At the health centre in Kefyalech’s community, her youngest child, 3-year-old daughter Debritu, was found to be moderately malnourished at a recent nutrition screening, so the supplementary food provided by ChildFund – Famix, a maize-and-soybean mixture fortified with vitamins and minerals – was especially welcome.
But Kefyalech says she felt she could not give the extra food to just Debritu and deprive her other children.
“As a mother, I had no choice but to feed the whole family because there has not been enough food in the house,” she says. “I could not feed the supplementary food to only one of my children while seeing the rest going to sleep on an empty stomach.”
As a result, the supplement was gone early, and Debritu remains malnourished.
The little girl also came down with pneumonia recently – no surprise, as malnutrition undermines children’s immunities. She is improving, with the help of medication she received from the health centre.
Kefyalech is deeply concerned about her family’s fragile future.
“I’m afraid of tomorrow because I have nothing,” she says. “I’m worried for my daughter. I’m scared. What if I don’t get support from ChildFund? I don’t know what is waiting for me tomorrow.”
