Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from BBC Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
BBC Amharic - Over 10 thousand residents including children suffer from “severe” food shortage in North Wollo
December 17, 2024
Drought and food shortages in Bugna Woreda of North Wollo Zone in Amhara Region have caused over 10 thousand residents including children under the age of five to suffer, according to the woreda.
The Bugna Woreda Health Protection Office head Ato Gebremeskel Alemu told BBC conflict and natural causes have exposed the woreda to drought and food shortage.
The conflict in Amhara Region, which has surpassed the one-year mark has contributed to “suffering due to rainfall shortages and natural causes” according to the official who said multiple causes have worsened the food shortage.
“The lack of produce to the public has worsened health outcomes for mothers and children” said Ato Gebremeskel describing the impact, adding “charity organizations have not reached the public.”
A resident of Birko Kebele in the woreda, Woizero Yekaba told BBC her twin children, a boy and a girl aged one year and 3 months old, have endured “suffering” from lack of food.
“What do we have to help them with? Up until now we cared for them with whatever means we had. But since the new year there has been nothing. We have been left to just hold one another” she explained regarding their situation.
“I don’t have the strength to produce breast milk. I have been giving them just my breast all this time. They are not getting enough breast milk; how can they get it? ...the food we managed to find did not sit well with them.”
Woizero Yekaba who made a living selling umbrellas, said they stopped working when their children became ill. She explains how she has encountered a severe problem since not receiving food support from relatives.
“The doctors say, ‘feed them, they are not getting enough food’. For us where can we get it from? Times have been difficult. There has been drought, they used to give mothers and fathers one or two bags of grain. Outside of this we have had nothing to eat.” She explained her infant children are suffering from lack of food.
One local health professional said, “mothers who come to our health center are thinner than the children they breast feed.”
A resident of the woreda by the name of Ato Dessalew Alebachew said his crops were struck by snow, and he told BBC his spouse and 10-month-old twin children suffered from food shortage and have been brought to a health center.
Ato Dessalew said he used to produce beans, barley and teff, “mothers have nothing to eat, the children cannot feed either” he said explaining that the problem they have faced recently has been particularly severe.
He explained the circumstances being faced by his children as follows, “when the problem worsened, we brought them to a health center. This has been our second day...due to the food shortage they have become weak, they have become thin.”
Bugna district has been under the control of Fano forces for over a year; the group has accused the government of obstructing the supply of medicine and other resources to the district.
Located in the woreda’s main town of Ayena Bugina, the Ayena health center’s head Ato Mekonnen Ashagrie says in addition to the natural problems faced in the area, since the new budgetary year, food support and support from charity organizations which used to operate in the area had stopped.
One health professional who mentioned the woreda was facing the problem of food shortage, told BBC since last Hamle (early July 2024) the problem has significantly worsened.
As a result of the security problem in the area, the provision of nutritional food and medicine has been disrupted, causing pregnant mothers and children to face a complex food shortage.
At the beginning of the month of Tahasass (since December 10, 2024) when health professionals went out for a vaccination campaign, they observed how pregnant mothers and children faced severe food shortages and malnutrition.
Photographs received by BBC and those circulating on social media pages demonstrate the severity of the problem and are disturbing to view.
Of the 16 kebeles in Bugina Woreda and especially in Laydiba, Birko, Gulha, Berkuakua and Felfeliq Kebeles children between the ages of six months and five years are facing “severe” food shortages as indicated by assessments.
By the international emergency food shortage metric 65 % of children in the woreda are suffering from food shortages according to information received by the health office.
By this metric over 84% of mothers in the woreda have been facing “severe scale” food shortages.
The office head Ato Gebremeskel Alemu said in Bugina Woreda over seven thousand children are suffering from food shortages while more than three thousand pregnant mothers have suffered.
In Birko health station alone, which provides services to three kebeles, one health professional who opted for anonymity told BBC in the month of Hedar (November 10 to December 9, 2024) alone, four children lost their lives to food shortages.
Ato Gebremeskel said they are unable to confirm whether the severe food shortages in the woreda have caused children to lose their lives, however he said there are children “on the brink of death.”
“The health system has collapsed so if we were to study the impact beyond this, we would find more victims...we haven’t knocked on every door” they said explaining the health crisis in the woreda could be much worse, according to Ayena Health Station head Ato Mekonnen.
The woreda health protection office head Ato Gebremeskel explained his fears saying, “it is clear if charity organizations do not immediately come to the woreda and help people will lose their lives.”
The professionals said on Tuesday, December 17/2024 (Tahasass 8/2017 E.C.) two vehicles carrying nutritional food and medicine reached Bugna Woreda.
Ato Mekonnen who describes his hopes over provisions says “we save a lot of people” adding they received three months' worth of materials.
However, he fears that if provisions of nutritional food and medicine do not continue, the health crisis will “worsen”.
He explained his fears saying “there could be something even worse than this. Without medicine it won't matter whether there are professionals or not.”
Comments