“When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion” – Ethiopian Proverb

When Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo and wife Anna Maria visit Rotary Ethiopia this month, they will see the Rotary Club of North Atlanta’s (RCNA) global grant project first-hand – the sole project chosen for their visit.

Joined by two Rotary clubs in the United States and two in Addis Ababa, the RCNA is beginning the third year of a five-year initiative to prevent serious birth defects such as spina bifida, which are associated with a lack of an inexpensive vitamin (B9, or folic acid) in maternal diets.

Spina bifida occurs when part of the spinal cord lies outside of the vertebrae. It belongs to a group of related conditions called neural tube defects or NTDs. Children born with an NTD often die at birth. Even if initially saved by prompt and essential neurosurgery, they may still face a difficult, shortened life with disability.

To prevent this problem, women need sufficient folic acid in their diets before they become pregnant and during the first trimester. Those who have already given birth to a child with an NTD face a 10X risk of having another child with these disabilities, and Ethiopia has one of the highest NTD rates in the world. The tragedy is that some 75% of these birth defects can be prevented by preconception consumption of the vitamin.

The purpose of the global grant project is to provide women who have already had a child with an NTD with supplemental high-dose folic acid tablets initially purchased from a firm in India. The high-risk cohort was identified from the records of local hospitals in Addis Ababa. The program follows these mothers to determine the effect and impact of the intervention during the program’s five-year duration.

The Rotary Club of North Atlanta, RC Addis Ababa Central Mella, and RC Addis Ababa West are distributing over 1.8 million high-dose folic acid supplements, benefiting thousands of women and families in Ethiopia. In the third year, the program will expand to two more hospitals in the Tigray region, totaling six hospitals, with one hospital already having a waiting list of over 780 mothers. So far 2500 women have participated.

The project recently won the “Anna Award” for “Most Impressive Project” at the 2025 District 9212 Conference. Momentum is gaining towards sustainability: folic acid tablets are now being manufactured in Ethiopia, and the country has approved folic acid fortification of wheat and plans to introduce double-fortified salt with iodine and folic acid.

RCNA’s hope is that the R.I. president’s visit will highlight the need and viability of the project to the world of Rotary – and beyond.