For water, food... for life itself

Charities like Dubai Cares bring hope to families in far-flung villages of Ethiopia which otherwise could only stare at hunger, water shortage and diseases

Seeing the plight of little children walking barefoot on gravel, blood oozing from a foot of a six-year-old girl catches my attention. The girl seems least bothered by her wound because she knows the nearest hospital is 10km away and her wound would heal naturally in a few weeks.

Most children around her in a village in southern Ethiopia don’t hope for a lot from their future. Their basic mission in life is to survive for another day and face every challenge with a smile.

For that six-year old girl, going to school is the best part of her day because she gets food through a school feeding initiative supported by Dubai Cares.

Khaleej Times visited the house of a family inside a village some 300km from the capital city of Addis Ababa. The mud walls making up the house of Kurazi Nukro served as a simple reminder of how he lost one of his seven children to hunger.

“Water is a very serious problem here and we also face shortage of food. Whenever we don’t have money at home, I go and cut wood to sell it off in nearby towns. The money earned goes towards feeding my family,” says Kurazi.

The problems faced by his family is real. Taking a bath and keeping the kids clean is not possible everyday. The water shortage forces the family to take a bath only once every 15 days.

Kurazi Nukro knows how hard he needs to work to feed his family. His farm and cattle are an important part of his daily routine. — KT photo by Muaz Shabandri

Kurazi is not alone in his plight. Other villages lying far away from bigger cities in Ethiopia face similar challenges.

“Our survival is dependent on the success of the crops farmed here. Sometimes when there is a shortage of water, we don’t have enough food for all family members,” says Kurazi.

In his village, people only go to the hospital when there is a severe case of Malaria. For now, the food and nutrition needs of Kurazi’s kids are being taken care of by Dubai Cares.

“When the school gives food to my children, it takes away a big burden on my part. I don’t have to worry about feeding five hungry kids,” he adds.

Tomas Woldemichael is a school director in one of the schools assisted by the World Food Programme. He says, “Many parents send their children to school because they know they will get a meal here.

We are also educating the students on nutrition, so that they will not only like the taste of their meals, but also appreciate what proper nutrition can do for their minds, bodies and lives.”

Most places facing a shortage of water face larger health issues. One such health problem is the lack of hygiene and sanitation which forces children to become susceptible to worms in their bodies. Purnima Kashyap, Deputy Country Director for the World Food Programme in Ethiopia, says, “It is important to deworm a child because the food does not get used by the body if there are worms inside the body. It simply doesn’t get absorbed.”

She says the larger issue is providing enough food for all kids in such villages. Dubai Cares and World Food Programme work with other partners to reach such villages and lend a helping hand and provide food and hygiene facilities.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com