 - Act 4: Not Built For Her

26:13 - Act 5: The Blueprint (A System Designed for Ethiopia)

35:25 - The Close

Featured Research:

This video is a knowledge-mobilization initiative showcasing the work of:

•⁠  ⁠Dr. Dawit Mekonen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5419-2461

•⁠  ⁠Dr. Tibeb Zena Debele https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0307021

Special thanks to Tibeb for the use of clips from her short film New Life

Additional Links:

• Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia https://hamlinfistula.org/

Connect with Biniyam:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/biniyam-abebe-atron/

Produced and Edited by Snack Labs

In partnership with Atron Sciences

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0YnXTNtOJ6Yi9KyCYwP8OV?si=4014a73962a94ab3&nd=1&dlsi=041804036c90408d

What if the biggest gap in diabetes care in Ethiopia is not medicine, but information?In this episode of Atron, Biniyam Abebe tells the story of two Ethiopian researchers connected to Queen’s University who are rethinking how people live with diabetes after they leave the clinic. Their focus is practical and urgent: diabetes self-care in Ethiopia, from food choices and insulin timing to blood sugar monitoring, foot care, and the right to ask questions.You’ll hear why so many patients receive a diagnosis without the support to manage daily life, and how Dr. Fikadu Ambaw Yehualashetand Dr. Fisseha Zewdu Amdie are testing two very different responses: small-group counseling that puts patients at the center, and an Amharic mobile game designed around Ethiopian foods, beliefs, and routines.This is a story about chronic disease, patient education, and what it takes to build health research that works in context. For listeners in Ethiopia and beyond, it offers a clearer picture of what managing diabetes really demands - and why better care may start with better conversation.#Ethiopia #PublicHealth #Diabetes #DiabetesAwareness #Atron #SciComm Timestamps:0:00 - Opening2:29 - Act 1: The Slow Emergency6:08 - Act 2: Nobody Told Us12:07 - Act 3: Ninety Percent Is On You16:08 - Act 4: The Counselor and the Game23:21 - Act 5: Built for Here29:34 - Whats nextFeatured Research:This video is a knowledge-mobilization initiative showcasing the work of:•⁠ ⁠Dr. Fikadu Ambaw Yehualashet•⁠ ⁠Dr. Fisseha Zewdu AmdieConnect with Biniyam:https://www.linkedin.com/in/biniyam-abebe-atron/Produced and Edited by Snack LabsIn partnership with Atron SciencesListen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0YnXTNtOJ6Yi9KyCYwP8OV?si=763ede955a7d468d

If you want to understand disability rights law in Ethiopia beyond official promises, this episode shows where the system breaks down and what would need to change for inclusion to become real.

We trace one story from a courtroom where a deaf man was sentenced without saying a word about his case to a broader investigation of why persons with disabilities are still excluded from places that matter- schools, legislation, etc. Drawing on research by Dr. Hiwot Abebe Mekonnen, Dr. Bekele Adane, and Dr. Abebe Assefa, we see how exclusion can be built into lawmaking, universities, and the justice system - sometimes through written rules and sometimes through assumptions no one stops to challenge.

Along the way, this episode explores the CRPD, the principle of “Nothing about us without us,” barriers to education, access to justice for deaf Ethiopians, and the long delay around Ethiopia’s draft disability rights act. The story asks a simple but urgent question: when the law is already on paper, why are so many people still left unheard?

For audiences in Ethiopia and beyond, this is a human-centered look at disability legislation, participation, and the gap between policy and lived reality.

Connect with Biniyam:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/biniyam-abebe-atron/

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0YnXTNtOJ6Yi9KyCYwP8OV?si=81c0dc87b9504461

Resources and Featured Research

• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• House of Peoples' Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
• Fetha Negest
• ⁠Dr. Hiwot Abebe Mekuanent research profile / thesis repository entry
• Abebe Assefa Alemu profile
• Bekele Adane Worku profile
• Breaking Barriers: New PhD grads fight for deaf access to justice

Timestamps:

00:00 A courtroom built on silence

01:54 Nothing about us without us

11:18 You cannot enter

16:23 The blueprint (already exists)

20:11 The forgotten man

29:29 The next chapter

How did a simple cultural practice become the baseline defense against a massive public health challenge?

In this episode of ATRON, we share groundbreaking research from four leading Ethiopian scientists that completely redefines how we think about low back pain, spine health, and healing.

While back pain impacts up to 80% of people in Ethiopia in their lifetime, the solution is not found inside an expensive medical machine. It is rooted in an accessible, zero-cost truth: our bodies are built to move.

We look at the latest clinical evidence explaining why heavy rest and over-medication often fail, and how a cultural disconnect in the clinic keeps people from finding real relief.

More importantly, this episode serves as an academic and community blueprint for change. From simple daily lifestyle adaptations to a collaborative, whole-person framework designed specifically for the Ethiopian healthcare system, our researchers show that a pain-free, meaningful life is entirely within reach.

If your back hurts right now: get up, listen to the data, and start moving.

Featured Research

• Dr. Sintayehu Daba - PhD, Rehabilitation Science, Queen’s University

• Dr. Mulugeta Bayisa - Physiotherapist, Research Associate, Lawson Research Institute

• Dr. Abey Bekele - Physiotherapist, Pain Communication Researcher

• Solomon - Physical Therapist, Movement & Exercise Researcher

Research Links

• Journal of Pain Research article

• BMC Health Services Research article

• IMF Ethiopia data

• UNICEF Ethiopia Health Budget Brief 2024/25

• WHO report

• World Physiotherapy information sheet

• DOAJ article

• Hindawi research article

• NCBI Bookshelf resource

Connect with Biniyam

Biniyam Abebe on LinkedIn

What does disability really mean: a problem in the body, or a world that was not built to include everyone?

In the first episode of Atron, we follow the story of occupational therapy in Ethiopia, a profession so new that for a long time, there was not even a clear name for it in Amharic.

This episode traces how occupational therapy moved from an unfamiliar idea to a historic milestone: the graduation of Ethiopia's first sixteen locally trained occupational therapists from the University of Gondar.

Along the way, we visit the work happening behind that milestone: support for children with disabilities and their caregivers, locally made assistive technology, and a growing movement to help people do the things they need, want, and love to do.

This is a story about disability, dignity, innovation, and what it takes to open doors that have been closed for too long.

Produced by Snack Labs in collaboration with Atron Sciences.

Resources:

Learn more about Grand Assistive Technology Center

Occupational Therapy Program - University of Gondar

አካል ጉዳት በትክክል ምን ማለት ነው? በአካል ላይ ያለ ችግር ወይስ ሁሉንም ሰው በእኩልነት ለማሳተፍ ዝግጁ ያልሆነ ዓለም የፈጠረው ታጉልዖ (ማስተጓጉል)?በመጀመሪያው የአትሮን (Atron) የቪዲዮ ክፍል፣ በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያለውን የኦኩፔሽናል ቴራፒ የጉዞ ታሪክ እንከታተላለን። ሙያው በሀገራችን አዲስ ከመሆኑ የተነሳ ለረጅም ጊዜ በአማርኛ ቋንቋ ግልጽ የሆነ ስያሜ እንኳን አልነበረውም።ይህ ክፍል፣ ኦኩፔሽናል ቴራፒ ከማይታወቅ እንግዳ ሀሳብ ተነስቶ እንዴት ወደ ታሪካዊ ምዕራፍ እንደተሸጋገረ ይተርካል፤ ይህም በጎንደር ዩኒቨርሲቲ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ በሀገር ውስጥ የሰለጠኑ የአስራ ስድስት ኦኩፔሽናል ቴራፒስቶች ምርቃትን ያካትታል።በዚህ ሂደት ውስጥ፣ ከዚህ ትልቅ ስኬት ጀርባ ያሉ ስራዎችን እንጎበኛለን፦ ለአካል ጉዳተኛ ህጻናትና ለተንከባካቢዎቻቸው የሚደረግ ድጋፍ፣ በሀገር ውስጥ የሚመረቱ አጋዥ ቴክኖሎጂዎች፣ እና ሰዎች የሚያስፈልጋቸውን፣ የሚመኙትንና የሚወዱትን ነገር እንዲያደርጉ ለማገዝ እየተስፋፋ ያለ ንቅናቄ።ይህ ስለ አካል ጉዳተኝነት፣ ስለ ክብር፣ ስለ ፈጠራ፣ እና ለረጅም ጊዜ ተዘግተው የቆዩ በሮችን ለመክፈት ምን እንደሚያስፈልግ የሚተርክ ታሪክ ነው።በስናክ ላብስ (Snack Labs) ከአትሮን ሳይንስ (Atron Sciences) ጋር በመተባበር የተዘጋጀ።ተጨማሪ መረጃዎች፦ስለ ግራንድ አጋዥ ቴክኖሎጂ ማዕከል (Grand Assistive Technology Center) የበለጠ ይወቁ፡https://rehab.queensu.ca/blog/inclusive-childhood-care-centre-launched-support-mastercard-foundation-scholars-programየኦኩፔሽናል ቴራፒ ትምህርት ክፍል - ጎንደር ዩኒቨርሲቲ፡https://cmhs.uog.edu.et/bsc-program-in-medicine/

አትሮን (Atron) | አዲስ አጭር ተከታታይ የፖዱመንተሪ ትንታኔ ነው። ጤናን እና አካታችነትን (Inclusion) የሚወስኑ ውስብስብ ኹነቶችን የሚመረምረው አዲሱ "አትሮን" የተሰኘ ተከታታይ የፖዱመንተሪ ትንቴኔ ለኢትዮጵያ የሚበጁ የጤና መፍትሔዎች፣ ችግሩን በሚረዱ በአገር ሠዎች ሲቀረጹ ምን ለውጥ ይፈጥራሉ? በአትሮን በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የዕለት ተዕለት ሕይወትችንን የሚወሰኑ ሥርዓቶችን የምንመረምርበት የምርምር ጉዞ ነው። በቢንያም አበባው አበበ እየተዘጋጀ የሚቀርበው በዚህ ጥንቅር እያንዳንዱ ክፍል፣ በፖሊሲ እና በተጨባጭ እውነታ መካከል ያለውን ክፍተት ለመሙላት የሚጥሩ ተመራማሪዎችን፣ የሕክምና ባለሙያዎችን እና የማኅበረሰብ መሪዎችን እንተዋወቃለን፥ ሥራቸውን እንሰማለን። በተከታታዩ የምንዳስሳቸው ዋና ዋና ነጥቦች የአካል ጉዳተኞች መብት እና ተሃድሶ፦ ለሁሉም ሰው በሚመች መልኩ ወደተቀረጸ ዓለም የሚደረግ ጉዞ።የጤና አገልግሎት ተደራሽነት፦ ከሕክምና ባሻገር ሥነ-ልቦናዊ እና ማኅበራዊ ድጋፍ ለምን አስፈለገ? ፖሊሲ እና እውነታ፦ በወረቀት ላይ በተጻፈው እና በተግባር በሚታየው መካከል ያለውን ክፍተት ማጥበብ። አገር በቀል ፈጠራዎች፦ በኢትዮጵያውያን ተመራማሪዎች የተሰሩ ጥናቶች ወደ ሕይወት ቀያሪ ተግባራት እንዴት እየተቀየሩ ነው?በስናክ ላብስ (Snack Labs) ከአትሮን ሳይንስ (Atron Sciences) ጋር በመተባበር የቀረበ።