Ethiopia food crisis: Degu's story

Degu and his family live in a village called Hawora in southern Ethiopia. It is about 20km from our therapeutic feeding centre in Danama in West Badawacho woreda (district).

Degu stayed at the health centre for a week, receiving high-nutrient milk and antibiotics.

He has to visit the health centre once a week for a check-up and to pick up a supply of Plumpy’nut (micronutrient peanut butter).

Degu's father's story

Degu's father, Admasu Anjulo, is a farmer from Hawora village. Because of the rain shortage, he lost his previous harvest and he is not expecting to harvest crops from the maize he recently planted.

To feed his family, he works on other people's farms for 40 birr a day.  Since the recent rises in the price of maize in the markets, he can only buy half of a kilogram of maize with a day's salary.

His wife, Abarash Asafa, boils the maize with salt. It is the only food they share with Degu and his two other brothers, once a day.

Sometimes there is not food at all at home. Then, Abarash just heats water, put salt in it and gives it her children to drink.

Degu's mother's story

When Degu is brought back home his mother comes out of the house, then runs back inside.

"I thought that you brought back my son's body," she explains. "It's like you're bringing me a new son. When his father carried him to the health centre, I couldn't believe that I would see him alive again. He was so sick and weak when his father carried him to the doctor.

"During the past week, I waited for his father to come back to announce Degu's death to me. I don't know if I should cry or laugh. I am so happy and full of emotion. I don't know how to reward you. God bless you."

Whilst we are leaving, Admasu, the father comes to us and ask if we can drop him to the market, on our way back. We agree. On the way he tells me that there is no food at home. He is going to the market to try to borrow some grains to feed the children.

Estenesh Betene, Mother and Child Health expert, Danama health centre:

"An increasing number of children continue to arrive at the health centre. Among the children we are treating some suffer from sever and complicated malnutrition. It’s obvious that a child who has been stunted will keep the effects all his life long.

"Because of the uncertainty over the harvest from rain-based agriculture, things won’t go back to normal just yet. So even if we spend a lot of resources and energy to save children through the community therapeutic care programme, the risk is these children could find themselves in the same situation again a short time after their treatment finishes."

Ethiopia food crisis

The escalating rise in global food prices, combined with prolonged drought, has left 4.6 million people in the poorest areas coping with malnutrition and all the health problems associated with it.

Official statistics say 75,000 children are already severely malnourished and could die without immediate treatment. We estimate there are around 759,000 under-fives in the hardest-hit areas who are especially vulnerable to the affects of malnutrition and need our support before they get to this stage.

Save the Children

We've been working in Ethiopia for 34 years and have 800 staff in country. So, in June, when the Government of Ethiopia called on humanitarian partners to support their response to the food crisis, we were well placed to help with everything from food distribution, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, livestock and agriculture support, education and child protection.

We've set up community-based health centres for malnourished children, where we provide high-energy foods containing all the essential nutrients children need to recover. In the long term, hunger and severe malnutrition can result in permanent negative effects on physical and cognitive growth, from which children never recover.

What you can do

We urgently need to find more resources so we can provide life-saving nutritional support for children. Poor households need our vital health services and support to protect their livelihoods, and they need it now.

Support our work by making a donation to Save the Children's Ethiopia Food Crisis Emergency Appeal online or by calling our emergency appeal line on 0800 8148 148.