Effects of civil war--up close & personal
Submitted by Kathleen Harrison on Thu, 2021-10-14 15:24Anyone who knows me, knows how difficult it is for me to ask for things. (You might say no!)
Yet I am not asking, I am begging.
Ethiopia's civil war & famine have finally reached the news in the U.S.
But for many months we've been sending relief to refugees from the war, economic collapse, & famine. No other agency is aiding our friends in Lalibela & those who have fled to the town of Bahir Dar. Since November we've been feeding 3,000 children in Lalibela who would have starved without our help--YOUR blessed help. Most of you know our work, where every donated cent goes to Africa.
Last month the TPLF rebels invaded Lalibela and all communication ceased. We had no idea if our friends were dead or alive. We still don't know about many. One, I know, was attacked with a rifle butt & his teeth knocked out.
This month we've heard from 3 who were able to flee to Bahir Dar & we were able to wire emergency funds for them & their families. But there are so many more! Please read below the email I received this a.m. from our helper Desiye Melku. Then donate--with a check to Harambee or by pressing the DONATE button.
Our "snail mail" address is POB 1742, N. Riverside, IL 60546
A single $1 will help a child for a day. Every single dollar means another child may live to return to home & school in Lalibela. And we are just as grateful to receive a single dollar as $10 or $20 or $100.
If you would like more information, please contact us
Thank you.
From Desiye Melku:
Blessings to all!
Glad to hear from you back and we are always thankful with your thoughtful responses. In fact, we can never repay the efforts which you have done so far till this times and it’s merely better to say “Thank you” and May the Almighty God fill your life with an everlasting Blessings!
Words fall short when we try to express our sincere gratitude for your endless generosity.
As the war between the federal government and the Tigray militants continued and as Lalibela remains under the control of the TPLF, hundreds of people flee from Lalibela each day.
This is still putting an adverse impact to the lives of people both who are locked in Lalibela and who displaced to other nearby towns, especially in Bahir Dar.
As we are here in Bahir Dar and we are also a victim, we are seeing the actual situation of the people displaced from Lalibela and analyse for what is possible for Harambee to help those who need immediate life saving support.
General:
Each day until today, hundreds of people including young, old, children, pregnant women and women with kids on their back.... are being displaced. Most people are arrived Bahar Dar after several days of journey on foot and some could make it in two days.
The challenges continued even after they arrived Bahar Dar as so many of them don't have a place to stay, a meal to eat, no medicaments for the sick, no milk for the kids and more.
Tibebu, 18, a high school student of Harambee is among them. He still remembers the challenges with tears. He said “this is the time I hated my life". He came with his school friends. For the first few days in Bahir Dar, Tibebu stayed with us who have already reached here weeks ago. He is lucky to have Harambee friends and who take care of him.
Biru, at the age of 40, who displaced from a small village out of Lalibela with his seven family members. He used to work as a teacher at a small school. They run on the first night and they had to walk for five days to reach Bahir Dar. The kids still remembers how hard the journey was especially climbing the high mountains and crossing full rivers was so hard.
The parents had to carry the kids on their back. One of his daughters Sara, at the age of 5 had malnutrition as they didn't get enough food for days. I can feel the rest of the family's suffer with dirt clothes, broken psychology, so skinny and faded faces.
After they arrived Bahar Dar, they immediately went to a church to look for a place to stay. They have stayed in that church compound for about seven days and moved out (as there were hundreds coming into the church and that was not allowed for a security issue). Biru and his family are staying at a plastic shelter along side a road.
Tesfakiros Abebaw (25) also moved with his little brother and they are arrived Bahar Dar after two days walk. No doubt that Tesfakiros and his brother face the challenges. During the day, he takes his brother with him. And at night, they stay at someone's house paying 25 birr per night for a bare floor.
Until today, the committee is addressing the problems based in the following records.
1. Total number of displaced people from and around Lalibela is 6800
Female= 945
Male= 5,855
2. 1400 people who need immediate food support
3. Screening 24 individuals who are needs medical treatments and medicaments. The children those who are vulnerable for malnutrition are in the hospital and moderates are out of the hospital.
4. There are 17 college students from Lalibela in Bahirdar those whose family are locked in Lalibela. They don’t have who is looking after them.
5. The left in Lalibela are still without basic medicaments.
Challenges and Next move:
People in Bahar Dar are still suffering with NO shelter, meal, medical care, milk for the kids, sanitation for the women etc.
Project Harambee contribution?
The newly elected parliament was formed the new government in October 4, 2021. All informal reports show that the government is resumed the war as its formation. The approaching of the federal troops these days around Lalibela shows that and we are hopeful Lalibela will be free even if we are afraid of the destruction to be happened.
But even if we have that hope, people in Bahar Dar still needs support at least with the little capacity Project Harambee have.
Proposals:
1. the first best option is providing support for selected "most needy" and vulnerable people to get their meal twice a day. That is 60 birr (1.3$) per day per person. So, it is the capacity of our Project Harambee to decide the number of people to get this feeding support.
2. But if Project Harambee is not in that position, we suggest supporting the women with sanitation materials and the little kids to get milk. This is the time women suffer from lack of sanitation and the kids suffer from lack of milk and required child nutrition.
3. Children and persons with side sickness are suffering from malnutrition as they didn't get enough nutrition for several days. As a result, few people are even admitted to a hospital and we want Project Harambee to consider this and support those people to rehabilitate from this malnutrition.
N.B: we kindly ask the board of Project Harambee to discuss on the issue and what is possible for our Project Harambee to help our people. In the meantime, we acquired the data from the actual displaces to provide number of vulnerable women, children and people who has malnutrition.
Thank you very much indeed!
Des.