My babies need support to survive this drought

A week into their treatment, “The twins have stopped coughing. They`re happy now,” says Sada. “They don`t have water in their village and they`re using water here now, daily. There is improvement, but they`re not gaining enough weight. If we continue with the f100, they will gain weight.”

Yet Radia and Fatia are just two of thousands of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition, following two consecutive seasons of failed rains.

For mother-of-two Mirama from Fentale, “We are without proper food right now. I am scared that in the future Abdi will be affected by malnutrition,” she says of her week-old son.

“Our staple food is maize and we can`t grow it if there is no rain. Due to the drought, we are not able to grow any crops. Our livestock in the village have been unable to reproduce, so we`re left without any money now and no food this year.”

Working with the Ethiopian government, ChildFund Ethiopia and its local partner organisations in seven rural districts have been providing supplementary food and edible oil for 74,000 most vulnerable children and family members since October. ChildFund`s local partners are also supporting the government to provide blankets, sheets and mattresses to help health centres handle the growing demand, as more and more children need treatment.

Mirama, who received post-natal care from her local centre, reveals her daughter Angatu, 3, was also diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition and treated in outpatient therapy. Angatu currently receives and eats Famix. Yet it is not enough.

“We need support because we`re highly affected by the drought. We need water especially,” urges Mirama, who travels two hours to collect drinking water for her family from a nearby village. “We eat maize porridge without oil. We`re eating once every day. That is what we live on.”