Our Mission

Vision

The vision of Soddo Christian Hospital is to provide excellent medical care, make disciples of Jesus Christ, and train African health care professionals.

Mission Statement

  • To provide high quality and compassionate health care for those in need in the Horn of Africa
  • To share the love and message of Christ through evangelism and ongoing discipleship with patients, their families, and staff
  • To equip Africans to be outstanding medical providers through on-site training and external educational opportunities
  • To engage with our local community to promote Christ’s love and respect for human dignity

Core Values

  •                         Honesty
  •                         Excellence
  •                         Attitude
  •                         Responsibility
  •                         Teamwork

We have 171 beds spread out over four wards and an ICU.  We provide a full range of medical, surgical (including orthopedic and general), maternity, and pediatric care. The hospital has an emergency clinic and outpatient clinic rooms, and an optometry and dental clinic. The surgical department has five operating rooms. Soddo’s radiology department proudly offers digital x-ray, ultrasound, and a 16-slice CT scanner!

The hospital is located in Soddo, a city of roughly 200,000 people in southwestern Ethiopia, about 200 miles (330km) from Addis Ababa. It is the center of the Wolaitta region, which has about 2.5 million inhabitants, and is one of the most populated and impoverished parts of Ethiopia.

We desire to preach the Gospel in a relational environment. At Soddo Christian Hospital, we take care of patients of all backgrounds and all religions. We hope to demonstrate the Gospel with compassionate and loving care, and to share with our patients the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We are actively making disciples among our employees, our residents, and our patients through Bible study and living the Christian life together. We believe that the most effective transformation happens as we cultivate Christ-honoring relationships. We are committed to one another and to living a life of integrity and transparency.

Our History

In the 1970′s, Soddo was home to a Christian mission hospital up the hill from the town in an area known as Otona. Dr. Harold Adolph was a missionary surgeon from the United States who lived in Soddo with his family and served as the lone surgeon at the hospital. In 1974, a political coup in Ethiopia resulted in Communist rule, and the government soon took over the hospital. Many missionaries in the country were forced to leave.

Dr. Adolph always longed to start another mission hospital in Soddo – a place where physical and spiritual healing would take place in the name of Jesus Christ. The country became free again in 1987, and Dr. Adolph was invited by his Ethiopian friend Dr. Kelemu Desta to pursue God’s call and make the dream a reality. Together they enlisted the help of supporters in the USA and Europe, and started St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation – a 501(c)3 non-profit based in the US.

Through God’s provision, funds were raised, and a new hospital was built in Soddo – one with the express purpose of glorifying God.  In January 2005, Soddo Christian Hospital opened its doors.

Since then, over 331,000 patients have been treated, over 68,000 operations performed, and more than 10,000 babies delivered.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia sits in the eastern corner of the African continent in what is called “the horn of Africa”. With over 107 million inhabitants, it is the second most populated country on the continent. It is among the top 10 fastest growing nations in the world with an annual population growth approaching 2.46%.

Ethiopia suffers from poverty and poor sanitation. It is frequently listed among the poorest countries in the world (# 21 in 2017).  More than three-quarters of the population live on less than one dollar per day. Per capita income in 2017 was $1,916.

With regard to health, Ethiopia ranks near the bottom on almost every indicator. For a child-bearing female, the lifetime risk of maternal death, that is death related to pregnancy, is one in sixteen. (In the developed West, it is around one in 2,800). Most of us in the West will never know someone who dies from childbirth. But in Ethiopia, it is far too common. Infant mortality is 42 deaths before one year of age for every 1,000 live births (#165 out of 182 countries).

Soddo is 330km south of Addis Ababa at the edge of the Great Rift Valley with beautiful weather at 7,400 feet elevation. Misty green mountains hedge the city, and the climate is moderate and pleasant. October through April is the driest and hottest season, with temperatures ranging from 52 to 80 degree Fahrenheit. May to September is more moderate, with temperatures reaching 70 degrees. Two rainy seasons occur: February to March and May to September.

St. Luke's Health Care Foundation

St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation is based in Wheaton, Illinois. The Foundation owns, operates, and directs funds to Soddo Christian Hospital which functions within Ethiopia as a private limited company.

The vision of the Board of Directors is to establish a private hospital in Soddo, Wolaitta, Ethiopia, as a medical training center that will minister to the needs of the people in Ethiopia. Due to its strategic location, the Foundation seeks to use the hospital as a training center for medical workers across Africa. For this reason, Soddo Christian Hospital is one of only nine surgical resident training sites in Africa for the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons.