How food scarcity and medical supplies dey affect children for Ethiopia sake of war

BBC

BBC
Haftom dey struggle to stand and im dey ‘hang-on’ to life

Little Haftom dey almost five years old

Im name mean “wealthy” for di Tigriyna language but im dey weigh just half of wetin im suppose weigh.

As di doctor raise di clothes im wear, di jumper and tracksuit to show im arms and legs, im mama dey look witout any expression or emotions for her face.

She no gree tok wetin her name be.

Dis na di reality of hunger and malnutrition wey dey happun evriday afta two years of civil war for di northern Ethiopia region of Tigray. One peace deal don end di fight-fight but di fallout from di katakata still dey.

For August, di UN estimate say nearly one inside three children under di age of five for Tigray dey malnourished, dem no dey chop beta food.

As federal goment sojas and Tigrayan forces fight, di Ethiopian authorities either limit or heavily stop di support wey dey enta di region into di northern region, wey lead to an effective blockade.

‘Empty-handed’

Makda, wey dey di same age as di conflict, lie like baby for im mama arms Hiwot.

She dey listless and her stomach don swell wel well.

BBC

BBC
Dis na Makda second time for hospital suffering from malnutrition

“E don dey hard well well to get food,” na wetin Hiwot tok “E dey very hard to eat even once a day.”

But since dem admit her for hospital, Makda condition still dey worse.

“My daughter dey dis situation becos dem tell us say medicine no dey. We neva fit get anytin,” Hiwot tok.

“Even wen we come hia last year wit di same problem, I no fit get anytin and I go house wit empty-hand”.

Di families of Haftom and Makda don dey find treatment for Mekelle, di capital of di Tigray region.

Di BBC film and interview dem witin di past month.

Afta August, as federal goment forces collect more territory, di Tigrayan authorities agreed to ceasefire.

Under di terms of di peace deal wey dem sign for di beginning of last month, di authorities for di capital, Addis Ababa, say dem go send in more aid.

‘Used up in a day’

Dr Kibrom Gebreselassie na surgeon for Ayder Referral Hospital for 15 years.

Na di biggest public hospital for di region wey be home to seven million pipo.

“To see young children and mothers suffer and cry evriday, dey traumatising,” Dr Kibrom tok.

“Plenti children don die inside our hospital becos once pikin get malnutrition, no be only food you go give dem. Dem need medication, antibiotics, minerals… and we no get dem.”

BBC

BBC
Dr Kibrom don struggle to keep im hospital going during two years of war

Some of di tins we need dey come but dem dey come late.

Dr Kibrom say two trucks wit medical supplies from di International Committee of di Red Cross (ICRC) na im first reach Mekelle.

“Di amount of medicine wey we receive bin dey enough for half of our patients and e only last for one single day,” im sigh.

For evriday wey aid no ccome hospital more patients dey die.

“Take cancer patients, di situation is very depressing hia, chemotherapy no dey for di entire Tigray,” Dr Kibrom tok.

“Evriday, evri week, evri month, di stage of dia cancer dey worse.

“If na wetin dey treatable before, now e don become iimpossible. For di pipo wey dey sick well well, evriday, evri hour counts.”

Aid effort

From mid-November to di first week of December, di Ethiopian goment and aid agencies don manage to send more dan 1,600 trucks wey dey carry food, shelter and medical supplies, di UN humanitarian office tok.

Di ICRC, say dem don send at least 38 trucks to Mekelle since di middle of November, and more dey road.

“All humanitarian actors make all efforts but e no dey enough compared to di scale of di need,” Jude Fuhnwi, ICRC spokesperson in Ethiopia tok.

And di needs plenti well well.

Di UN World Food Programme (WFP) dey target to get emergency food aid to 2.1 million pipo for Tigray evri six months and say e dey on track.

“Plenti tins don improve since di peace deal,” Claude Jibidar, WFP representative and Ethiopia kontri director tok.

“Afta two years of katakata, we no expect to go back to normal overnight.”

Mekelle still dey under di control of di Tigrayan goment though federal forces control areas for di north around Shire.

For anoda department of Ayder hospital, Fikadu Jember, one retired teacher, describes how im neve fit get medicine to treat im diabetes for di past three months.

“Wen we come hia for treatment, most of di equipment no dey function. We dey try evriwia, but nothing dey sake of di blockade,” im tok.

“Many pipo dey die becos of dis. Afta di peace agreement wey dem sign, we bin dey hope say we go get medicine but nothing don come yet.”

Doctors no get di most basic supplies.

“We no get enough gloves to do surgery. We get to re-wash and re-use dem up to three times,” Dr Kibrom tok.

“We no fit do any transfusions becos we no get blood bags. So, if we know say any patient go need transfusion, we no go do di surgery,” im add.

Electricity don comeback

Anoda doctor for di same Ayder hospital say dem dey receive small medical supplies.

“Di hospital dey full of wounded sojas and civilian patients,” di doctor tok. “dem no dey assist most of dem.”

Di only beta tin federal authorities don do na to restore electricity to Mekelle.

Di hospital recently tweet say di HIV drugs and test kits don start to arrive.

But di most vulnerable pipo don pay di highest price.

“I want beta future for her,” Makda’s mama Hiwot tok. “Na di only tin i fit tink about now”.