Brief History of the Organization

Grarbet is located 135 kilometers south of Addis Ababa in the Mesakn-Mareko Woreda of the Gurage Zone and 160 kilometers east of Addis Ababa in the East Shoa Zone. The rehabilitation center was christened Grarbet Rehabilitation, after grar (acacia), the most ubiquitous tree in the Ethiopian Rift Valley.
The genesis of Grarbet dates back to 1983 when the Meskan-Mareko Woreda was chosen as the site for epidemiological surveys. Between 1986 and 1988, a door-to-door survey was conducted on a stable population of twenty-five Peasant Associations and six Urban Dwellers’ Associations of Meskan-Mareko Woreda to ascertain the incidence of neurological disorder among rural communities.  This was a collaborative epidemiological survey between the Medical Faculty of Addis Ababa University and the Neurology Department of Umea University supported by the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC) and the Addis Ababa University.  The result of the survey revealed that epilepsy, mental retardation, and post-poliomyelitis paralyses were the most common neurological disorders in the sub-district.  Eye diseases and blindness, resulting from cataract and trachoma, were also found to be serious problems. In the spirit of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) motto, "no survey without service," the project embarked on a plan of extending rehabilitation services to the people of target area.  Against such background, the Grarbet Rehabilitation Center was established in the town of Butajira in 1995 with generous assistance from the Swedish Vassttenbotten Association for the Neurologically Disabled (VAND), Swedish Organization of Disabled International Aid Association (SHIA) and an agreement reached with the Ministry of Health of the Government of Ethiopia.
Over the years the services of Grarbet have expanded to seven Woredas with a total population of one million. Grarbet has also added new services which include trachoma control programme, supply of potable water to rural communities and skill training of the blind and the physically handicapped.
Since April 2006 Grarbet has established a new secondary eye care center in the town of Zeway with support of Orbis-International Ethiopia and Light for the World (Austria).  The Center intended to serve Woredas in the East Shoa Zone of the Oromia Region.  The service will progressively be expanded to adjoining Zones and Woredas.

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