I've always wanted to travel to Ethiopia. From all I've read and seen, it is a strikingly beautiful country with ancient temples and churches, and a geographical bonanza of tropical forests, mountain ranges and desert. (You can see some of it quite nicely on The Long Way Down.) Ethiopian food is fabulous—complexly spiced stews eaten with a spongy flatbread called injera.
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0440/Grum Tegene |
| ETHIOPIA: Five-year-old Khesna, who is severely malnourished, drinks therapeutic milk at the UNICEF-supported feeding unit of Bissidimo Hospital in East Harerghe Zone of Oromia Region. The milk is rich in micronutrients and is the first phase of a feeding regimen—eight times daily—that helps the body recover from the shock of malnutrition and conditions it to digest food. Khesna must initially be fed small portions, slowly. |
But as we've reported before, that wonderful Ethiopian food has become dangerously scarce. The global food crisis has hit Ethiopia incredibly hard—in the last year, food prices have nearly doubled. Severe drought has exacerbated an already bad situation. Now, 4.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Crops are dying, livestock is dying, children are dying.
UNICEF and other aid organizations are trying desperately to stem the tide of this spreading famine. And we have to make sure that children get enough food not only to stay alive, but to be adequately nourished. As I've written before, malnourishment cripples children’s growth, it dulls their intellects and makes them significantly more vulnerable to deadly diseases.
Not long ago in Ethiopia, heavily pregnant Kimia Gotu walked six hours from her village to a therapeutic feeding center with her two-year-old daughter, whose face, hands and feet were swollen from the effects of malnutrition. Kimia's family are farmers, but drought had killed the crops, and her child was beginning to starve. At the UNICEF-supported feeding center, her daughter received a regimen of therapeutic milk and Plumpy'nut—a miracle food that can quickly bring children back from the brink of starvation. With continued nourishment, she should be fine.
But right now, UNICEF estimates that Ethiopia now has more than 75,000 children in just as much need for urgent nutritional intervention. This beautiful country needs help. UNICEF is working incredibly hard, but we can't do it alone. Please consider supporting our efforts in Ethiopia, or send one of these UNICEF Inspired Gifts to kids who desperately need it. We'll take it from there.
Comments (1)
I appretiate the support of poor children inside the country.
Posted by Tesfay Shifare Suba | September 2, 2008 4:31 AM
Posted on September 2, 2008 04:31