Food assistance provided to mothers and children fleeing violence

Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), with the support from Danish, Swiss and Canadian Red Cross Societies, has begun distributing emergency food assistance to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kembata-Tembaro Zone of Southern Nations, Nationalities and People Regional State (SNNPR) on 19 December 2018.

 

The supplementary food is being distributed to 2,322 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children aged under five who fled their homes due to recent violence in Kefa Zone of SNNPR.

 

The Society has distributed 2,322 bags of CSB and 4,644 bottles of oil to IDPs living in seven woredas of Kembata-Tembaro Zone. The first round of the distribution was provided to 1,200 beneficiaries, with further distributions to take place over the coming weeks.

 

Belaynesh Zewdie, who lost all her properties during the conflict and had her family member and child also wounded, said it has been hard life for her to take care of the wounded family member, a kid and her six children.

 

“I am here to where they are distributing two months ration of supplementary food to help my children who are injured by the violence,” told Belaynesh. She said she was grateful that she and her family are still alive and thanked Red Cross for providing food to feed her children.

 

ERCS Kembata-Tembaro Zone Branch Office volunteers are actively participating in the distribution of food to the people.

 

According to SNNPR Kembata-Tembaro Zone Agriculture & Natural Resource Development Department data, the conflict forced over 20,000 people to flee their homes for safety. The data indicates that the IDPs are living with their relatives and over 7,000 of them are children.