Food brings hope to malnourished children and women

In the past few months Birtukan and her family have experienced incredible loss and hardship. She, her husband and two boys had to flee their home in West Guji Zone when their property was set on fire during civil unrest. The walk from their village to the neighboring Gedeo Zone only took a few hours, but fear and grief made it seem endless.

Birtukan’s family left home with very little and have struggled to be able to feed themselves since they’ve been displaced. “We only managed to escape with our lives. We did not carry anything with us, only our children,” said Birtukan.

Birtukan’s husband used to provide for the family but he lost his eye when they were fleeing the conflict. “Now we have no money and there is not enough food to go around. My 2-year-old son has lost so much weight since we came here,” said Birtukan

When examined by Woreda health workers, Birtukan’s child was found to be malnourished and registered as a recipient for emergency nutrition being provided by the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS). Supported by the Danish, Swiss and Canadian Red Cross, the distribution is providing Birtukan’s family, as well as many others, with a lifesaving 2-month supply of food. The food distributed includes oil and Corn Soya Blend (CSB), a soy-based enriched powder high in nutrition that can be cooked like a porridge.

“The food provided by the Red Cross will provide my son with good nutrition help him to gain weight,” said Birtukan. She thanked the Red Cross for supporting her family and enabling her child to survive.

Since the conflict along the border of West Guji and Gedeo Zones erupted in April 2018 an estimated 800,000 people have been displaced. They are dispersed across spontaneous IDP sites and host communities in the two zones, with limited access to food, clean water, shelter, social services and other necessities.

Recently the security situation has stabilized, allowing for people to be able to return home. However, many have lost all their assets, meaning that sustained humanitarian assistance is still required. ERCS and its National Partner Societies are continuing distributions of emergency nutrition for 15,000 malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children aged under five in Kochere Woreda of Gedeo Zone.