A photo essay and update on the mother and child hospital Holt is helping to build in Shinshicho, Ethiopia.

In 2010, the Holt-funded maternal-child hospital in Shinshicho, Ethiopia didn’t start off looking like much — just hollow cement walls framed by rough wood scaffolding. Without a roof or floor, rain turned the empty, 40,000 square foot space into a giant, mud-splattered maze. It was hard to imagine the finished product. But hundreds of people believed in the space — believed it was a place the Lord would bless — and together, through sacrifices of time and money, the humble foundation has begun to transform into a state-of-the-art health care center, complete with surgical labs, X-ray rooms and more than 100 doctors trained in advanced care. And with the transformation of the building has come an improved livelihood for families in the region.

Although the hospital — which will focus on women’s and children’s health, but serve all patient’s needs — isn’t quite complete, already the people of Shinshicho can feel its impact. In this impoverished region home to about 250,000 people, more than 200 Shinshicho residents found jobs working on the hospital, which helped provide stable income and invaluable training.  Once the hospital opens, it will be another tool to help Holt achieve its vision: a world where every child can grow strong and healthy in a loving, stable home — and whenever possible, within his or her birth family. Ethiopia is largely a patriarchy, but the hospital is shining a spotlight on the importance of maternal and child health — since strong, healthy women tend to strengthen families and children.