International Save the Children Alliance
The Urban Food Crisis in Addis Ababa: A Tale of Two Families
The Medikissa Family
The Medikissa family has four members: mother, a daughter, a son and Melkamu, (pictured) almost 4 years - he is the focus of the visit. He was first met by Ambezu, a community health volunteer, about a year ago during one of her house-to-house visits, at which time Melkamu was screened for severe acute malnutrition and fouond to be suffering from it. Since then, he has completed a full round of treatment (9 months of nutritious and vitamin rich Plumpy Nut), and today, Melkamu’s condition is good and he is healthy.
Melkamu’s mother discussed her family’s situation. When she was 16 years old, she left her farming family in Ambo, a small town about 130 km west of Addis, to come to the city for better educational opportunities. She entered grade 7 in Addis, but failed, at which time the extended family in Addis who she was living with, kicked her out and she was forced to find work on her own. Shortly thereafter, she met and married her husband, who died three years ago. She misses him and says that life was much easier when he was able to help her with their children and in providing additional income for the family.
Today, as a single mother of three, Melkamu’s mother does odd jobs for money: washing clothes and preparing food for others each week. From this, she is able to earn about 90 birr ($9) per month. Unlike the Tedesse family, her home, a very small, one-room hut that she has lived in for 16 years, is subsidised by the government, making the rent 3 birr ($0.30) per month.
Save the Children programme at the Kolfe Health Centre also support her family as she receives 15 kg of wheat and 1 litre of oil per month from us, which she says, "really helps."
