DanChurchAid
Ethiopia
Why did God shut down the sky over us?
|
| Twoti used to live a pastoralist life together with her husband. But bescause of several droughts they have lost their animals. |
Twoti Abi is twenty years old and mother to three children, two daughters and one boy.
She is all alone because her husband Melicha Jeldessa is away from home for the last three months looking for work so he can feed his family.
“He sent me twenty birr (around two dollars) in mid March, and the people who brought me the money said, that he is in Yabello, which is about 125 Km away,” explains Twoti.
Since then, she hasn’t heard anything.
“I am worried about his life and health,” says Twoti, who lives in Oromiya region - one of the worst drought hit areas.
The UN has declared the three regions; Somali, Oromiya and the SNNPR region for the worst hit. The UN’s World Food Program estimates that 3,4 million people are in urgent need of food aid.
UNICEF says that six million children are at risk of becoming malnourished. So far 126.000 children are severely malnourished.
Used to live as pastoralists
Melichaa and Twoti used to live a pastoral way of life but frequent drought and livestock disease have swept out all livestock.
“Five years ago we had about twenty cows and twelve goats. But now, we are left with only two goats and one cow. Our entire asset is eroded by the frequent drought in the past few years, and now we are not able to feed our children and our selves.”
Borena and Guji zone in the Oromiya region are the largest pastoral areas covering about 1/4 land holding size of Ethiopia. Dillo is one of the districts located in the western part of Borena Zone, where Twoti and her family have lived all their life in this lowland and bushy area.
Years back pasture and water was adequately available and movement from place to place for feed and water was also simple, explains Twoti.
“These days, I don’t know why God shut down the sky over us. It is over ten years now since the rains disappeared and reduced in its amount and frequency. Big rivers, ponds and ellas dried out,‘‘ says Twoti and states that being pastoralist without pasture and water is equivalent to death.
Photo and text by: Tegene Hailegiorgis Tekle, Relief Officer, DanChurchAid Ethiopia.
